Fighting back tears, she crossed her arms.
Gavin rubbed the back of his neck. “All of them.”
She stared at him in confusion. “What?”
“I warned them all to stay away from you, but I didn’t think they’d all listen to me…”
Her mouth dropped open. The truth threatened to tear her heart open again. “Did you really hate me that much?”
His arm fell to his side as his shoulders curved in defeat. “I never hated you.”
“Then why would you do that?” she asked, holding her hands out to the side. She was done with games.
“Because I couldn’t stand the thought of you being with anyone else!” He stormed across the remaining space, closing the distance between them. His voice dropped as he said, “Because I’ve been in love with you my entire life, Lila.”
The world stilled around them. The faint noises from the busy city beyond their room faded. Lila’s heart pounded behind her ribs. The overwhelming truth hurt. The years of torment and agony. It was a lie—all of it was a lie. He never hated her. She stared up at him, blinking through tears.
None of that mattered. Not as her breath returned to her lungs. Not when he took one final step closer. She saw it in his eyes—the love. The longing. The look she’d brushed off all week.
His hand slid to the back of her neck, and he leaned down, pausing millimeters from her. She knew he wouldn’t do it. It had to be her. She needed to forgive him and move on. A whole world existed outside of their bubble, but for the first time in too long, she ignored it. She ignored everything waiting for her at home. She ignored the guilt of not telling him the truth that threatened to ruin the moment.
Instead, Lila twisted her arms up behind his neck and met his soft lips with hers.
Gavin had waited years for that kiss, and it surpassed all his expectations. Years of tension poured through them while he held her tight. A soft gasp left Lila’s lips as they parted to let him in. His fingers explored the soft skin along the bottom of her back beneath the hem of her shirt.
“Lila,” he whispered as he pulled away enough to look down at her. Her smile just about did him in. They needed to slow down. He needed out of that private hotel room with her.
His phone buzzed behind him, breaking the intensity of the moment. It continued going off, and he wondered who would call so early. He reluctantly let go. “I should check who that is.”
She nodded. “I’m going to change. And look for some ibuprofen...”
“Front pocket of my bag.” He leaned down before she could walk away and kissed her one more time then moved to the bedside table.
His phone stopped vibrating, and his mom’s face disappeared from the screen as soon as he picked it up. She’d called three times. With a sigh, he tapped her name to call her back and told Lila who it was as she headed into the bathroom with a pile of clothes.
“You’d better have a good reason for not answering me,” his mom said in lieu of a greeting.
“Good morning, Mom.” He yawned and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Good morning.” Her soft laugh barely made it through the line. “How’s the trip? You’re not corrupting Lila too much, are you?”
Images of a drunk Lila dancing in the bar and failing to change into pajamas flashed in his mind. Helping her with her shorts… he shook his head. “No, of course not.”
“Mhmm. Are you having fun?”
“Yeah, we’re having a great time.”
A beat of silence. “Wow, that actually sounded sincere and not sarcastic.”
He laughed. “I’m serious. We um… finally talked.”
“Gavin Thomas, what did I tell you? This wasn’t supposed to be that kind of trip.”
“No, Mom, we were just now talking when you called.” He sighed. Quieter he said, “Nothing happened. Well…”
“Gavin—”
“I’m kidding. Nothing like that, promise. We did talk about why the arguing started though.”
The bathroom door opened, and his heart pounded as Lila walked out tying the end of her braided hair. His mom told him she was glad they finally had that conversation, but he had a hard time concentrating on her words.
“Yeah, everything is good now,” he said. Lila met his gaze with a smile that could light up the entire city.
“Gavin.” Amused irritation coated his mom’s voice.
“What?”
“I asked if you were coming home right after checking out.”
He grinned at Lila. “No, we have a couple more things to do in the city before heading back.”
12
Sunday
“Where are we going?” Lila asked.
Gavin squeezed her fingers. Walking down the path hand in hand probably should have felt strange or foreign, but it didn’t. They’d stopped at a little diner for breakfast and talked about nothing and everything for far longer than it took to eat their French toast. He told her about going to Maslair University and his plans of getting into the sports medicine program. They talked about their favorite shows and bands, regular customers at the Scoop, and laughed through stories of his cousins. It was as if the past seven years weren’t spent fighting.
He didn’t ask about Bennu or the need to complete the bucket list within two weeks. One serious conversation was plenty for that morning. He’d wait until the end of the following week when they finished the list, and if she didn’t tell him on her own, he’d bring it up again. For the moment, things were good between them. He’d wanted her back in his life for too long; he wasn’t going to ruin it. When the time came, he would ask. And that time he would keep his cool. He couldn’t risk losing her. Not again.
Birds chirped around
