Page 55 of Until We Fall

He twists to look at me, lifting that weight with a smile.

“Undocked,” he says.

I laugh. Blue water stretches on the other side of the railing, a sailboat off to our right, as the ferry shifts under our feet. “Unfortunately.”

He’s twisted to look up at me, his hair that brilliant copper in the sun, freckles dark. “We never finished talking about after we leave. After we go home.”

My heart pushes out a double beat. “No, we didn’t.”

“I don’t…” He presses his lips. “I don’t think it’s right for you to follow me to New York.”

My throat tightens. “Why?”

He shifts as the ferry moves, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me. “I don’tfeellike it’s right. And I know I should have a reason, some logical thing, but I don’t. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay.” I don’t take my eyes off him.

“I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

I push out a breath. “No, but I wanted to hear the truth.” I reach up to brush a tendril of hair out of his eyes as the ferryslowly rocks. “And I trust you. I trust your gut feeling. If it’s not right, then it’s not right.” I dip to kiss him, my heart hammering. “What did Leo do?”

His eyelashes flutter in surprise. “What?”

“What did Leo do? How did he win over Oliver?”

He smiles faintly. “He waited.”

“I can do that.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t ask you to?—”

“You didn’t ask,” I say. “I offered. And it’s not really even an offer, because it’s what I’m going to do anyway.”

“D, that doesn’t seem fair to you.”

“I’d never mind waiting for you.” I kiss him again, then feather more across his neck and under his jaw, relishing his closeness, his body against mine.

He’s quiet for a long moment—the ferry is picking up speed now, soon it will be too windy to talk and Clua will fade into the distance.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen in real life,” he says. “Guys like you don’t fall for guys like me.”

“Who says?”

He pushes out a laugh. “All my experience.”

“Then we’ll change your experience. Change the pattern.” I squeeze him tight, leaning close to his ear so he can hear me over the wind. “I wantyou. And there’s no complexity in that. There’s no half-wanting or half-waiting. It’s just me, wanting you, for as long as I can see into the future.” I press my lips to his ear. “I heard this quote once. It goes like this: ‘the people with the highest walls have the deepest love.’ I think that’s you, Rory. And I’m not letting go.”

He’s quiet for a long moment and then he lets out a soft breath. “I love you, D.”

Jesus, he said it first.

He really said itfirst.

I tuck him against me, squeezing my eyes shut. “I love you, too.”

He sighs. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“I can’t believeyoudid.” I hug him tighter. “So, we go back.”

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