Page 110 of Resurrection
"Second chances are for fools," she declares.
"They are not. They’re for people who made mistakes that need correction."
"What happens tomorrow when management calls you and your band is back on the road?"
"It won’t happen. Even if it does, it’s different now."
"How is it different from then?"
"Because I know what I really want… You… That’s what I want."
"You know the reason I came back to Sageview? It’s because I don’t want the limelight. Fame is tiring, Ty. It’s not for me. I don’t want to do red carpets and smile for the paparazzi tonight so that tomorrow, someone will tear apart my outfit. I don’t want the attention. I want to feed people. And you? You come with attention. A lot of it."
"You got me there," I admit, stepping closer and placing my palm on the wall next to her shoulder.
The hallway around us shrinks with her standing in the shadows and me in the light, both reaching for the place in between. I don't want to mess this up, not again, not ever.
Naomi smiles, but there's an edge to it. "Are you going to chicken out this time if I say yes?"
"Nope," I say. "Think I'll stick around."
"Think?" Her eyebrow goes up again.
"Certain."
"You’re making a lot of bets, Tyler. First, the reunion. Now this."
The conversation stalls, a car on the edge of a cliff, its engine idling. I watch her and try to figure out what she's thinking. Maybe it's too late, maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe, maybe, maybe. My free hand goes to my pocket, the same nervous gesture I've made for as long as I can remember.
"I really do want to try, Nomes," I husk out. "Not this physical-only bullshit. I want to try what we had before."
"You’ve always been a cocky asshole, thinking the world revolves around you," she starts, but it’s not mean. It sounds more like a compliment. She never finishes the sentence. She steps forward, closing the distance that words can’t. Her lips brush mine, soft and quick. Like a challenge.
We pull apart for a second, stare at each other, then our mouths meet again, clashing in a fiery kiss. Like we’ve been truly starved for this for seventeen years. And perhaps that’s the truth.
Before I know it, she's breaking away, taking my hand. "So you coming?" She pulls me down the hallway, past the old memories and half-formed fears, past the lockers and the regrets.
"Right behind you," I say, and for the first time in a long time, I actually believe it.
We reach the end of the hallway, a place that forces us to turn around. I look at her, waiting for the moment to hit. She stands against the wall, her arms crossed, years of expectation etched into her features. The weight of what I have to say feels enormous. I take a breath to be taken, but my chest is too tight.
"Is that ayes?" I finally manage.
"It’s amaybe, I’ll think about it," she whispers. She tilts her head, and the loose strands of her hair spill over one shoulder. "You were supposed to love me forever."
"I did," I choke out. "I do."
"Funny way of showing it." She doesn't sound angry, just sad.
I look at my boots, then at the pattern of old tiles. "I was afraid, Nomes." My fingers twitch at my sides. "I thought I was doing the right thing."
Her eyes flash. "You didn’t think at all, Ty."
I swallow and try again. "I thought you'd be better off."
Naomi pushes off the wall, her face inches from mine. "You don't get to decide that."
"I screwed up."
