Page 130 of From You to Me

We still had a long way to go, but I was happy.

I was truly, irrevocably happy.

And like last time, it was all because of him.

My smile didn’t leave my fucking face when we finally pulled away.

My eyes immediately landed on the familiar brown-and-black-checkered box. “Wait,” I said, stepping toward it. “Isn’t that the infamous box that no one knows what’s inside? The one you made Tyler and me carry everywhere on tour like it was precious cargo or something.” I raised my brow in question as I turned back to peer at him.

“Yeah.” He smirked. “It’s precious cargo.”

“What is it?” I jumped, my voice honing a hint of glee. “You’ll tell me, right? I’m your favorite person in the whole wide world after all.” I stilled, realizing what just spilled out of my lips.

My favorite question that I asked him all the time. A question that I hadn’t asked him in a long, long while.

It was a silly game between the two of us when we were kids, but it was endearing and sacred.

His eyes widened a fraction as he stared at me. “You are,” he confirmed, a beautiful smile pulling apart his lips.

I couldn’t help but match his smile with mine. “So what’s in this mysterious box?” I waved a hand around.

“Why don’t you open it yourself?”

I nodded excitedly as I dropped to the floor. But my excitement was cut short when I saw the huge padlock in the lid. “But it’s locked.”

“It’s the same code as the apartment.”

“That easy?” I gasped. “Then I should’ve done this long ago. By the way, these numbers are so familiar, but I can’t grasp how I know them.”

“It’s the day I met you,” he said casually as he crouched beside me.

“What?” I squealed, my fingers stilling on the lock pad. It was the day I met him. I can’t believe it didn’t strike my mind. “So you loved me all along?” A cheeky grin marred my lips.

“Yes, ma’am. I think that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you earlier.” He grabbed my face and planted a wet kiss on my nose.

“Okay, okay.” I laughed, pushing him away. “Now let go, I need to open this now.” I rubbed my hands. “I feel like a kid on Christmas morning,” I chirped.

“It’s not going to be that exciting, at least for you.” He lifted a shoulder.

“Well.” I trudged open the heavy lid. “I’ll be the judge of that.” And I certainly did not expect the content that was staring right at my face. “Firebird,” I whispered, shocked. There she was in all her glory, gleaming red, still in perfect condition as I last saw her. “You still have it.” I pried the guitar out, tracing my finger along our engraved initials on the neck.

“I thought you threw it away or broke it,” I muttered.

“No.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I couldn’t part with it. I’ve carried it with me everywhere I went. It’s my very own lucky charm.”

I sniffled as my tears from earlier returned. “I love you so much.”

He laughed as I crashed into him. He carefully returned his guitar back to the trunk.

“I swear that you love that guitar more than you love me.”

He laughed harder, a gleam coating his eyes. “How did you figure that out?”

“Ass.” I swatted him hard on the shoulder.

His eyes softened as he cradled my face with his big hands. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” I beamed.

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