I can hear the smile in her voice as she says, “Horace.”
No way.
“Shut the fuck up!” I yell.
“What?” she asks, stunned from my abrupt shout.
“That was the name I was holding on to.”
She shakes her head in disbelief. “No, it wasn’t.”
“Yes, it was.” I sit up on my elbow, looking down at her. “I swear on my fucking dick, that was what I was going to name it.”
“Your dick?”
I nod very seriously. “My very own dick.”
“Really?” For some odd reason, there is hope in her eyes, like my answer is going to make or break this bond we have.
I nod. “Really.”
“That’s…that’s weird, that we had the same name picked out. Don’t you think that’s weird? It’s weird, right? Is it weird that I keep saying weird? Should I say it one more time?”
“At least two more times.” I smile.
“Weird. Weird.”
“Now it’s weird.”
“The weirdest.”
“So weird.”
She smirks and then shifts so she’s sitting up. “Well?—”
Here it comes, the bailout.
Her body language is pulling away.
Her lips are quirked to the side, ready to lay down the dismissal when I’m not ready for this to end.
“Don’t,” I interrupt before she can say any more.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t leave, not yet.”
“Why not?” she asks, looking slightly confused, but also intrigued.
Because this is the first time I’ve felt alive in a long time.
Because even though a dare brought us together, this feels real.
Because I want to spend more time with you, not because of pressure from my dad, but because I genuinely enjoy everything about you, even your snarly attitude.
I swallow, my eyes staying connected with hers. “Because I’m enjoying myself and I doubt there have been many times in my life where I’ve felt so content. I’m not ready to say good night to that feeling just yet.”
She swallows hard, her eyes searching mine. “Theo, no flirting.”
