Page 53 of You + Me – Against the World

Feeling jittery, I rush into the small booth where the switches for the basketball court are located. That was the plan. If it’s him, I turn on the lights. Otherwise, I stay hidden here.

A slender silhouette, a casual stride, a leather jacket shining in the dark…

He came.

“Alma?” Vadim calls out, turning around.

I flip the light switch.

His eyes narrow against the harsh glare of the lights. He turns again, searching for me, then spots the graffiti.

I hold my breath.

Vadim takes a few steps back to get a better look at the wall. Suddenly, his laughter echoes through the empty gym and ricochets off the glass of the equipment booth. He runs a hand through his hair, and I dart out of my hiding place and rush to meet him at the center of the court.

“See? I had the guts to do it.”

“You’re crazy, Lancaster.”

“I wanted you to remember this graffiti, not the other stuff.”

Vadim turns to me, lifts me off my feet, and spins me around, laughing even harder before setting me back down. He pulls me into his arms. Holds me tightly. So tight. He smiles at me, then presses his face—so full of emotion, so handsome, so breathtaking—against mine.

“What kind of sorcery is this?” he murmurs in his deep voice.

“Huh?”

“What you do to me…” With his battered hand, he takes mine and presses it against his heart. “Can you feel that? I don’t get it. I don’t understand why it’s happening so fast, how it can be this intense… but I love you too, Alma.”

His low voice carries me to another world.

“You have no idea how much I love you.”

In the middle of the empty, silent gym, his whisper sounds like a shout. It hits me right in the heart.

“And I’m sorry for the way I reacted. For doubting you…”

I throw myself into his arms so I don’t have to answer, so I don’t become overwhelmed by emotion.

“Wait, you don’t have a comeback? Alma Lancaster, are you really letting me have the last word?”

He can tease me all he wants—it rolls right off me. The guy of my dreams just told me he loves me.

He’s. In Love. With me.

I silence him with a kiss. Vadim kisses me back, with his lips, his tongue, his hands. Something flutters in my belly.

“We’d better turn off the lights,” I whisper between kisses.

“Oh yeah? What for?”

The hint of a smile playing on his lips sends a thrill through me.

“Catch me if you can, Arcadi…”

“What do I win if I catch you?”

“You’ll see!” I yell as I take off.