Page 53 of Adrift

Then he stops and looks at me. “How’s your balance?”

“Uh…”

Too late. Gage boosts me right up off the ground. My heart races as I cling to the branch until I’m sure that I’m stable, and then I slowly look beyond it.

Whoa. I’m sitting right in the crook of a huge, sturdy old branch. And the view is incredible: the beach, the twinkling lights of the harbour beyond, and above… the clear, vast, starry sky.

Despite his size, Gage nimbly scrambles up beside me.

“Phew,” I sigh as he wraps his arm around me. “Don’t let me fall out of the tree.”

“I won’t,” Gage promises as I fizz with a happiness I couldn’t have imagined possible even this afternoon.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

Gage hums in agreement. “I’m glad to be here. With…” Gage trails off, glancing at me.

The silence is a little too long. My heart skips a beat. “Mm?” I prompt, glancing from the sky to Gage, just in case he’s forgotten what he was going to say.

Gage chuckles. “Is it crazy if I want to call you my boyfriend?” Then he gasps and points, and I look back to the sky just in time to see another meteor.

Holy shit. This is the most perfect moment of my life.

“Is that a yes?” Gage asks the sky, narrowing his eyes and pretending to glare at it. He even props his other hand on his hip. “Or ayes, it’s crazy? I need more details, please.”

If I wasn’t already utterly head over heels for Gage… this moment would be enough to do it. Talking to the night sky isdefinitelysomething I would do.

I’m starting to think he’s crazy in exactly the same way as me… and even though I shouldn’t say it, I just can’t stop myself.

When Gage is around, everything stops.

I giggle and swat his chest. “If you’re asking me, it’s a yes. But you really gotta learn how to ask properly.”

Gage laughs so loudly I swear I can hear his laugh rolling across the waves, ringing against the silent, dark space of the mountains in the distance.

“Oops,” Gage finally murmurs. He pulls me into his chest, his eyes twinkling as he gazes at me. “Give me time. I’ll learn.”

That’s the only thing I can’t give him more of.

But he pulls me into his chest and kisses me deeply, and the thought is already slipping away. It’s like a fairytale where one kiss can make everything magically turn out all right.

I’ve never felt like this before… and I don’t want it to end.

Chapter

Nineteen

KIERAN, TWO WEEKS LATER

“Raise the glass a little more…and now turn toward the window… perfect!”

I know the festival is going to be a roaring success, so I’m letting all that excitement shine bright as I smile at Hilton’s camera.

“These photos are great,” Hilton finally says, scrolling through his camera. “Gage is gonna love them. You’re doing great.”

“If I’d known how easy it was, I might have gone into a different career...” I trail off.

I’m the face of Sunrise Cider today. I can’t make an OnlyFans joke.

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