Page 106 of Patrick

“Pops.” He grabs my leg and finds the sole of my foot, then proceeds to relentlessly tickle me while I flail around. We tangle and he tickles every part of me, my ribs, my belly, my thighs and… all the way home.

My head rests on his chest where I can listen to the strong steady beat of his heart which has finally slowed down from its frantic pace.

“You said the L-word,” he says. His voice is strong and clear as a church bell. Why am I thinking of church bells?

“When did I say that?” I scrunch my eyes like it’ll help me remember.

“You said you would love my Dad.”

I smile, remembering. “So?”

“So what about me?”

Boom. My heart clenches so hard that my hand reflexively touches my chest to protect it and I lean in, caressing his face. He looks so vulnerable right now that I empty my heart.

“I love you so hard and so completely that I’m terrified of it.”

I watch his eyes darken as I lower my lips to his and kiss him.

He weaves his fingers through the hair at the back of my head and presses, deepening the kiss and turning me over so I’m under him. He gazes down at me with a look I’ve never seen before. His eyes are tender and intense at the same time, his face open as a book and I know what he’s saying before the words come out. I hold my breath as he speaks.

“I love you, Fifi. I don’t know what I imagined love would be like but it’s more, extra fire and extra hell. Like if you’re not with me, my life has no meaning. You’re the first person I want to see every morning and the last person I want to see every night. You’re the only one I ever want in my bed ever again, the only one I want to share every big moment with and every single tiny moment.”

Inhaling a deep breath of him, I’m speechless and I brush at my cheeks as I hold his face in my hands and he lowers his mouth to mine, giving me everything he has. And I take it and give everything I have, everything I am to him.

We’re only ten minutes late for Stats class and we sit in the back, holding hands between our seats, goofy smiles in place, even while Professor Gringely glares at us, but only for a second.

Then he gives up and shakes his head, trying to keep the corner of his mouth from tipping upward into a grin.