Page 673 of Rock Me All Night
"What's something?"
"You're gonna say it's cheesy."
"That's okay."
He moves all the way up the stairs. Until he's one step below me. It puts us almost eye to eye. I'm still a few inches above him.
He stares into my eyes. "I love you, real or not real?"
Pete pulls his t-shirt down and points to his chest. His skin is red from a new tattoo.
It's an arrow with the wordrealin the middle of it.
It's theHunger Gamescouple's tattoo I told him I wanted. Half of it.
My fingers go to his chest. Then I'm staring into his eyes. "Can I?"
"Yeah."
I trace the lines of the ink. "When did you do this?"
"Soon as your plane left." He presses his hand to his heart. "Well, soon as the tattoo parlor opened."
I trace it again and again. "Why?"
"Same reason I got my other ink."
"You felt something in your soul?"
"Yeah." He takes another step. "And more than that. I stayed at the airport. Watched your plane take off. The second it was gone, I felt it. This emptiness in my chest that had been filled before. Kept thinking about you hurting by yourself. It tore me in half."
"I tore you in half?"
He ascends the last stair. His arms slide around my waist. "Don't feel the emptiness anymore. Not when I'm holding you. I only feel right. That's love." His eyes meet mine. He brushes his hand through my hair. "I love you."
It's a good thing he's holding me as tightly as he is, because I'm reasonably certain I've lost all feeling in my legs.
His fingers find the back of my neck. "Jess, I'm in love with you."
"You're wearing your glasses."
He nods.
"For me?"
"Don't play fair when I want something."
"Good." I rise to my tip toes and press my lips to his.
I can feel it too. How much he loves me. How much I love him. We kiss long, slow, and deep.
I look back into his eyes. "Say it again."
"I love you, Jess."
"I love you too."
"I told you not to run from your feelings, but I was a fucking hypocrite. I was running from this, from how much I cared about you. Still didn't quite believe I had more to offer than my money or my fame. Or my body."
