Page 80 of Curious
“I think that’s your answer.” Reyna smiles. “Tell him you love him and you want to be with him.”
“That doesn’t seem like enough. He was hurt badly by his mom. I’m not sure one person telling him he’s loved is going to convince him."
Reyna looks thoughtful. "Then maybe he needs to be reminded of how many people love him besides you.” She sits up. “Let me call Noah. I have an idea. We can attack this from multiple angles. We’ve got you, big bro. We’ll help communicate to Shelby that he’s worth everything.”
“Thank you,” I say.
This plan had better work. I don’t know what I’ll do with my life if I don’t have Shelby in it.
* * *
I’m worried what I’ll find when I get home—namely that Shelby will have left after all—but he’s still there on the couch, playing with his phone, when I walk in.
I don’t beat around the bush. “Shelby, I need to tell you how I feel about you.” He seems to brace himself for impact, but I keep going. “I don’t want to you to leave, but I also don’t want to tell you what to do. I’m not going to boss you around.”
Because trying to make someone stay when they don’t really want to be with you doesn’t work. Look at Leah.
“What if I want you to tell me what to do? What if I want you to claim me?” he asks in a small voice. “What if I want you to ask me to stay?”
I get down in front of him on the floor, looking up at him, my hands on his knees. “Then I’m asking you to stay. Shelby, I went over to talk to Charlie and Reyna to try to figure out some big thing I could do to show you that I love you. And we came to the conclusion that the real proof is showing up for you every day. We just have to take a leap of faith that we’re both being honest in choosing to do that. Listen to me:I love you. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I want to be with you. And I want to prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives.”
His lower lip trembles like a child’s, and he looks away. “Fuck. I didn’t think it would be this hard.”
“What would be this hard?”
“Believing you want me past the expiration date. Believing that you l-l-love me like no one ever has.”
My heart beats faster. “I do. I hate that you’ve gone through so much, because you deserve only good things. But I want you, Shelby. I do. I absolutely love you.”
He swallows hard and reaches for me. “I’m sorry I’m so difficult. Can I ask a favor?”
“Anything.”
“For now, can you just hold me?”
Settling on the couch, I open my arms. He tucks up into me, and I hold him as long as he wants. I wish I could do more to help him believe me.
CHAPTER26
Shelby
Idon’t know the right thing to do.
I want Cam. I’m certain about that part.
He wants me. I think. And he says he loves me. That’s astonishing and makes me all confused. So when I wake up in the morning, I do the only thing I can do: get up and go to work.
About two o’clock, after I’ve been pretty numb all day, someone pauses at the reception desk. I look up and see it’s Noah.
“Shelby? Can you come into my office?”
“Am I in trouble?” I don’t know why I ask that. I suppose it’s a knee-jerk reaction from, oh, my entire life.
He smiles. “Nope. Just a meeting. Demi will cover reception.”
“Oh. Okay,” I say slowly. I grab a yellow pad and a pen in case I need to take notes.
When we get to Noah’s office, I stop. August is sitting in a guest chair. Sam, Alden, and Danny are standing on one side of the office. And there’s an extra chair for me in front of the desk.
