“Gwen, stop,” he says firmly. “Just stop.”
His tone isn’t angry.
It’s steady. Grounded. Certain.
“I think you’re gorgeous,” he says, his voice even. “I think you’re a beautiful woman. Smart. Funny. And yes, sexy.”
The words land all at once.
My breath catches.
For a moment, my mind can’t decide whether this is real or something I’ll wake up from.
“You don’t think we’re too different?” I ask quietly, searching his face.
“I don’t care if we’re the most different people on the planet,” he replies without hesitation. “You haven’t left my mind since we met. I want to know you. Everything about you.”
His gaze holds mine.
“I’m attracted to you, Gwen.”
My eyebrows knit slightly, my thoughts struggling to keep up with my emotions.
“I don’t know how to prove to you that I think you’re amazing,” he continues. “I want to hold your hand. I want to be close to you. I want to really know you.”
His voice softens at the end.
Zane steps closer again, and I remain rooted in place, the quiet of the alley pressing in around us.
“I only let go of your hand because I didn’t have the chance to explain what my life is like,” he adds. “What dating me could mean. This wouldn’t be… normal.”
I let out a small breath.
“I don’t want normal,” I whisper.
“Then what do you want?” he asks.
“I’m not sure,” I admit.
“Are you willing to figure it out?” he asks, a small smile forming, one that slowly eases the tension between us.
My defenses begin to slip.
“I think so,” I say.
And for the first time since last night, my heart feels like it’s moving toward something instead of away from it.
“I want to date you, Gwen. We’ll do it on your terms. You decide when and how you want to be seen. But please… give me a chance,” Zane says.
I blink, still trying to process it.
Zane Miller is asking me out again.
This incredibly handsome, kind man wants to date me.
Me.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
