Page 2 of Dare Me

“You don’t have to apologize. And I didn’t say I didn’t want to try.” Pausing, he brushed his thumb softly over her knuckles. “There’s just a lot about me that you don’t know. My life’s kind of up in the air right now, and it’s hard enough for me to try to figure things out when I just have myself to consider. If there was you…”

“I get it,” she said before he went any further. The last thing she wanted was to be a complication for someone, especially Will. “I just hate the thought of this being all there is.” Her eyes met his and she saw the same defeat she felt there.

“Me too.” With a weary sigh, he rested his head back against his seat.

Several things hit her at once. First, she was someone who thrived on a challenge. She rarely took no for an answer and always went after what she wanted. So why was she backing down?

Taking a sip of her coffee, she twisted slightly in her seat to face him. “Okay, here’s the thing. I think we’re worth it,” she said earnestly. “I think we owe it to ourselves to at least try. I’m not asking you for a big commitment or to profess our love to each other; I’m just asking that we try. We can start with a once-a-week video chat or a quick text just saying hello.” Her shoulders sagged a little. “I feel like there’s a reason we ended up sitting here together today.”

Looking over at her, Will gave her a lopsided grin, and her heart practically soared. “I’m not usually someone who believes in fate or anything like that, but with you…it’s hard not to.”

It was hard not to jump out of her seat and crawl into his lap, but that’s what she wanted to do. Instead, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him as if her life depended on it. When they broke apart and momentarily caught their breath, Arianna felt like she could finally ask him all the things she’d been dying to know since yesterday.

They’d talked the entire flight and made plans to see each other again. Will had one more year left in the Marines, but they were going to give the long-distance thing a try. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it meant this didn’t have to end. In a perfect world, they’d get at least another full day together where they’d get to make plans and really figure out how things were going to work going forward.

Sadly, it wasn’t a perfect world.

They were going their separate ways in Atlanta. Will had a flight to D.C. and Arianna’s flight would take her to North Carolina.

“Listen, um…I have a super short layover here,” he told her as they taxied to their gate. She hated how their time together was coming to an end. “Like only twenty minutes to get to the other concourse. There’s a train I need to catch to get to it and…” He sighed. “I’m going to have to make a run for it.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, she held both his hands in hers.

“Arianna…”

Holding up a hand to stop him, she said, “Let me have your phone.”

“Um…what?”

Nodding, she said, “Yeah. Your phone.” Then she reached for her purse, pulled hers out, and handed it to him. “Put your number in here and I’ll put mine in yours. Then you can text me when you get on the plane so I’ll know you made it.”

He did as she asked while she took a picture of herself with his phone. “Now you’ll have something to put as my contact picture. I would have made it a little sexier if we had more time.”

They each took their phones and were soon at the gate waiting to deplane. “I hate that I have to run—literally—from here,” he said gruffly. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”

“I know, Will. Me too,” she whispered. “I need you to do one last thing for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Kiss me.”

Reaching up, he cupped her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. “You didn’t say truth or dare,” he teased, even though there was nothing funny about this situation.

“Will…”

He closed the distance between them and kissed her, and she felt everything he was—the passion, the happiness, the sadness, the frustration—everything.

This was it.

This was their goodbye.

When he broke the kiss, he breathlessly looked at her. “Take care of yourself, Arianna,” he said. “And thank you for two of the best days of my life.”

She looked at him oddly. “Will…we’re going to talk later. And you can call me anytime. You sound as if…”

All around them, people got to their feet and began collecting their carry-ons. “I need to go,” he told her as he carefully got to his feet. Beside him, she did the same and stepped out into the aisle to give him room. He took one step before turning and kissing her again. This time it was brutal and she clung to him for dear life.

This time when he broke the kiss, he didn’t stop and look at her or say a word.

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