You’ve never what?I wanted to ask, desperate to hear more from them. But when Marco laid his hand on my arm and squeezed, all my words disappeared.
“You need to think,” I said quickly, turning away out of fear I would otherwise hear a no. “I can’t just drop this on you.”
“We do need to think,” Marco said. “But Grayson, if this is how you feel, you don’t need to turn away from us. I’m glad you told us!”
It was like there was air whooshing across my ears, making it difficult to hear him. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding, and I realized I needed to get out of the loft and process everything that had just happened.
“Thank you,” I said quickly. “For saying that.” I turned to Demir, who had his hand pressed against his beard, his eyes still wide. “And thank you,” I said. “For the offer. For dinner. For everything.”
Marco made acome-heregesture with his hand, and I stepped into his embrace. We all kissed quickly, but with anxiety still coursing through my veins, I pulled myself away.
I love you, I wanted to say, but instead I just grabbed my wallet and hurried out the back.
