three of us when it came to arts and entertainment. I wouldn’t even be able to guess at his favorite movie or TV show or band. Hell, I didn’t even know his favorite genre of music. If he had one.
Eleven fifty-six. Damn it. “Do those tastes now include Dr. Pepper? Because I could have sworn you weren’t a fan.”
He shrugged. “It’s Thea’s favorite.”
That made me grin despite my anxiety. “Oh, so you were missing her tonight too.”
“I never claimed otherwise.” He pulled onto a familiar street lined with cars. “There’s no parking, so I’m going to drop you off and then circle back around. Okay?”
“Sure.” I checked the time on his phone as I handed it back to him. Eleven fifty-eight, and still no text from Thea.
As soon as the Tesla began to slow, I was already opening my door then running across the street toward the house. I probably should have noticed the cold, wet pavement on my bare feet or the freezing mist biting into my skin, but I didn’t. All I could think about was getting to Thea before the clock struck midnight, like Cinder-fucking-ella.
I’d officially crossed over to the dark side, and I didn’t even care.
I was halfway up the drive when the front door opened and Thea stepped out. My heart slammed against my chest in relief and anticipation.
“Tristin?” She ran down the porch steps. “What’s wrong? Where are your shoes? And your coat?”
Without responding, I took her hand and dragged her to the side of the house, where we would be out of sight of prying eyes. Then, I wrapped my arms around her waist and lowered my mouth until it was a hairsbreadth from hers.
“I couldn’t let midnight roll around without telling you that I’m in love with you, Thea Gale. I think I’ve loved you since we were kids and have just been too scared to admit it to myself, much less to you.” God, that felt good. Like I’d been holding my breath for years and only now could draw new breath.
I lifted my hand to the curve of her cheek, soaking up the feel of her soft skin against mine. “But I’m not scared anymore. Because you gave me a reason to finally face the past and look forward to a better future.”
In the glow of the streetlamp behind us, I saw her mouth tip up into a brilliant smile as she blinked away tears. “I love you too.” She brushed her mouth over mine. “And I’m so happy you’re weren’t heartless after all.”
I chuckled a little, even as I claimed her mouth. “Me too.”
Then, I pulled her perfect body tight against mine and kissed her into next year.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Thea
“What are you doing?”
I jumped at the sound of Hayle’s voice, tossing my pen halfway across the living room. “Holy shit.” I held a hand to my chest, as though its presence would control the beat of my heart. “Where did you come from?”
“Um, the front door.” He retrieved the pen and handed it to me. “I assumed you heard me.”
“Not so much. And, to answer your question, I was practicing calligraphy lettering. It’s harder than it looks.”
He reached for my workbook. “May I?”
“Sure.” This wasn’t like one of my drawings. My practice pages weren’t personal, so I had no trouble handing them over.
Still, I was finding that I enjoyed the challenge of perfecting each stroke. It took concentration but was mindless at the same time. My goal was to improve enough that I could combine some of my drawings with words or quotes.
Hayle sat next to me on the couch and flipped through the workbook. When he reached the end, he shook his head at me. “If that’s hard for you, no one would ever know. Pretty sure you’re a natural.”
“I guess.” Like with my drawings, I had trouble seeing past all of the imperfections. The fate of an artist, I supposed.
“What made you decide to get into calligraphy?”
“Violet gave me the set as a get-well-slash-apology gift. I started practicing while I was home all the time with my bum leg, and I think I’m finally getting the hang of it.” Sort of.
“Apology for what?”
I must not have told him about Violet dumping me for reasons I still didn’t quite understand. It had something to do with her mother, but I could tell there was more to the story.
“It doesn’t matter. We’re all good now.”
“Okay.” Hayle returned the workbook to me. “Where are Tristin and Leo?”
“They’re at the boxing gym.”
Leo