Page 108 of Charmed, I'm Sure
And he felt it. I could see it written all over his face, even when he tried to hide it behind a smile. A smile that never reached his eyes. A muscle in his jaw jumped with the effort.
I felt awful. This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go. Even as anxious as I’d been, I never wanted it to turn out like this. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
Couldn’t ignore how the crowd split whenever we passed, giving us a wide berth.
And I sure as hell couldn’t stop noticing the eyes that watched our every move.
Blessed Mother, there wereso many eyes.
Glares and sneers trailed us as we walked. Whispered words—much too loud to be inconspicuous—swirled around me, growing into a deafening roar that drowned out everything else. The laughter of happy couples and children. The music. All of it, gone.
What is he doing with her?
She’s not good enough for him.
She’s got him under some kind of spell.
I’d heard it all before. I would hear it for as long as we were together. Hell, even if we weren’t. It was always the same story, no matter who was on my arm.
But it still stung.
It didn’t matter what I did or how nice I was to the crotchety people in this town—I was, and always would be,less than. Never good enough. Always too much for their delicate sensibilities.
“Dance with me, sunshine.”
Taylor’s deep timbre cut through the whirlwind in my head, slicing through the storm like a blade of sunlight piercing the clouds. His sapphire eyes held me captive as he extended his hand.
I hadn’t even realized we’d made it back to the gazebo—thecenterof the entire festival. A giant spotlight, shining right on us, ensuring that everyone could see.
I shrank under the weight of it, curling into the nobody this town was so determined to make me.
Trying desperately to keep the rising panic out of my voice, I whispered, “Everyone is staring, Taylor. I… I don’t think this is a good idea. Maybe we should just leave.”
He didn’t look away. Didn’t check to see if I was right.
He just held my gaze.
And in those eyes—steady and warm, filled with unwavering adoration—I felt my chest tighten.
“Let them.”
Linking our hands together, Taylor pulled me in, his voice clearer than crystal as he said, “Even if they are, all I see is you, Magnolia. All I ever see is you.”
Cupid takes aim… fires…
“Taylor, I—”
“Please, sunshine.” His hand came up, fingers warm as they cradled my cheek, his thumb sweeping soft, soothing lines along my cheekbone. He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper meant only for me.
“I don’t care if they’re watching. They can look all they want, because it’s about damn time they learned—I don’t care what they think. I don’t care what they want. WhatIwant is to dance with the woman of my dreams. To hold her in my arms while I tell her that I am falling head over feet in love with her.”
Straight through the heart.Hook, line, and sinker, folks.
Before I could even begin to form the words his confession deserved, his lips were on mine—soft and slow, like we had all the time in the world.
And in that moment, we did.
Because the world, the festival, the people—it all fell away as he pulled back, guiding us toward the open lawn beside the gazebo.
