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The heat in his eyes ignites new life in me, decimating any lingering nerves and fear. I remember something he said from what feels like years ago.
“Since you were sixteen?”
He chuckles and sits beside me on my bed. Close. So close his leg brushes my bare thigh.
His voice is low. “I meant everything I said last night about my feelings for you. I really have wanted to be with you since I was sixteen. Probably been in love with you since then too.”
My heart stops. Kellan’s in love with me,hasbeen in love with me. My mind races over every interaction we’ve had since we met. All the late-night drives with the roof down blasting my favorite music. All the times he’s made faces through the window of my classroom door to make me laugh before a test he knew I was nervous about. All the times he put aside whatever he was doing if I wanted to talk or hang out or simply not be alone.
Every little thoughtful action. Every brief brush of our skin.
Every late-night conversation. It all floods my mind, showing me everything that reinforces what Kellan’s saying, everything that made me fall in love with him.
He’s alwaysgottenme —alwaysseenme.
I swallow the raw emotion in my throat. “So, you’re saying . . .”
“I love you too, Fayanna. Every beautiful, stubborn part of you.”
Any last lingering doubt or insecurity completely dissipates, leaving me happy, so incredibly happy I can’t stop the giggle from escaping my lips.
He loves me. Kellan Reyes lovesme.
He grabs my waist and pulls me against him, and I sink into his chest. He kisses me, forcefully, confidently, urgently, as if no other kiss we’ve shared is as important as this one. It feels different, does incredible things to me, because this time, we’re kissing as Faye and Kellan, two people wholoveeach other.
Kellan pulls away and I swallow a protest, not wanting this high to end. We’re only an inch apart and I can’t stop staring at his lips, delicious and as swollen as I’m sure mine are. I try to pull him back to me so we can pick up where we left off, but his hands tighten on my waist, holding me in place. He leans back a bit, his eyes scanning my face in a way that leaves me feeling stripped bare.
“Be my girlfriend.”
I’m assuming it’s not a question, because he already knows my answer. But he holds his breath anyway, like there’s even the slightest possibility in hell I’d decline.
“Yes,” I say, and finally he lets me pull his lips back to mine.
I would agree to anything at this point to get Kellan to keep kissing me like this, like the world could be burning around us, but he wouldn’t care because all that matters is us and this moment. Agreeing to this is no chore. It’s everything I wanted for years but didn’t realize. Everything I know now I can’t live without. It’shim.
—
The rest of the vacation goes by relatively fast. Obviously, I’m unable to go to any clubs or parties after my fall. Flashing lights and loud music with this headache? That’s a hugenofrom me.
Instead, I grab a quick dinner with Kellan and go to sleep, while the rest of my friends apparently have a “chill” night.
In the morning I’m marginally better, and I go to the smaller, calmer beach with everyone to enjoy our last full day here. My headache is persistent, so I sit under an umbrella with my sunglasses and Lori’s wide-brim beach hat on the entire time.
Even though I can’t drink or play beach volleyball or go in the water with everyone else, I still have fun sitting and watching, and have plenty of people to keep me company.
Dylan stays in the beach chair under the umbrella beside me for almost the entire day, sporadically icing his nose with every new cold beer bottle. When I tell him he probably shouldn’t be drinking, he says, “My nose isn’t broken, there’s literally not a better reasontodrink. I’m celebrating.” I let him be after that.
Alessio stays in the chair beside him, seemingly too melancholy to join in any of the fun. Earlier, Lori told me how Alessio was planning on returning to Canada pretending like nothing ever happened after cheating on Olivia all week, and I had some very choice words with him. He’s been glum all day, even before our talk, and I can only assume it’s because now thateveryoneknows about him and Priyasha, he has to come clean to Olivia. Good. I hope she rips him a new one. Whether she’ll stay with him or not, I don’t know, but either way, all this worrying he’s doing serves him right.
Priyasha, Kiara, and Anaya join us later in the day, as well as Lori’s friend Naomi and her friends. Lori doesn’t even have to nudge me before I approach Kiara and apologize for my stand-offish behavior and attitude toward her. It wasn’t really aboutheranyway, and I shouldn’t have taken my frustration with Kellan out on her because he was paying attention to her instead of me.
That was really uncool of me, even if she maybe did undo my bikini top during the chicken fight in the pool. She tells me we’re cool, and I don’t think either of us harbor any ill will toward each other. Whether sheactuallyundid my bikini top that day, I’ll never know, but it doesn’t matter anymore.
The girls tell us that Priyasha had a proper conversation with Terry, and he got on an early plane home this morning.
Apparently, he was so heartbroken over Priyasha ending their relationship permanently he didn’t want to stay any longer. Plus, security kicked him off the resort. She’s adamant their breakup is forever this time.
Alessio stays away from Priyasha, stays away from everyone, really, since he’s too worried and sad to have any fun, but she asks him to talk. Kellan tells me later that they were on the same page about it not being anything more than a fling, and they didn’t want an actual relationship.
