Page 137 of Hale Yes
But I see you.
You say your voice doesn't matter.
But I hear you.
I will write your name in the boldest font, not in the margins, but on the front cover of the book.
Then I will fill each page with the pieces of my heart.
Some people are written in pencil and can be erased from memories.
Some people are written in ink, which can fade with time.
But you have been burned into the pages of my life, permanently etched into my soul.
You will not live in my margins.
Yeah, that one made me cry. Helix Hale is a damn good wooer.
The next day, I get up and dress, my eyes falling on my dresser and the nameplate with my name and my new title… if I decide to accept the job. I’ve thought about it a lot over the past couple weeks and have started to formulate a plan.
I clip on the charm bracelet Calvin delivered five days ago and wiggle my wrist to hear it jingle. There’s an elephant charm,as well as an Erlenmeyer flask, a cute pair of glasses, and, of course, a corn dog. I have no idea where the hell Helix even found a corn dog charm, but it made me laugh.
Calvin usually makes his deliveries a little after noon, but when that time comes and goes, I find myself feeling anxious. I definitely don’t need any more gifts. I’m well and truly wooed, but I worry that something happened to him.
At two in the afternoon, I hear a knock on my door and sprint to open it, finding a person standing there with a box so large, I can’t see his face.
“Good grief, Calvin. What does he have you delivering today?”
“Not Calvin,” a voice says from behind the box, and a thrill shoots down my spine. Because I recognize that voice. I’ve missed that voice.
I haven’t heard it in two weeks. Helix and I text every day when I message him to say thank you for whatever gift arrived. But his deep voice resonates inside me and makes me giddy.
“Come on in,” I say, stepping back to allow Helix inside. He sets down the box, which is wrapped in the gaudiest snowman Christmas paper I’ve ever seen and is topped with a sparkly silver bow. “Did I sleep for a few months? Because I’m pretty sure it’s early March.”
He stands and ruins me with his handsome smile. “Just call me the Spring Santa.” Lowering himself to the floor, he gestures for me to do the same. “I wanted to be here when you opened this one.”
“What is it?” I ask as I sit cross-legged beside him.
Rolling his eyes, Helix lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Why do you always ask me that when the present is right in front of you? Just open it.”
“Fine,” I huff, pulling off the bow before diving in to tear off the paper. My heart stalls for a second and then begins beatingfaster when I start to suspect what’s in the box. Removing every scrap of paper, I stare wide-eyed at what’s revealed.
“You… you got me a Barbie Dreamhouse?”
“This was the original design. They have newer versions,” he says worriedly. “There’s one with a slide and a pool. If you don’t like?—”
His words are cut off by my lips because I dive at him, knocking him onto his back and kissing the fire out of him. And god, how I’ve missed kissing Helix.
He’s startled only momentarily before his hands are on my ass, and he’s kissing me back with fervor. I plunge my fingers into his hair to anchor his mouth to mine as I take and taste everything I’ve been craving.
“I love you,” I tell him between kisses. “I love you, and you’re not moving to London.”
He rolls us, pinning me beneath him as he runs his mouth across my cheek and bites my earlobe. Then his kisses trail down my neck, and one hand pulls my knee over his hip.
“You’re awfully fucking bossy since you became lab director.”
I shove his shoulders and turn us again, putting me back on top. “Damn straight. And I haven’t accepted yet.”
