Page 128 of Swim To Me

She nods.

“My old manager, Stu, he’s going to get it all sorted,” I explain. “It’ll be printed early Monday morning and go out with that day’s newspaper issue. Magazines too, probably.”

Delilah nods again.

“Are you–are you okay?”

Delilah opens her mouth, and then pauses.

It feels like the longest pause of my entire life. Even worse than standing on a podium, freezing wet with nothing but a towel around my shoulders to combat the sudden chill, while I waited for my placement in the swimming competition to be announced.

“I’m–I was scared, Grey. Really scared.”

I squeeze her hand and gulp back the nausea threatening to rise.

“How did you find out?”

“Aura rang me,” she explains. “In the middle of the meeting, so I knew it must be something important. I had no clue what was going on, but I think all of my colleagues had already seen the headline and there was there was a young girl on the tube. She stopped me before I’d even got to work, but I didn’t have time to speak to her. I think–I think now she stopped me because she must have recognized me from the pictures the press published.”

“I—”

“One of my bosses reassured me it wouldn’t affect my job, but then when I was coming out of work to meet Aura – she wanted to check up on me – I was pretty shocked and shaken when she first told me. I was walking out to wait outside and get some fresh air, when a pap barged into the lobby and shoved a flashing camera in my face.”

The anger and adrenaline I knew would be back in time, surges beneath the surface of my skin, boiling my blood until I’m burning hot and seeing red. I feel my jaw tick with the pressure of clenching my teeth.

“I’ll fucking—”

Delilah pushes me back down into the sofa before I’ve even known I stood up. “He isn’t worth it, Grey.”

“He is if he’s going out of his way to harm you.”

“I wasn’t harmed—”

“Yes, you were. He scared you, Delilah. That’s harm. And he has no right taking pictures of you without consent, just because we’ve gone public with our relationship. Just because you’re with me, doesn’t mean—”

“He got thrown out before he could take any more photographs.” Delilah resumes stroking my forearm with her soft fingertips. “I think I heard Aura bitch him out, too, but I wasn’t really paying any attention. I was trying to ring you, but it wouldn’t connect.”

“I was probably on the phone to Stu, trying to get everything sorted.”

“I know that now.” Delilah grins at me, tears filling her eyes. “You stood up for me.”

There’s hardly an inch of space between our bodies, but it still feels too much, so I band my arm around Delilah’s shoulder, tucking her into my side. She rests her head on my chest like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course I did.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. “I love you and I told you how much I was willing to fight for us. I meant every word. When you’re scared, I’m here to protect you, Delilah. Whatever it takes. You’re my priority.”

I allow the worry I had felt the moment Blake had told me our relationship had been outed and we’d been published in the newspaper, the worry Delilah’s past experiences would crop up again, and she’d walk out, unable to handle it all no matter how much she loves me, to flow through me, even though it feels uncomfortable and prickly.

Usually, I’d feel the need to be in the water right about now; swimming below the watery surface to ground myself and get my thoughts in order.

But the urge isn’t as insistent.

Instead, I stroke up and down Delilah’s back, my mind and body relaxing in her presence. Through all of her fear andworry, she’s still here, in my arms. Choosing me as much as I’m choosing her.

Choosing us.

“I love you, Grey.” Delilah raises her head, kissing me softly. “It means a lot that you stood up for me.”

“Always, gorgeous.” I kiss her back, feeling the soft texture of her lips move against mine. “I’ll always stand up for you, be here for you, be—”

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