in it.” I cradled her face in my hands. “I don’t want what-ifs with you. I want what is. I want us, in all the ways that we are—together.”
“Whoa.” She put her hand on my chest, not to push me away but to hold herself to me.
“Whoa is a great descriptor for how I feel. The question is, how do you feel?”
She pursed her lips. “I feel like I need to at least try to push you away. That’s what I do, I push people away.”
I relaxed slightly against the seat. “Go for it. Try your worst.”
“I’m crazy.”
“I want your crazy.”
The smallest smile curled her lips. “Fine, that was good.”
“Push me away; I’ll just come back.”
“Okay… I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school. I’ve been too much of a coward.”
“I told you once before you’re not a coward. And you’ve never had a serious boyfriend because they haven’t been me.”
“Oooh,” she said, her smile growing wider. “That’s slick.”
“I told you, I’m serious.”
“My family is fucked up. My dad told my mom he was cheating again, and now she’s apartment shopping.”
I tilted my head. “Are you still trying to push me away, or are you stating facts.”
“Oh,” she said with a shake of her head. “No, I’ve already abandoned trying to push you away. Now I’m just telling you how much of a mess I am.”
“Well, my dad is in prison, so…”
“Okay,” she conceded. “You win. You’re messier than I am.” She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and leaned forward. “I should not like you as much as I do for how long we’ve known each other.”
“Yeah, well, I probably shouldn’t be in love with you after a week together, but there it is.”
Her mouth did a little o as I let that sit between us.
“Yep,” I told her matter of factly. “So, take it or leave it.”
“Ask me a truth or dare.”
“Why?”
She curled her hands into my neck. “Just do it.”
“Truth or dare?” I asked, knowing she would choose a dare.
“Truth.” Her eyes were soft, beautifully expressive. I could see her vulnerability, her whole heart.
“What do you want me to ask you?”
She shook her head. “That’s not how it works. You have to ask me a question that I need to answer truthfully. Bear in mind, this is the first time I’ve chosen a truth. So you better make it good.”
I had just told her I loved her. She never chose truth when she played truth or dare because she was too afraid to admit the truth when it really mattered.
It clicked.
“The night we met,” I began, encouraged by her gentle nod. “You told me you loved me.”
She nodded again.
“Do you think you could eventually love me for real?”
“No.”
My entire body froze. That was not what I expected.
She leaned in; her forehead pressed to mine. “I don’t think I could love you for real. Because I already do.”
My breath came back like a tidal wave; my pulse roaring in my ears. “Say it again.”
“Okay.” She leaned back, shaking her hair out. She was fucking magnificent. “Let’s see if I can remember what I said that night.” Her thumb dragged down the line of my jaw. “Liam. I have to tell you that I love you. I know it’s a little soon, but I hope you’ll accept it with an open heart.”
I swallowed. “You… love me.” I’d said those three words once before in wonderment. I felt the same way now.
“Yep. I know it’s kind of soon…”
“Just a bit.”
Tori’s smile was everything I never knew I needed.
“It is a little soon,” I said, though I was rusty on what I had said verbatim. “Please forgive me if it takes me a bit to say the words back.”
“I think I can be patient.”
“Good.” I ran my hand over her hair, committing this moment to memory. “I won’t make you wait too long though. Because I am in love with you too. As crazy as it seems.”
Finally, she kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her, anchoring her to me now and always.
When she pulled away, I kissed her hand and said, “You’re going home to deal with some heavy shit.”
She looked down. “Yeah.”
“You helped me through my heavy shit. Do you want company?”
“Really?” The way her whole face lit up gave me the answer I sought from her.
“Really.” Her mouth covered mine, but I wasn’t done. “Tori,” I whispered against her lips.
“What?”
“Truth or dare.”
She hesitated, so I dragged my hands up her arms reassuringly. “Dare.”