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Ever since he was a teenager, he’d pined after Nara. Stood back and looked at her from afar. He had dreamed of her, made excuses to be around her, and hoped she would notice him. But she never did.
It was time to stop standing back, hoping. It was time to put it all on the line and find out once and for all if there ever could be anything between them. He could no longer wait. He needed to know. And if the answer was going to be no, at least he could pick himself up and move on. Finally push Nara out of his headspace forever and try to find someone else to fill that void. There was no more time. He had to know. Right now.
Behind him a thud sounded and he realized she’d dropped her Diet Coke. He thought maybe she would jump back from him, but instead she threaded her fingers through his hair. It felt amazing. Too good, actually. He pulled back, but she held on to him. “Don’t,” she whispered.
“Nara,” he said, breathless. “We need to talk.”
“Why? I don’t want to talk. I want to do more of this.” She kissed him again.
He let the kiss happen for a moment, then pulled back again. “Wait. I have to say something.”
Nara groaned. “Why do you always ruin things?”
Her words sent a stab of pain through him, but he couldn’t stop now. He couldn’t live his life wondering if anything would ever come of their relationship any longer. He had to know. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I have to say this.”
She stared at him, her grip around his neck relaxing. “What is it? What’s so important that you have to stop an amazing kiss over?”
“I love you.” The words came out before he could even prepare himself, and he startled at his own voice. Oh, no. What had he done? Panic enveloped him, and he rushed forward. “I mean, I want to know if there’s ever any possibility that you might have feelings for me. Because I can’t keep kissing you without knowing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You love me, like a sister? Because that wasn’t a sisterly kiss. That kind of thing should never happen between brother and sister.”
Oh, crud. He had told her he loved her like a sister. He’d forgotten. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton. “I love you in ways a brother should never love a sister,” he said quietly.
She didn’t respond right away. She just stared at him, and his panic grew. But he was done covering up his feelings. Done taking them back. He had to know. “I don’t expect you to say you love me back. I know we’ve only spent a week together in the last five years, but if there is no possibility, I want to know now so I can let the thought of you go. Because I don’t think I can go on not knowing.”
She frowned. “So, when you said you loved me like a sister…?” She let the question hang.
He inwardly groaned. She was going to make him say it, wasn’t she? He took in a breath, trying to bolster his nerves. “It was a lie. I hadn’t meant to tell you I loved you. I was unprepared for your reaction. So, I hid my feelings.”
“How long have you felt this way?”
He swallowed, embarrassed. “A long time.”
Nara grabbed a throw pillow from her couch and hit him with it. “You dork.”
Derek took a step back, unsure what that meant. Out of all the reactions she could have given him, that one hadn’t even crossed his mind, and he didn’t know how to react.
Nara swung again, but this time he grabbed the pillow and wrestled it from her. “Stop that.”
“But you deserve it. Do you know how upset I was that you told me you loved me like a sister? My gosh, I was going crazy. I thought I was nuts, falling in love with you in one week. And here you were, already in love with me?” She grabbed the pillow from him and swung again. This time he let her.
“Wait, you fell in love with me in a week?”
“Yes, you goof. And I thought I was insane, that you’d never feel the same way. That’s why I left. I couldn’t stand to be there with you when you thought of me like you thought of Brielle.”
He took the pillow back and tossed it away, his heart racing. He took her into his arms, hardly able to believe what she was saying. He’d lied for no reason. If he had just come clean, she wouldn’t have left him? “Are you serious?”
“Why do you think I’m still wearing your dime-store ring, Mr. Emperor?” She held up her hand.
He smiled. He’d missed hearing her calling him that. “That’s real, by the way.”
“What?” Her eyes widened and she stared down at it. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said, heat rising to his ears. “I couldn’t get you some cheap junk.”
“Holy cow.”
Derek shook his head, his mind spinning. “Is this real? I can’t believe you’re in love with me.”
