Page 155 of Gathered Sparkle

What the fuck?

My door creaks open, and I turn to find Nicholas standing in the doorway, framed by soft light spilling out from behind him. I can’t move. Can’t speak. My heart pounds, and the warmth that Koen and Sylus left behind is replaced by a cold that freezes my blood and wakes me the fuck up.

Is he here to tell me how I hurt him again?

It would be deserved.

“Hey,” he greets, his tone softer than I’ve ever heard it. “Will you… come in?” He steps back, waiting for me to enter, then closes the door behind me. “We need to talk.”

Okaaay.

My heart tightens, its slow thrum picking up speed. “About what?”

“Everything.” His gaze doesn’t waver as he takes a step closer. “About us. About what I said. About what I want.”

The words hang in the air when my eyes flicker to the bouquet of fire lilies sitting on the dresser, and I notice how their scent fills the room.

“Are they for me?” I ask, and as soon as the words leave my mouth, I cringe.Dumbass.

“They are.” His lips tug into a faint smile.

“They’re beautiful,” I manage. “Thank you.”

“They reminded me of you.”

I don’t even know what to say to that, so I sit on the edge of my bed. The walls I’ve built around myself rise, brick by brick, but something in his eyes keeps me from shutting him out completely.

“Let me start with this.” He holds my gaze but stays a few steps away from me. “I was an asshole. I said things I shouldn’t have, and I made you feel bad. Like what we had didn’t matter. And I need you to know that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Fuck.

I still can’t seem to get my brain to work and stay silent, letting him continue.

“I get it now.” Tension is radiating off him as he takes a step closer to me. “Why you did what you did. Whytheydid what they did, and I know it doesn’t excuse how I acted, but I want you to know I understand. And I forgive you because I see it now, Novalee. What’s real and worth fighting for. And it’syou.”

His words sink into me, unraveling the knot of guilt and doubt I’ve been carrying for days. “Nico…”

He steps even closer, closing the distance between us until he’s standing right in front of me. “I’m all in,” he promises. “For you. For them. For this… I’m in.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He reaches out to cup my face. “You’re not perfect. Hell, neither am I. But you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I’ll fight for you. For us. I want to get to know you. I want us to be real.”

I lean into his touch, and it feels like the first full breath I’ve taken in days. “Okay.”

Nicholas smiles a small, genuine smile that softens the edges of his face and gives him dimples.

Fucking dimples,as if he wasn’t handsome enough.

He presses a feather-light kiss to my forehead, lingering long enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath. “I’m sick of competitions. I’m sick of doing what I’m supposed to do, living up to expectations that never gave me anything real. None of it made me happy. But you? You’ve become the brightest point in my life. Ever since you walked into that museum, everything shifted. You make me happy. And I want to do the same for you. I want you to have everything you deserve.”

How do you respond to something that feels so unearned, so freely given?

I’m so fucking bad at this.

“Wait.” He steps back to the door and reaches for the light switch, and in an instant, the room is swallowed by darkness. I’m confused and a little disoriented until a greenish glow makes me look up at the ceiling.

Stars.

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