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Outside Jamie’s apartment, the engine idles, a purring beast beneath my hands that contrasts with the silence between us. Our breathing is still heavy, the windows fogged up with more than just the chilly night outside. I can’t shake off the heat that Gail kindles in me, the fire that she stokes with every touch, every moan.
Her hand lingers on the door handle, but she hesitates, caught in some limbo of wanting to stay and needing to leave. The streetlights cast a soft glow over her, painting her skin in shades of gold and shadow. There’s something about the way the light hits her that makes my heart hammer against my ribs like it wants out.
“Hey,” I say, breaking the silence. It feels like shattering glass, this fragile moment between us. She turns her head slowly, those blue eyes locking onto mine. They’re oceans I’ve drowned in a thousand times since I met her, and I’m ready to go under again.
“Hey yourself,” she replies, a smile dancing on her lips. It’s a smile I want to kiss, to taste, to own.
She’s an enigma wrapped in the body of a goddess, a woman who carries worlds within her gaze, and life inside her body. Her intelligence shines through, lighting up the darkness that’s always threatening to swallow me whole. And God, if she doesn’t make me want to be a better man.
“Before you go…” I start, my voice trailing off. This is it, the seismic shift, the moment where everything changes or stays the same. I’ve never been good with words; they’re too slippery, too elusive. But for Gail? For her, I’ll try to wrangle them into submission.
She waits, patient as ever, her hand falling from the door to rest in her lap. It’s now or never.
“I love you.” Three little words, but damn, they’re heavy, packed with all the things I’ve kept locked away. My past is a battlefield, littered with trust issues and scars that refuse to fade, but when I’m with her, it’s like I can breathe without gasping for air.
For a heartbeat, there’s nothing—no sound, no movement, just the weight of my confession hanging in the air. Then, she leans forward, closing the distance between us. Her lips press to mine in a kiss that’s sweet and tender, so unlike the frenzied hunger of earlier. It’s a promise, a bond, a mingling of souls.
“Say it again,” she murmurs against my mouth, her breath warm and inviting.
“I love you, Gail,” I repeat, my voice rough with emotion. “I fucking love you.”
Her eyes glisten, and I know she believes me because she sees the truth laid bare. This is just... me. Raw, unguarded, and completely hers.
“Thank you for saying it,” she murmurs.
Thank you? Motherfucking thank you? Ah hell! Even with Soren’s warning after how she reacted to him when he said it, I guess I wasn’t prepared for her to brush me off too.
I nod, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. But instead of lashing out or pulling back, I kiss her again. Because that’s what you do when you love someone. You stand by them; you protect them, and most of all, you never let them go.
Gail
I’m standing on the corner of 7th and Nicollet, heart hammering like a drum solo at a rock concert, and there’s Lucia, her red hair a fiery beacon in the crisp Minneapolis morning. She’s a vision in a navy blue dress that hugs her curves in all the right ways—a perfect contrast to my own split-thigh black number. Our eyes meet, and it’s like we’re the only two people in the world.
“Look at you, buttercup,” I say, my voice laced with excitement and a hint of mischief. Lucia rolls her emerald eyes but grins, feeding off my energy.
“Only for you would I get up at the crack of dawn and freeze my tits off, Gail,” she retorts, her breath clouding in the chilly air. We both laugh, our breath mingling, creating our own ephemeral mist.
“Come on,” I beam, linking my arm with hers. “We need to see the first one.”
We’re here to witness the first tangible sign of EduSync making its mark on the city—our baby, our leap of faith. And, damn, we look good doing it.
“Two minutes until showtime,” I say, checking my phone. It’s way too early for champagne, but rules are for the boring, and today is anything but ordinary. Lucia pulls out her secret weapon—a mini bottle of champagne—and pops it open with a practiced flick of her wrist.
“Got your cider ready?” she asks, waggling her eyebrows.
With a huff, I lift my bottle of sparkling cider. It doesn’t scream celebration as much as champagne does, but hey, when in Rome—or rather; when knocked up.
The sound of traffic crescendos, and then, like a chariot from the gods, the taxi rounds the corner. EduSync emblazoned on its side in bold, unapologetic letters. Our dream, screaming to the world from the side of a cab. It’s surreal, a punch to the gut in the best way possible, and my throat tightens with emotion.
“Cheers,” Lucia grins, holding her bottle toward me, her voice a mixture of pride and nerves.
“Cheers to us.” I clink my cider against her champagne. The bubbles tickle my nose, and I take a sip—the sweet tang of apple bursts on my tongue, marking this moment.
We watch as the taxi drives past us, part of a fleet now circulating through the city, each one a moving billboard of our creation. Our eyes follow its path until it’s just another vehicle in the river of morning commuters.
“We did it, Luce,” I whisper, the magnitude of what we’ve accomplished settling over me. There’s a gleam in her eye, fierce and proud, and I know she feels it too.
“We did, Gail. We really fucking did.” Her use of “fucking” is like a verbal high five, and I can’t help but laugh.
