Page 71 of Mine for a Moment

I’d recognize him anywhere—the contours of his shoulders, the way his suit fits, and the way his hair is just a little wavy. He turns, and I stop in my tracks, unable to school my features. Similarly, he looks at me the way he used to, like he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing. He drinks me in, pure longing in his eyes.

“Thanks for coming,” Ezra says, sounding apologetic.

“You said it was an emergency,” Archer says, unable to tear his eyes off me, his tone conveying his confusion. “You said we needed to talk. What’s going on here?”

I watch as Ezra moves to stand by Tyra’s side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as they look at each other, something passing between them. Tyra takes a deep breath, and Ezra tightens his grip on her, pulling her a little closer.

“I told you there’s something I needed to show you, didn’t I?” she says, addressing me.

I nod, and she gestures at my painting. I take a step closer, my eyes widening when I realize that it’s been amended. It’s been done masterfully, and the changes are minuscule, but they’re there.

The red thread I painted no longer connects Archer to her, and tears begin to fill my eyes when I realize it now connects him to me. The scissors are gone, replaced by a bunch of red tulips, and mostnotably, Archer’s expression isn’t what I painted. Instead of longing, he now looks back with friendly fondness.

She pushes away from Ezra and walks up to Archer, grabbing his hand before leading him to me and reaching for mine. Tyra looks up at Archer with so much love that I can’t stand to look at her without guilt tearing me up. “You ended things with me before everything happened because you knew we weren’t right for each other, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. I wasn’t ready to let go of the idea of us, even if holding on hurt you more than I ever intended. I clung to you stubbornly and refused to acknowledge how much my actions were hurting you, and I…”

She turns to look at me then. “I’m not proud of the way I’ve behaved, Ser. I’ve known about you two for a few weeks now, but I pretended not to because I couldn’t deal with the thought of not having Archer by my side when I needed him more than anything. I stood back and watched you two put me first, sacrificing your own happiness for mine. I stayed silent as guilt and heartache tore you apart because I couldn’t cope with the idea of things changing and I desperately wanted normalcy and the life I left behind. He wasn’t mine, Serenity. You didn’t take anything from me, and there’s nothing for you to feel guilty about. If anyone is to blame here, it’s me.” She glances at Ezra, their eyes locking for a moment before she turns back to me. “It took me a while to acknowledge that I can’t regain what I’ve lost and that if I tried to, I’d just lose more in the progress. If not for Ezra…”

She bites down on her lip as she places my hand in Archer’s, a tear running down her face. Her eyes fall closed for a moment, and then she looks at me, a shaky smile on her face. “Please do what I never could and make him happy. Please bring back his smile and let him return yours. Please don’t let anyone deprive you of your happiness—not even me. And please…please forgive me.”

Sixty-One

Archer

Serenity is quiet as we walk into my home together, neither of us quite sure what to say but aware that we need to talk—in private.

She turns around halfway into the living room, and I freeze in my tracks, taking a moment to just stare at her. My heart squeezes, and the butterflies in my stomach go wild. She’s so fucking breathtaking in that white summer dress, and having her here, in this space we used to share, fuck.

“Wine?” I murmur, needing something to do, something to keep my hands occupied so I don’t reach for her the way I want to.

She nods and follows me to the kitchen, the sound of her familiar footsteps bringing me a sense of comfort I never knew I needed. I missed every single thing about her. Everything.

My hands tremble slightly as I pour her a glass, acutely aware that she’s barely looked at me since Tyra left us standing in front of her mural, our hands entwined. We stood there together for a while, just looking at each other, before I managed to murmur to her that we should talk.

Serenity takes a seat by my breakfast bar and knocks back half her glass. I refill it instantly before grabbing my own, my heart uneasy. I thought she’d be happier to be here with me, but she won’t even look me in the eye.

Her body tenses almost imperceptibly when I move to stand to her side, facing her. My heart sinks when I read her body language, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s too late, if she’s already moved on. I place my glass down beside hers and lean back against my breakfast bar, her knee brushing against my thigh. It’s the closest I’ve had her in weeks, and it isn’t enough.

“I’ve missed you,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.

Her eyes snap up, and her gaze softens, hope sparking in them. That expression of hers…it eases the worst of my fears, and I take a leap of faith.

“Not a single day went by without me thinking of you, Serenity. Every day, I wondered if we’d find our way back together and how long it’d take. It’s been 108 days since you left, and every single one of those days was torture. My mind ran wild with thoughts of where you might be and who you might be with…” I run a hand through my hair and sigh, unsure what I’m even trying to say. I’ve imagined this scenario countless times, but now that it’s happening, I’m stumbling over my words.

My breath hitches when she reaches for my hand, and I look at her, my broken heart undoubtedly written all over my face. “I still love you, Serenity Adesina. With all I am, all I’ve got. I still love you, and even if you don’t feel the same way anymore, please…please give me a—”

My eyes widen when she wraps her hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in, her lips crashing against mine as she steals away my words. I groan as I grab her waist and push her legs apart with my knee, pressing her body against mine.Fuck. I’ve missed everythingabout her—the way her hair smells when I’ve got her this close, her soft curves against my chest, and the way her fingertips slide up my neck and into my hair as she kisses me. I missed feeling this alive, thiswhole.

We’re both panting by the time my forehead drops to hers, and I cup her face, my gaze searching, drinking her in as she clutches the lapels of my suit jacket. “I missed you too,” she says, her voice breaking. “It’s been 108 days since we last saw each other, but it’s been 33 days since we last spoke. I thought that…” She takes a shaky breath. “I tried to let you go, Archer, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want you to be trapped by the guilt you undoubtedly felt every time you spoke to me, and I didn’t want to deprive you of a chance at the happiness you lost, so I stopped replying to your text messages…but I… You’re all I thought of, all the time, everywhere I went. God, you have no idea how scared I was.”

“Scared of what?” I ask, my hands roaming over her body, my need to touch her insuppressible. I missed this intimacy with her, the peace her proximity gives me.

“I thought that someday we’d come face-to-face, and you’d regret me,us. The idea of having to smile as you loved someone that wasn’t me…”

“That would never happen,” I tell her, leaning in for another kiss. This one is soft, lingering. “You’re it for me, Serenity. I tried to be the man you thought I was and supported Tyra as best as I could, but my heart only ever beat for you.”

She looks into my eyes like she doesn’t believe me, and I smile, oddly reassured by her insecurity. Knowing I’m not the only one who feels this way, who battled these thoughts…it’s such a fucking relief.

“You weren’t swayed?” she asks. “If even a small part of you still wants to be with her, I need to know. I can’t…I can’t go down this road if—”

---