Page 19 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

I do.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t keep pretending I don’t want her.

That I haven’t wanted her since the moment I met her.

I reach out, cupping her cheek, my thumb brushing against her skin. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, Ally.”

Her breath catches, her lashes fluttering. “Rhys...”

“I was just a kid when I fell for you,” I continue, my voice rough. “And I told myself I had to bury it. That you were my best friend and that had to be enough. But it wasn’t. It never was.” I let my walls down so she can see the honesty in my words.

She blinks up at me, and for a moment, I think she’s going to say something. Maybe tell me she feels the same. But instead, she takes a step back, breaking my touch. “If we do this… we have to be careful.”

My heart pounds. “What are you saying?”

She looks up at me, uncertainty flickering in her green eyes. “I’m saying I want this too. But we need to take this slow. And we need to keep it quiet for now.”

I study her, searching for any sign of hesitation. But all I see is fear—the same fear that’s been clawing at my chest since the moment I kissed her. Fear that this could be the best thing that’s ever happened to us… or the one thing that ruins everything.

I nod. “Okay.”

Her lips part slightly, like she wasn’t expecting me to agree so easily. “Okay?”

I step forward, closing the distance between us. “But I need you to promise me something.”

She tilts her chin up. “What?”

I slide a hand into her hair, my fingers tangling at the nape of her neck. “Promise me you won’t push me away again.”

Her breath hitches, but she nods. “I promise.”

That’s all I need.

I crush my lips against hers, pouring every ounce of longing, frustration, and love into the kiss. She melts against me instantly, her hands gripping my shirt, pulling me closer. I slide an arm around her waist, pressing her against me, swallowing the soft sound she makes when I deepen the kiss.

This is it. This is everything.

Years of fear are finally gone.

When we finally pull apart, her eyes are glazed, her lips swollen. She exhales shakily, resting her forehead against mine. “This is insane.”

I chuckle, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Yeah. But it’s our kind of insane.”

She laughs softly, but then her smile falters. “I still don’t know how this ends, Rhys.”

I press a kiss to her forehead. “Then let’s not think about the ending yet.”

She nods, but there’s still hesitation in her eyes. And as we step back inside, blending into the noise of Grumpy’s, I can’t shake the feeling that no matter how much I want her, how much I need her—there’s still a part of her that’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Ella and Yasmin watch us emerge from the back hallway; their eyes lingering as we return to the booth. I shove my hands into my pockets, painfully aware of how awkward this is about to be.

“Have a nice chat, you two?” Ella’s voice cuts through the noise, sharp with implication as we rejoin them.

Ally sits down across from her, playing with her hair with shaky fingers. “It was fine,” she says, but the tightness in her voice gives her away.

Yasmin arches an eyebrow, looking between us with a mixture of curiosity and concern. “So, are we going to pretend like that didn’t just happen?”

I slump into the seat beside Ally, trying to act casual as I grab a discarded menu. “We were just talking,” I mutter, though I know it’s useless to pretend with these two.

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