Page 68 of Wicked Scorn
The football field and then the crop of trees that surround Bridgehead span in front of us and you can just barely see the tops of houses on the other side of the woods. I hear music start to play and I glance back to see he’s set his phone up on one of the ledges. The sounds of Chappell Roan reach my ears and I’m shocked he’s playing pop music, but I guess I shouldn’t be. He knows she’s my favorite artists’ favorite artist.
“Wow,” I breathe, stepping forward.
“Figured you’d like it,” Jeremiah says, coming up behind me. His hands find my waist, pulling me close. His warmth seeps into me, making my heart race.
“You’re full of surprises,” I say, leaning into him. His scent—earthy, musky, familiar—wraps around me, grounding me.
“Just wait,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear. “I’ve got more in store.”
“Promises, promises,” I tease, turning in his arms to face him.
“Oakley,” he says softly, his voice deep and raw. “I need you to know everything I do is for you. To protect you.”
I don’t say anything in return because I don’t have the words. I lean back against him, fully allowing him to hold my weight. I need him to know that I trust him now in a way that I didn’t before. I trust him with my life, and I can’t say that about a singular other soul in this world.
“Remember how we used to sneak up here during school hours?” I ask, tracing the lines of the skyline with my eyes. “We thought we were invincible.”
Jeremiah replies, his breath warm against my neck, “Back when things were simpler. Or at least seemed that way.”
“Who would’ve thought we’d end up here again?” I continue, a wistful smile playing on my lips. “So much has changed since those days.”
“Everything’s different now,” he agrees, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. “But some things never change.”
“Like what?” I turn to look at him, curiosity flickering in my eyes.
“Like how I’ve always needed you,” he says, his gaze intense. “How I’llalwaysneed you.”
“Jeremiah,” I whisper, my voice catching in my throat. The weight of his words hanging heavy in the air between us.
“Oakley,” he says, pulling me closer. “You don’t have to say anything. Just let me hold you.”
He lets me go before he sits down, back up against the roof’s short wall, and he tugs my hand until I stumble and settle on his lap. Our bodies fit together perfectly, as if we were made for each other. The sensation of his strong arms around me, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear, fills me with a sense of completeness I’ve never knownbefore.
“Is this real?” I murmur, my fingers tracing the contours of his face. “It feels like a dream.”
“It’s real,” he assures me, his voice a soothing balm. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?” I ask, needing to hear it again.
“Promise,” he says, sealing it with a kiss that makes my heart flutter.
As we sit there, the world fades away. All that matters is this moment, the feeling of being right where we belong.
“Let’s stay here forever,” I say, knowing it’s impossible but wishing for it all the same.
“Forever might be a long time,” he teases, a hint of a smile curving his lips. “But I wouldn’t mind trying.”
“Yea, me neither,” I reply, my heart swelling with hope and love.
As we lean in for another kiss, the clouds above seem to part letting small rays of sunshine in, as if they too are witnesses to the magic of him and I. And for the first time in a long while, I feel truly, deeply happy.
I see the pain in his eyes, a mirror of my own. “I made mistakes,” he admits, each word trembling. “Leaving you…it was the biggest one. I want to spend the rest of my life making that up to you.”
It feels like I’m caught between wanting to console him and needing to hear more. He cups my face, his touch sending electric chills down my spine. “I’m so sorry, bunny. I need you to believe it.”
“You’re here now,” I murmur, pressing my forehead against his. The warmth of our closeness, the mingling of our breaths—it feels like reclaiming something lost.
“I love you. I need you to know that. You don’t have to sayit back, but—” his fingers dig deeper into my flesh, almost as if he’s afraid I’m going to run away from him.
