Page 100 of This Changes Everything

“Yes, she is. On the record. Ellie McCain. Los Angeles. Writer.”

The journalist nodded at me politely, then clapped Rory’s back before wishing him luck on the tournament.

“You’re crazy.” I laughed, and Rory pulled me onto a nonexistent dance floor in the middle of the restaurant, where no one else was dancing and everyone was watching. A pianist was playing softly in the corner. Rory brought my hand up to hold against his chest and wrapped his other arm around my waist. “What are you doing?” I whispered as we began to sway.

“I want to dance with you,” he muttered into the side of my head.

“But everyone is looking at us.”

“Yeah, well . . . fuck ’em.” He kissed my temple.

I looked over to Zoë and Orson, who were sitting at our table, and saw Zoë’s wide smile as she watched us. I pulled back to look at Rory, and he leaned down to kiss my nose.

“What do Cameron and Blair think about all of this?” I asked, just as I noticed the journalist that Rory had been talking to snap a picture of us on her phone.

“About all of what?”

“Us.”

“They’re happy for me, but they’re also nervous. They’re worried about the distance, but I’m not, and you’re not, and that’s all I care about.”

A few other diners joined us on the makeshift dance floor. I smiled at them before turning back to Rory. “They’re just being protective. Hannah’s the same way.”

“Did I tell you that Jacob talked to me?” Rory laughed.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, he gave me a big brother, if-you-hurt-her-I’ll-kill-you talk, and I had to remind him that you weren’t his sister and it’s not 1995. I told him you were a big girl.”

“I’m sorry, did you say I was a ‘big girl’ or a ‘bad girl’?” I joked.

Rory chuckled. “You dummy,” he said lovingly, then breathed me in.

“I feel so lucky, Rory. I don’t think everybody feels this way. I hear people talk about their partners, and . . . I just don’t think everyone gets this. Lightning struck twice.”

He was staring back at me calmly, carefully, scanning my face. “Thank you for not taking your shoes off this time . . .” he murmured.

“Back atcha.” I smiled. Rory looked into my eyes, lost in his thoughts. “What?”

Rory shook his head and whispered, “Nothing.”

“Well, you’re looking at me right now like you want to ask me to go watch a movie with you.” I narrowed my eyes at Rory, teasing him about the way he once envisioned proposing when we were young in Vancouver.

Rory squeezed his eyes shut, looking embarrassed. “I’m better than that. It will be better than that,” he declared.

I put my head back on his chest, tucking our hands under my chin as we finished the song in silence.

Before Rory could lead me back to the table, he cleared his throat. “I’m going out with Orson in the morning, if that’s okay. I’ll slip out before you’re up.”

“What are you going to do?” I pressed my face into his neck.

“Just grabbing breakfast and meeting up with some of my team. But I didn’t want you wondering where I was when you woke up.” He tucked his chin and lightly kissed the top of my shoulder.

“Okay. But I get you for the rest of the night, right?” I released myself from my hiding spot and looked up at Rory.

“Ellie, Cainey, baby, my love . . . you are getting fucking destroyed tonight.” Rory smiled wickedly. He captured my jaw, tilting my head so he could kiss me deeply, public forum be damned. Our lips slowly fell away from each other, and with his eyes still closed, he mumbled, “How’d I get so lucky?”

“Hey!” I smiled. “That’s my line.”