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I couldn’t fight it.
Not for a another second.
Not anymore.
“Where are we going?” she asked, but I didn’t say anything, just pulled her closer to my side and kept on leading until we were out in the corridor on the way to the kitchen, pressed to the wall tight behind one of the charity banners and just out of view of the main room.
Faith’s eyes were huge, her breaths still frantic as she tried to fathom Erica’s glare, and she was quizzing so hard, quizzing so fast, asking me what I thought was going to happen and how much she really knew about us from the dance floor.
And then I said it. Finally, I just fucking said it.
I tipped her face to mine, and fixed my eyes on hers and my voice was so fucking fierce in its honesty.
“I love you, Faith Martin,” I told her. “I love you so fucking much that I don’t even care what Erica knows or doesn’t. I’ll shout it from the rooftops at the top of my lungs without giving a shit anymore if there’s even a chance that you want me right back.”
She was silent.
Absolutely silent.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have said anything, but I couldn’t hold back, not anymore, I just need to –”
Her lips were so alive when they pressed against mine. She kissed me hard. Hard and hungry and filled with so much life.
It was bliss. Pure fucking bliss. Pure fucking everything.
I kissed her right back, my tongue claiming hers, so desperate for so much. We moaned and grabbed hard, grinding so tight against each other, both of us frantic for the contact.
My heart was thumping as she pulled away for just a moment, and I could feel hers thumping to match against my chest.
“I love you, too,” she said. “I love you so much it drives me crazy. Always so crazy with how much I need this. Need you.”
I pressed my forehead to hers, smiling so calmly in the craziness, even though there were so many people bustling past so close on the other side of the charity banner.
None of it mattered anymore, not here and now.
There was only us.
“I don’t want to go to Warwick,” she said. “I don’t want to be an accountant.”
I nodded, and then I told her what I’d been planning to tell her for weeks.
I told her how I’d been investigating alternative degree options for her in antiques and collectibles, and arranging some great extra training opportunities around her studies. I told her she could follow her dreams, and achieve everything she wanted and I’d be there to encourage her every step of the way.
She held her hand to her mouth as she started crying happy tears for the second day in a row, shaking her head as she struggled to digest her options.
“Believe me, princess,” I told her. “It’s going to be so right for you, I swear. It’s all right there for you, everything you want from your education, you just need to give me a yes and we’ll get it moving. That’s all you need, Faith. Just one yes, and the whole university road ahead of you will be so different. So different and so you.”
“I can’t believe you’ve done this for me,” she cried, and I loved the feel of her joy against mine.
“I’ll do everything I ever can for you,” I told her. “Always.”
“Ok, it’s a yes,” she said, and nodded. “Yes, I really want to change my degree course. I really do.”
My grin was on fire. “Excellent,” I said. “We’ll get it rolling tomorrow.”
She squeezed my hands so tight. “I want to change my degree course, but I really don’t want to leave here. Not for a second.” Her pause was so heavy. “I don’t want to leave you.”
I kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right here waiting,” I told her. “I promise you, Faith, I’ll be right here waiting. Weekends and term time holidays, and video chats. We’ll make it work.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” she said, and rubbed her tears away with a fresh new grin. “But for now let’s get back and make the most of the dance floor, right? I mean, we put enough work into this thing to enjoy it with everyone else.”
I grinned a fresh grin along with her, and we walked right back out to the main hall, reeling and joyous and burning so bright as we re-joined the bustle of people. And walking straight into Colin, Diane and Erica, standing in a row.
Standing in a row and glaring with more hate than I’d ever seen before in this lifetime. Especially Colin.
Her father looked savage enough to want to kill me. His cheeks burning red as his fists clenched tight to his sides.
And I understood it. Truly, I understood it.
