One corner of his mouth lifts slightly. “Alright. Maybe moderately handsy.”
I look away for a second, throat suddenly tight in the stupidest way imaginable.
“You remember it?”
George’s eyes stay on mine this time. “Yeah,” he says softly. “All of it.”
That one almost takes me out at the knees. I drag a hand down my face and let out one broken little laugh that sounds hurt and wrecked.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter. “Was I at least decent about it?”
His brows pull together immediately. “What?”
“George,” I look back at him helplessly now. “I know what I’m like drunk sometimes. Was I annoying? Did I take care of you properly? Was I even—”
“Lance.”
His voice stops me. He stoops low enough so his forehead can touch mine.
“You were you,” he says simply. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The look on his face alone is enough to undo me completely.
All this time, part of me might’ve been aware that there was some version of me people had to put up with, clean up after, and move on from. But George is standing there looking at me like every version is worth remembering.
He exhales softly, almost amused by how bothered I look, and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“But I don’t remember any of it,” I say, my voice embarrassingly small now. “I missed our first kiss.”
With that, he gently tilts my chin up with his fingers, the whole world narrowing down to just this moment.
“I’ll remember that kiss enough for both of us,” he says, leaning in.
This kiss is full of so much care—it’s him giving it back to me piece by piece, making sure this time I get to keep it.
When he pulls away, he keeps his forehead against mine.
“And I’m gonna kiss you like it’s the first time every single time,” he says, looking at me with this terrifying amount of sincerity, “For the rest of our lives.”
I laugh once, completely overwhelmed, and bury my face against his shoulder.
Standing there being held by the man who somehow loved me long before either of us knew what to call it, I realize something with absolute clarity.
We didn’t miss our beginning.
We’ve just finally caught up to it.
