Page 256 of Hooking Up
"Iris."
"You don't have to say anything. Actually, don't. Not until you're sure you want to do this. Because I don't want to know you love me. Not if you're going to leave."
"Okay." He presses his palm into my lower back and pulls my body into his.
"Do you hate me?"
His lips brush my ear. "No."
"Think I'm pathetic?"
"You're strong, overcoming all that."
"Yeah?" I blink back a tear. I need his words and his touch and his understanding.
But this might be it.
This might be the last time we're this close.
"Yeah." He presses his lips to my cheek.
"Do you want to be with me?"
"I need more time to figure that out."
"Okay. How much?"
His laugh is sad. "I don't know."
That's fair. But—"I haven't decided on my internship."
"Still?"
"Yeah. I know. I'd rather be here. But if there isn't an us, if you don't want to be with me, then I can't be here. Not for a while."
He nods.
"So, uh, I have finals. And then I have to answer."
He brushes a hair behind my ear. "You're nervous."
"You're deciding if you want to be with me."
"True."
"Which way are you leaning?"
"I don't know, sweetness. My head is a fucking mess."
