Page 103 of Royal Fling
He’s here?
“Because…” I croaked.
“Because what?” he repeated. “I think we're all waiting for a response, aren’t we?”
His eyes browsed the room, and I heard agreement from the kids.
I stood up and turned my whole body toward him, looked him in the eyes—had they gotten grayer in my absence or had we been apart too long?—and crossed my arms in front of my chest.
He wasn’t here, anyway. This was a dream. I was still in bed, my mind obviously too busy panicking about my first day back at school that I was having a nightmare.
So since none of this was real, I could tell him exactly how I felt.
“Because he never told me he loved me,” I said.
“That's him. That's him,” Arden whispered, giddily.
“Oh my God, Arden. You’re so slow!” Cordelia bit back at her.
I bit back a laugh. I had to give it to my subconscious for being so accurate with my kids’ behavior.
“I’m sorry,” he said and erased the distance between us with a few strides. “I’m so sorry.”
He tried to wrap his fingers around my wrists, but I held them tight to my chest, so he just rested them there.
Wait. He’s touching me. And my body is malfunctioning as a result. Goosebumps underneath where he touched. A knot on my throat. An ache in the stomach. Wavering knees.
Wait a minute!
This is real!
“What are you doing here?” I asked, blinking so fast I was going to add headache to my symptoms. But I had to. I had to find a way to wake up.
“I came to win you back,” he said, and my hands loosened.
He brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them to the background music of the girls cooing.
Shivers shot through my body. Shivers that couldn’t be fictional.
He was here. And my entire body was reacting to him. It had missed him.
“Luke, I'm sorry for how everything went down. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for making such a mistake,” he said.
I opened my mouth to say something, but it was dry. At least I managed to move my eyes and look at all my students, their innocent, inquisitive eyes wide and their amusement apparent.
No, this couldn’t be real. Why would August come into the classroom? Why would anyone let him through?
“Wh-what mistake?” I asked.
He let go of one hand and caressed my face, his thumb rubbing my bottom lip.
“Waiting to tell you I loved you until now,” he said. “Do you think you can forgive me for that huge mistake, Lucas? I love you, Lucas. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before.”
I was so confused. Was this really happening? Why? Why now? How now?
“Tell him you love him, Mr. Luke,” Laura yelled.
The rest of the kids were in agreement, apparently.
