Page 61 of Come to Me
Finally, Luke breaks the silence. "I've been thinking..."
"That doesn't sound like you."
He stops and pulls me towards him. Our bodies connect, his hands on the small of my back.
"I think about you constantly," he murmurs, his eyes on mine. "You have a vice grip on my thoughts."
I shake my head, my teeth sinking into my lip.
"I think about you too." There's no way I can stop, even this far away from him.
He leans closer, until I can smell his earthy aftershave, feel his breath on my cheeks. "I've been thinking about the future."
The future.
Anxiety starts to rise again.
My face flushes as I struggle to find an appropriate response. "What about it?"
"I have an amazing vision of the immediate future--how I'm going to tear that dress off and lick every inch of your body."
He brushes his fingertips across my neck and jaw, resting his palm on my cheek. I turn into the gesture with a quiet sigh.
"You know I'm not good with the future." I know that's not what he wants to hear.
"Ally... do you see anything at all?"
I shake my head. I don't want to deal with this right now. "I can barely see getting through the next five months," I say, trying to keep things light.
"You will." He brushes a hair behind my ear and brings his hand to my chin until our eyes are locked again. "And then we'll have the rest of our lives to spend together."
I bite my tongue. It should sound amazing. It does. But there's something about it, something that makes my knees weak and my grip shaky.
Luke pulls me closer, only for a moment. I close my eyes and press my lips into his, trying to pour everything I'm feeling into him.
I can't explain it. I can't even figure it out myself. But I need him to know how I feel, how much I love him.
Our kiss breaks and he meets my eyes once more, his sweet, sincere.
But then he frowns slightly.
"Are you okay?" he asks.
I nod. I'd rather we never discussed if I was okay again.
He runs his hands over my arms. It's so easy, so natural. I feel like I could melt. But I stand firm as he takes my hand and continues our walk. "What do you want to happen next year?"
"I don't know. I guess I want to survive."
He shakes his head.
"Ally, I know you have higher aspirations than that. You don't get to be a TV star or a Broadway actor by only aiming to survive."
"Career is different. I'm sorry, but I really don't know."
He nods.
"Well, let's try to see if you can get some kind of idea then. Close your eyes."
