Talk about too much self-control.
“The snow globe you gave me.” I hold it up and give it a little shake.
He smiles at the fake snow flurrying in the water. “You know, I was really nervous when I picked that out.”
“Really?” I ask, and he nods. “Why?”
He shrugs. “I think because it was just because it was the first present I ever gave you.”
My fingers fold around the snow globe. “It wasn’t the first present you gave me.”
His forehead creases. “Really? What else did I give you?”
“What no one else ever did.” I reach out and thread my fingers through his. “Safety.”
His lips tug into a small, sad smile. “That’s not really a present, though, princess. Well, it shouldn’t be. It should be something that just is.”
“It was to me. When I was younger, I thought about it a lot actually, having someone in my life who made me feel calm instead of so scared all the time.” I stare at the snow globe, tipping it back and forth. “I just never thought it would happen. Then you came along and changed everything. Sometimes, I wonder if maybe I made it out of this place without becoming my mom because you were always there.”
He fixes his finger underneath my chin and urges me to look at him. When our eyes meet, he wets his lips. “I don’t really think I can take full credit for this one. I think you made it out of this place okay because you’re fucking strong.”
I smile then move in to kiss him. Right as our lips connect, voices rise from inside the house.
“Where are you guys!” Wynter shouts through a giggle. “And what are you doing? Because it’s really, really quiet.”
I hear Luna and Grey say something, and then Ari laughs.
I shake my head, my cheeks warming. While I haven’t told her Beck and I hooked up, she’s voiced her suspicions over the phone. Evidently, my voice has a glow to it that it didn’t have a week ago, whatever the hell that means.
“As annoying as she is, I like that she made you blush,” Beck says, grinning as he lightly caresses my cheek.
I smile but then my happiness quickly falters. “Wait. What are we going to tell them?”
“About what?” he feigns dumb, his brow teasing upward.
“You know what. You and me.” I put my hand on his chest to playfully shove him, but he snags my wrist and jerks me to him, our chests colliding.
He rests his hands on my waist. “I’m pretty sure they already know.”
“How?”
“Because it’s been four years in the making, and they’ve had eyes for those four years.”
“Yeah, maybe …” I rub my lips together, unsure what to do.
“Why do you seem scared that they’ll find out?” he asks, trying to hide his hurt, yet his eyes give the truth away.
“I’m not really scared of them finding out,” I admit. “I’m just afraid that, when they do, everything will become so real. And it’ll become that much harder to lose what we have.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assures me, dropping a delicate kiss on my lips. “Stop overthinking and just accept that you and I belong together. We’re real, and you’re not going to lose me. You want me, and I want you.”
I nod, nerves creeping up on me as Wynter strolls into my room.
She’s wearing a dark purple dress, her hair is curled, her makeup flawless, and she’s sporting heels.
“I thought I told you to wear something comfortable,” I tell her, realizing too late that Beck’s hands are still on my waist. I consider stepping back then decide to stay put and accept what I want like Beck told me.
Her eyes dart to Beck’s hands, and a devious smirk spreads across her face. “I knew you sounded glowy on the phone.”
“What does that mean?” Ari asks as he walks into my bedroom. Unlike Wynter, he took my advice on dress attire and is wearing an old T-shirt and holey jeans. He takes one look at Beck and me, and relief washes over his face. “Thank God. It’s about fucking time.”
Beck grins proudly, while I grow extremely confused.
“Wait a second,” I say, stepping toward Ari. “You don’t seem that surprised about this.”
Ari backs up with a guilty look on his face. “Look, I know what you’re getting at, and I just want to say that I thought I was making things easier.”
I cross my arms. “How does telling me that Beck and Wynter like each other make things easier on me?”
“Wait, what?” Wynter whirls toward Ari. “You told her that?”
Ari shrugs. “She was always freaking out whenever Beck tried to hit on her or kiss her, so I thought I’d make it easier on her and let her think Beck liked someone else. That way, she wouldn’t have to stress out every time we were all together.”