Page 35 of For Lila, Forever

I wait a few more minutes before pacing by the window, stopping every few seconds to peek out from behind one of the curtains.

In the distance, I see the first firework light the sky, spraying electric reds, whites, and blues into the pitch-dark sky.

There’s no point in sticking around now. By the time he gets here, the show will be over.

Heading out, I shut the door behind me and make my way down the shadowy path back to the main house. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do … if employees are allowed to mingle and enjoy the party or if we’re supposed to stay hidden and out of sight until it’s time to clean up, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out once I get there and find my grandparents.

I’m halfway back when I spot the outline of a man several yards ahead, and the closer we get to one another, the more I realize it’s Thayer.

“Hey,” he says as his walk turns into a light jog. “Sorry. I got stuck talking to someone.”

More fireworks fill the sky, their colors shading Thayer’s face before they fade to nothing.

“The show’s going to be over soon,” I say.

“No, no. We still have time. Come on.” He takes my hand and before I know it, we’re sprinting up the hill past the cottage until we reach the top of some cliff.

The show is still going, the booms and pops echoing from the dock as the night sky lights with every color in the rainbow.

Thayer slips his hand around the small of my back, pulling me against him. It’s colder up here, windier, but he keeps me warm.

From way up here, you can see everything. The Bertram, The Ainsworth, The Caldecott. The Hilliard Cottage. The dock. The machine shed. The Lila Cottage …

All of it looks so small, so inconsequential.

The fireworks begin to explode faster and faster, several at a time, electric brilliance like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

“The grand finale,” Thayer says as he kisses my forehead.

When it’s over, everything becomes dark again, nothing but smoke and the distinct scent of sulfur lingering in the air.

“What’d you think?” he asks.

“Pretty amazing from all the way up here,” I say. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Lila.” Thayer places his hands on my hips, turning me to face him. Under the light of stars, I can tell his expression is stoic, and for a half second, I’m positive he’s about to drop something major on me. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but there’s something I think you should know.”

I suck in a breath, keeping my inner panic to a minimum.

“I’m falling in love with you,” he says.

I release my held breath, letting his gaze hold mine and letting his words play in my head a couple more times.

“I love you,” he says, his lips dancing into a hesitant grin. “I’ve been wanting to say it to you for a while. Wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”

“I love you too,” I blurt out before rising on my toes and kissing him harder than I’ve ever kissed him before. I’ve never been in love before, but I’m pretty sure this is what love feels like. That can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t function until you see him again feeling that consumes your every waking moment. The kisses that make you feel like you’re dancing on air and the constant fullness in your chest, like it’s two seconds from exploding from sheer excitement that you can’t possibly contain.

“I’ve never loved anyone before,” Thayer says, sweeping a strand of windblown hair off my face as he peers down at me. “Never said that to anyone.”

“Me neither.”

“I love you so much,” he says. “Feels so good to finally say that.”

I press my cheek against his chest, breathing him in as he wraps his arms around me.

This moment is everything.

His love means the world to me.

But at the same time, I can’t ignore the slight ache in my center when I think about the fact that he leaves to go back to college in six weeks.

It’s going by way too fast.

I just want time to slow down or stop altogether.

I miss him when I sleep and he’s just a house away—how’s it going to feel when he’s in a completely different state?

Looking into his eyes, I promise myself not to fixate on that so I can enjoy what time we have left together this summer.

He kisses me, and it quiets my mind the way it always does.

“We should probably go back before they notice we’re missing,” I say a moment later.

Thayer takes my hand in his and helps me down the rocky cliffside. When we reach the cottage, he tells me to go ahead without him so no one spots us walking back alone together.

When I get back to the main house, I spot guests heading to their boats in droves, leaving behind them a giant mess that my exhausted grandparents and I will be cleaning up until midnight tonight I’m sure.

---