“Why did you do that?” he asked, his face serious again.
“You were right,” she said softly. “Everything you said in the cellar. I was lost, but I am finding myself again.”
“I’m sorry for everything I said that night, after the cellar,” John said, his brow now creased with anxiety. “It wasn’t my place to judge you. I’ve picked up the phone to call you so many times, but—”
“You don’t need to apologize. You were right. And Rob isn’t what I’m looking for.”
“What are you looking for?” he asked, his voice gentle now. And she watched his pupils flare, the kaleidoscope in his eyes switching from hope, to joy, to nerves and back again.
“You,” she said. “I love you. I think I always have.”
For a long second, neither of them moved. Then he reached up, brushing a hand gently against her cheek, his thumb tracing the edge of her jaw with a tenderness that made her pulse quicken. Her lips parted instinctively; his hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers threading into her hair, pulling her closer, his forehead resting against hers for just a second. Then, he closed the distance between them, his lips finding hers. First it was slow and deliberate. Her hands moved up to his chest, fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt, grounding herself in the sensation of him, so close, so real. She could feel the warmth of his chest, the steady beat of his heart in rapid sync with hers. He smelled of piano keys and sweat, inexplicably sexy. Then his kiss deepened, messier now, their teeth clashing, lips fumbling, until they found each other’s rhythm. Everything around them fell away, the city, the noise, the past; there was only this moment, thisperfectmoment. A wave of heat exploded inside her—love, lust, magic, raw and distinctly human.
Eventually, John pulled back, breathless, his lips swollen.
“Well, that is not what I expected to happen when I came into work today,” he said, eyes glinting. Then he whispered, “Did I just make out with a member of the Granny Smiths?”
She laughed. “I think you did.”
“I’ll be your first groupie,” he said, stroking his hand through her hair as he gazed at her adoringly.
“I don’t know if triangle players usually get groupies,” she said, and then their eyes stilled on each other. “Is this real?” she murmured. “It feels…I’ve never felt this.”
He dipped his head closer to hers, hands moving to her waist.
“Do you remember me telling you on the bus I wasn’t sure if I believed in soulmates?” he said, and she nodded. “That wasn’t true. I do, but back then, I was so sure you were mine. And I just never saw a path to this ending.”
Her cheeks ached, every muscle in her face creasing with joy. She felt as though she were floating and needed to tug herself back down to earth. “We hardly know each other now. What if we annoy each other? I’m probably very annoying, I’m super particular about my hats. Or what if—”
He pressed a finger to her lips.
“You’re not annoying,” he said. “And if you are, I can’t wait to be annoyed by you.”
She leaned in to kiss him again, and they smiled into each other’s mouths. “Wait,” he said. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He lowered his gaze, and Chloe’s stomach dropped.
“What is it?” she asked, bracing herself.
“It’s Richard,” he said, looking down at the whippet.
“What about him? Is he okay?” she asked.
John tried to look serious, but now his mouth tugged into an impish grin.
“No, he’s fine. It’s just, he isn’t really an emotional support animal. You were right, I do just say that so I can take him places. Because I can’t be without him.”
Chloe stared, pushed a fist gently against his arm, then burst out laughing. “I knew it.” But before she could tease himproperly, he silenced her with another kiss, deeper, more impassioned now, no care for who might be watching. And she felt that delicious shift from teasing to heat, her whole body communing with his. And now she knew for sure that she had been born in therightera, because she had been born in the era of John.
25
“So you want to discontinuethe trial,” Avery clarified, as crisp and expressionless as ever. They were in the same sterile white office where this had all started. The metronome was still ticking, and Avery was wearing the exact same tightly tailored blue suit. Nothing had changed, except everything had.
“I do,” Chloe confirmed.
“We just have a few feedback questions before we deactivate your account,” Avery replied, her expression unreadable as she opened a screen on her desktop. “Please rate Rob in the following categories, with a score out of ten: building self-esteem?”
“Ten,” Chloe said.
“Helping you attain your career goals?”
