Page 26 of You Were Mine

“Maybe it’s both. Maybe I’m drunk on youandhave fallen for you,” I reply.

I roll onto my back and rest my head on his lap.

“Really?” Mark asks.

“Really.”

He shakes his head and runs his fingers through my hair. My eyes dart away and then back to him. This has to be a dream and any second I’m going to wake up, and it’s going to ruin everything.

Someone screams from the TV, which draws Mark’s attention for a second. “You know, this isn’t at all how I imagined this going down,” he says.

“What were you expecting?” I ask.

“Well, I had it in my head that you would be eating all the chocolate in the house, but somehow, I just hadn’t imagined Freddy Krueger murdering someone in the background.”

“I can turn it off,” I say.

Mark returns to stroking my hair. “No,” he replies. “Leave it. I think it suits you. Youwouldn’twant a normal love confession from me.”

I smile up at him. “I’d takeanylove confession from you,” I say.

He leans down and kisses me, but before I can deepen the kiss, he pulls away. I tilt my head and pause. Illuminated by the TV, I can just barely make out the color rising to his cheeks. “Too fast? I’m not good at this,” Mark says.

I smirk. “Does that mean we have to get you a lot of practice before you’ll be a good kisser? Because if so, I guess that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

Mark rolls his eyes and swats my arm, but his lips twitch in a smile. “Unfortunately, Logan, I think that’s exactly what it means.”

Epilogue

Mark

“Honey, I’m home!” Logan declares, as he strides into our new apartment.

This apartment is still in Bluehaven, but much bigger, nicer. It’s the nicest place I’ve ever lived, actually, and that’s not really a surprise. Brandon had lived in this same apartment building, and when he moved out, he steered Logan to his place. It’s the sort of apartment building that has elevators made of lead crystal and gilded metal.

Once upon a time, I would have felt out of place in the lobby, much less one of the apartments. Needless to say, this place is significantly more expensive than the previous apartment Logan and I lived in. But somehow, officially dating Logan makes me feel more comfortable letting him shell out money for me. Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t pay anything; I would never let Logan buyeverythingfor me. But it’s easier for me to let him get the rent, while I’m delegated to taking care of the most affordable bills—take-out, the water and internet bills.

“I never would have guessed,” I reply wryly, lifting a half-unpacked box onto our new dining room table.

“Sorry, dearest,” Logan says, grinning. “I just saw on Facebook that the Halloween store opened, and —you know me.”

His car is probably crammed full of Halloween stuff, and if he’d had the keys formycar, a brand-new Nissan Versa, he’d have probably commandeered it to cram even more Halloween stuff. We’ll go a week struggling to remember toilet paper, but the Halloween store? Logan is waiting there when the door opens.

“Oh, God. Not already. It’sSeptember 1st, you absolute madman,” I say.

“And?” Logan asks, sounding affronted.

“And it’s weird.”

Sure, I’ve gotten used to it, but sometimes, it’s really fun to tease him.

Logan strides to me and plants a soft, quick kiss on my lips. Everything inside me flutters, and it takes all my willpower to look disgruntled and not wholly charmed by the gesture. He wraps his arms around my waist, clearly in an attempt to break my razor-thin composure.

“It’s not like you didn’t know what you were getting into with me,” Logan says, grinning. “Just admit that youloveme and are willing to let me celebrate Halloween all year long.”

“Yes, I love you,” I concede, “ButI already let you bring that furry menace home.”

Said furry menace was a tiny, black cat. Logan bafflingly insisted that the creature be called Sugar Cookie. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the little feline, but Logan doesn’t need to know that.

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