I edged closer until there was barely any space between us. “I do.”
“That’s a huge thing to say.”
“I know.”
“You’re talking about after high school.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re talking about me following you wherever they send you.”
I held his stare. “Yeah.”
He chuckled softly and ran a hand down his face. “Jesus Christ.”
“That’s not a no.”
“That’s because I’m still trying to figure out if you’ve totally lost it.”
I smiled a little. “Possibly.”
“You’ve seriously thought about this already?”
“Since this morning.”
“Since this morning?” he repeated. “You work fast.”
“I had a long drive home.”
His mouth twitched, but he still seemed unsure. “You know, this isn’t how things work.”
“What part?”
“The part where you just decide I’m part of your future and drop it on me like it’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.”
“Then why are you so calm?”
“I’m not.” I reached for his hand and placed it on my chest so he could feel how hard my heart was beating. “I’m trying not to freak out in front of you.”
“You’re freaking out?”
“A little.”
“A little?”
“Fine. More than a little.”
He studied my face for another moment, and whatever he saw must have been enough because some of the tension left his shoulders. “You really mean it?”
“Yeah.”
“You really want me there?”
“I do.”
He looked away, shook his head, then chuckled softly to himself. “Nobody’s ever looked at me and talked like that before.”
