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“No, it’s not that.”
A breath of relief escapes him. “Okay, then what’s up?”
Do it, Faye. Stop being such a coward
“I . . .”Like a Band-Aid. Rip it off!“I hate this. These last few days I’ve been acting so stupid. But I saw you with Kiara that first night, and I got jealous.”
Kellan’s jaw tightens and his eyebrows draw together. It must be the most serious he’s appeared this whole trip, so at odds to his normal laid-back attitude. “You were jealous? Of me?”
Resisting the urge to grind my teeth together, I nod. I really didn’t want to spell it out for him, but not opening up or getting vulnerable would be the easy way out.
“What? Why?”
He’s not asking to be cruel; he seems genuinely perplexed.
“Isn’t it obvious, Kell?” My heartbeat is so loud, I’m grateful for the speakers blasting music, or else he’d for sure hear it. I take a breath to tell him my feelings, then hesitate as the words he spoke after I threw him off the tube come back to me.
Just admit you like me.
And if I did?
Then I’m right, like always.
What if he laughs at me? What if all spilling my guts does is give him gloating rights?
“Faye?”
There’s something in his eyes, some lightness, almost like hopefulness, written in his features that causes me to open my big mouth and blurt, “I like you.”
“Um. I like you too? Is that what you pulled me over here to say?”
I feel like grinding the palm of my hands into my eyes. He’s so frustrating!
“No, Kellan. I mean . . . urgh!” I throw my hands up in defeat. I’veneverbeen in this position before. I’ve never had to bevulnerablebefore, and I absolutely hate it. Maybe I need some alcohol in me; I’m totally sober and rejection would be easier to handle if I had some liquid courage.
I turn to leave, but Kellan grabs my wrist and forces me to face him again. His dark eyes are intense and peering straight into mine, the seriousness of his demeanor taking me off guard.
“Don’t leave. Tell me what you want to tell me.”
The heat from his hand sears my wrist, and now all I can think about is how close to me he is, how long his lashes are, how strong his jaw is.
My throat is dry, and I force myself to swallow.Rip theBand-Aid! Now or never. “I like you, Kellan. Like as more than friends. I’ve been acting stupid because I don’t want only casual sex from you, I wantyou.”
His grip on my wrist tightens but it’s not painful. “What . . . ?
What are you saying, Faye?”
All I can do is blink up at his intense stare; his eyes boring into mine makes the air around us turn up a thousand degrees. “Are you saying,” he continues, his body moving closer to mine, “that you want us to be official? Me and you? Kellan and Fayanna?”
His tone isn’t teasing like I feared it would be. Instead, it’s heated, sultry. His words should terrify me. Admitting it out loud and being vulnerable should terrify me. ButKellan andFayannais exactly what I want. I want to be with Kellan; I’ve probablyalwayswanted to be with Kellan and was too stubborn to see what was right in front of me.
Too overwhelmed to speak, I nod, never once taking my eyes from his, which darken at my words. The way he’s looking at me is almost too intense for me to comprehend, for my mind to merge this severe version of Kellan with his usual easygoing breeziness.
“Because I’ve been waiting for you to say that for years, Fayanna.”
My stomach tightens as I process his words.He’s been waitingfor years. He tugs me right up against him, and I suddenly hate the white shirt theme at the party for being a barrier between us.
His nose skims the length of my jaw, goose bumps rising in his path. His voice is deep in my ear. “You’re the only one I want, Faye. Just you. Always you.”
