Page 86 of The Reunion

“I love your eyelashes,” he goes on, words tumbling out one on top of another, “and how you freak out if one lands on your cheek. I love your smiles, all of them, the hundred different ones you have in your arsenal—but especially that first one you gave me twenty years ago, when we met for the first time. I was so, so nervous, even though I was trying to act chill, and your smile—it was shy and small and I can still remember it like it was yesterday—it was the first thing that actually made mefeelchill. Like everything would be okay. And I love the smile you gave me at the Fanline dinner, like we’d never missed a day, when the truth is I should’ve been in your life for every single one of them. I’m so sorry, Liv. I’m sorry for all of it, and I hope you’ll forgive me, because I—I don’t think I could run out of ways to tell you how much I love you if we had a hundred years together. So. Hi,” he says. “Will you be my very best friend, and also my very public girlfriend? I think it’s a little late to keep the news from getting out, unfortunately.”

I break into the widest smile, laughing, overwhelmed in the best way by all of it. “Yes,” I say, nodding avidly. “Yes, please. Yes to all of it.”

“I love you, Livvie,” he says quietly. “I don’t care who knows it, I don’t care how hard it might be to live our lives with so many eyes on us—I just want to live itwith you.”

He puts one hand to my face and wipes a stray tear away with his thumb. Each second passes in slow motion, until suddenly it can’t go fast enough: I close the distance between us, kiss him like I should have all along, making up for the past week and so many years before. I’ve never kissed someone while smiling before—never tasted salt on a smile, either, or kissed someone with half a dozen kittens mewing in the background.

“Ransom?” I say, between kisses. “I just have one question. Why did they bring in all the kittens?”

He laughs, pulling away until it’s just our fingertips touching, and then not even that. He pulls a laser pointer out of his pocket and points it at the floor—its beam isGirl on the Vergepink, just like our logo. All the kittens gather around it in a line, their heads bobbing in unison as he captivates them with the light.

I read their tags:WILL MY BE YOU?

“Oh,” he says, grinning, leaning down to the ground. “The last one’s still missing.” In one smooth motion, he swaps one kitten for another, and it now readsWILL YOU BE MY?“The last one saysGIRL—we can play it off as a teaser for the reunion special, if you want. I think they’re hoping I’ll officially ask you out on live TV, but we can keep it just between us if you’re not ready for that. When you pull them out of their gift boxes during the segment on the show, though, be sure and act surprised, okay?”

“This is amazing.Youare amazing.” The laser blinks off, and the kittens scatter, except for the sand-colored one with the question mark who seems seriously in love with my ankles.

Ransom pulls me in for another kiss, and I know it will be the first of many, many more. Being this close to him is the most familiar thing in the world, but at the same time, it feels brand-new: he’s my very best friend, my favorite place on the planet even if it isn’t always safe, my risk worth taking—because whatever happens from here, we have to try. We’ve wasted too much time. Now we can start making up for it all.

There’s a soft knock at the door. I break away, reluctant to end the moment, but it’s okay—this is only the beginning for us. I open the door. Alyssa’s on the other side, the wayward gray kitten curled up and purring in her arms.

Alyssa’s eyes dart between us, bright and hopeful, but she doesn’t pry for details. “You’re on in five, Liv,” she says. “Ready to do this?”

In only a few minutes, I’ll be on camera in front of a live studio audience, under a white-hot spotlight, answering a thousand questions about my career, my personal life, and my plans. In only a few minutes, Ransom will “surprise” me with kittens upon kittens, and I’ll do the best acting job of my life pretending he’s caught me off guard.

After a lifetime of pretending, we’re finally on the same page about what’s real.

“Yes,” I reply, my eyes flickering to Ransom. “I’m ready.”

Epilogue

It’s the most gorgeous Saturday evening in late July, the deep blue summer sky only just beginning to shift into shades of lavender, flamingo pink, and nectarine. The fountain in front of Dan and Xan’s gigantic mansion bubbles with crystal clear water, and there’s a gorgeous pair of flower walls flanking the front steps. I recognize the latest winner ofFlower Wars, Grecia, standing just to the side of them, chatting casually with Shine Jacobs and our producers.

“Are you sure I look okay?” Bre whispers, eyeing the others who have just begun to arrive.

“You look perfect,” I tell her, and it’s true. She’s wearing an emerald chiffon jumpsuit with wide legs and floaty sleeves, its deep V-neck plunging all the way to the matching belt knotted at her navel.

She grins, relieved. “Back at you.”

My outfit is the polar opposite of hers—a chic pair of shorts with a fitted short-sleeved top to match, both made out of a stiff, floral-print fabric. I paired it all with a simple vintage choker, three thin tiers of gold circling loosely at my neck.

And, of course, I’ve got a handsome guy on my arm.

“Bre’s right,” Ransom says with a flirty nudge, just loud enough for only me to hear. “You really do look incredible.”

I grin, nudge him right back. “You clean up well yourself,” I say, a total understatement. He looks like he stepped right out ofGQ, like maybe the entire magazine was inspired by the fact that he exists.

Ford joins us, also looking rather stylish, pulling Ransom in for a bro hug as soon as he’s close. I focus on not tripping up the front steps as we all head inside, my platform wedges making things slightly precarious. Bre actually does slip, catching a bit of chiffon under her spiky heel, and Ford offers his arm to steady her. They’re so at ease with each other it almost looks like they showed up together.

It’s hard to believe it was only five weeks ago that Millie and I climbed these steps for the first time, for the cast party that kicked off our week of shooting our final episode. We’ll be watching that episode in just under an hour, getting a first look at it before it drops on Fanline next week, all of us together again for the first time since we wrapped—and the last time beforeGirl on the Vergemoves into its new era with a brand-new cast.

The backyard is already bustling when we arrive, full of so many faces I may not ever see again. On instinct, my gaze flickers straight to the back corner, to the little foliage-covered alcove where Ransom and I nearly had our first kiss.

That was a very, very good night.

“Might have to slip away from the party again,” he says under his breath, reading my mind.

“Those two might beat us to it,” I say, laughing, nodding toward Bre and Ford. He looks over just in time to see their faces light up—there’s mostdefinitelya spark there.

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