PROLOGUE
Where is she?
The man paced in the road, his worry escalating as time ticked away. She was never late. She always came when she promised. Today was the same as all their other days, the way they’d spent the last few years of their lives.
Except for him, today was different.
Today was the day he planned to tell her how she had enraptured him, how after years of being by her side as only a friend, he wished to be more. He wanted to shower her with the love that had been living in his heart since they were children together.
But she was not here.
His mind reeled with places she could be, replaying their conversations to see if there was something he did not recall, some plan that had changed. He didn’t want to leave.
What if he missed her? What if he went out looking for her, and she arrived thinking he’d abandoned their plans?
But what if she needed help?
His chest tightened as he continued to pace, garnering looks from those passing by. Nothing could happen to her. Hewouldn’t allow it. Not until the last breath left his body, and he faced the gods to answer for his time in this world.
He did not know how long to wait, how long to continue to flounder in this state of torture before he succumbed to the worry and fear and went searching for her.
She was always steady and calculated. She kept him grounded when he’d been lost, and hopeful for the future.
He could not lose her.
Hewouldnot lose her.
He just needed to find her.
His hands clenched at his sides, opening and closing with every step as he scanned the surrounding roads. His gaze flickered to every face, searching for hers. He didn’t even need to see her face to know it was her. He’d been so attuned to her presence, the shape of her body, the sound of her movements over the years, that he could pick her out of a crowd in an instant.
If anything good came from this worry, it was that his love for her was never in question. He knew his feelings were strong, but the moment her safety was uncertain, they intensified. He’d only hoped they wouldn’t scare her away, for the fear of not having her in his life was too much for him to fathom. He hoped that instead of being afraid of their lives together changing, she would return everything he’s felt for her, without a shred of doubt in her mind that she was his.
As if the universe was tugging on his heart, he felt her, his head whipping toward the pull.
His eyes fell on her, and relief coursed through his veins, his shoulders sagging and his feet finally settling.
She was alright. She was here.
A smile broke across his face as he took her in. Her hood was drawn, her golden curls billowing out from under it, lighting theotherwise dreary day. A smile played at her lips, and the sight of it made his widen.
When her eyes fell on him, happiness settled on her face, and she raised her hand in a small wave.
It was as if the breath was being pulled from his chest as he watched her close the distance between them, only able to inhale again when she was by his side.
The way it was supposed to be.
He loved this woman, and he was going to tell her.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” the woman said. “Hopefully you weren’t too worried.”
“Not at all,” he said, the lie rolling smoothly off his tongue. He didn’t want to tell her how worried he’d been, how close he was to going out and searching for her.
His heart calmed now that she was near, and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her with the same ease that he had for years. He’d only held back in recent years out of propriety, now that she’d become more a woman than the girl he’s always known.
A dusting of pink kissed her cheeks, begging for him to brush his fingers over them.
They had plans, like every day, but after the torment of waiting for her, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He decided he had to tell her.
