“I want,” he said, a tear escaping his eye. “Thank you.”
I caught the tiny bead, brought it to my lips and rubbed. “Can you kiss me now?”
His gaze tracked the movement, and he huffed out a humorous breath, then leaned forward, his hand holding my face.
“Just so you know.” With my lips over his, I stopped, my fears lingering between us, needing more. “You can fuck up, make mistake after mistake. I don’t, and never will, expect perfection. What I do expect is you. Here. With me. No matter what.”
I heard him swallow. “No matter what. Through whatever kind of hell, I’ll be right beside you, loving you.”
It felt like I was standing on the edge of eternity, staring it in the eyes as another darker pair flashed through my mind. It could’ve been beautiful, what Aiden and I had, but it wasn’t what I needed.
And though I knew it would hurt, I couldn’t run and hide from this.
Already, I knew the years would pass and that ache would dull, but it would probably always linger. I could live with a dull ache, but I couldn’t live with a gash that never stopped bleeding.
All thoughts of Aiden vanished as my lips found the smooth, familiar curve of Everett’s, and we both sighed, our mouths parting with the sound, then melding again.
After a minute, I whispered into his mouth, “That doesn’t mean I’m saying yes.”
He grinned, lips fusing to mine. “Not yet.”
My boots crunched over some loose gravel in the parking lot, the streetlamps casting the surrounding cars and building ahead in patches of black and orange.
Everett wasn’t thrilled with what I was doing. No, scratch that, he was probably pacing the floor of the living room, waiting for me to get home.
But I wasn’t going to lie to him, and I wasn’t going to do this any other way. He understood that, even respected it, but still, he respectfully fucking hated it.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
I paused near the steps, only just realizing Aiden was sitting at the bottom with his hands between his bent knees.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” He stood, striding toward me with slow, purpose-filled steps. I backed up to the wall, Deja vu rattling my heart. “I’m sorry,” he rasped out, his eyes swimming into mine. “So sorry.”
“You had places to be. I get it.”
“No.” My heart sank. “I did, but I could’ve opted out. I’ve just… I’ve been a coward.”
“You’re no coward, Prince.” I tried to infuse some light into the heavy that’d settled between us.
It wouldn’t budge.
He chuckled, dark and graveled. “The idea of losing you? Well, I think it was easier to bear by avoiding the situation. You can’t end something that’s not happening. But I’m done with that. With being afraid of losing. I can be what you need me to be and then some.”
“Aiden,” I warned.
His hands cupped my cheeks, his head dipping, forcing my eyes to his. “Give me a chance. A real, honest to God chance, and I’ll never once make you regret it.”
God. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this. My heart shredded, tore right down the center, and fell to the ground beneath our feet.
“I can’t do that.”
“You can. You fucking can.” His hands tightened. “I just got sick of picking up the pieces, of feeling like I’m second best. I’m not, and we’re more than that. I know that now, and you know it too.”
“We were always more than second best. You were always more than that.” It needed to be said because it was nothing but the truth.
Hope danced and swayed over his features, and I felt a part of myself slip away, knowing what I had to do. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” His thumbs caressed my cheeks, and before I could draw breath, his lips were on mine.
I let myself have it, that one tiny taste of what I’d be walking away from.
A best friend. A lover. A future filled with mischievous smiles.
When his head angled and his tongue tried to pry my lips apart, I pushed him back. “No, I mean I’m sorry, Aiden, because I can’t…” Tears blinded, sending me rocking on my feet.
His hands fell, slapping to his sides as what was happening registered. As what he’d seen on my face, perhaps found on my lips, sank deeper.
He stumbled back, a hand pulling at his hair, a stream of unintelligible curses flung at the concrete and brick surrounding