Page 77 of Book Boyfriend
He reaches out and wipes the tear away with his thumb. “You hurt me.”
My chest heaves. I manage a nod.
“And I hurt you.”
I nod once more.
“How about if we agree to never do that again?”
“Really?”
He holds his hand out to me. “Is it a deal?”
“Are we shaking on it?” I ask.
“Don’t people usually hold their hand out and say deal when they expect a hand shake?”
“I guess.”
“Well? Are you going to leave my hand out here hanging? Are you refusing my offer?”
I stare up into his eyes and he seems to read my thoughts.
“I swear to you on my life that this was never about the movie. You had my heart the second I landed on top of you on that beach. You’ve always had it and you always will.”
I place my hand in his and he pulls me forward until I crash into his chest.
“Is that a yes?”
I grip his beautiful face in my hands and smile.
“Let’s make it official.” He lowers his mouth to mine and I throw my arms around his neck. It’s the best, most important kiss of my life.
There are cheers and applause all around us. We both grin.
“Show’s over, folks,” he announces.
“It was never a show,” I reply. “It was real.”
He kisses the top of my head and breathes me in. I grasp his arms as questions burn in my mind. There are things I need to know. “Can I ask you something?”
He steps back to see my face. “Oh boy, your nose is twitching. Maybe we should sit down.” He leads me to some chairs and he drops his backpack on the floor. “Ask away.”
“Why didn’t you get on the plane?”
“Chloe called me. She said there was a chance you might be coming to try to stop me.”
“And you waited?”
“I watched the last person boarding. They asked me if I was coming and I couldn’t do it. Knowing you wanted to talk to me was enough reason for me to stay. I would’ve stayed here even if you didn’t show. Just on the off chance you might call.”
My heart aches. “You seemed so angry and cold. I didn’t think I was going to get through to you.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t exactly sure why you wanted to see me. I was afraid it was only about the film.”
“Why did you turn it down?” I ask, touching his arm.
“That news traveled fast. The only reason I ever considered it was because of you. Without you in my life, I could never even pretend to be Penn. It would hurt too much.”
