I jolted. “No?”
“I don't want you anywhere near this.”
“What even is all of this?” I turned, gesturing at the room.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“That’s not—” I cut myself off, dragging a hand through my hair. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”
He moved then, past me and down to the floor, crouching without urgency, like the conversation wasn’t rattling him the way it was me. His hands started gathering the papers, stacking them neatly.
That somehow made it worse.
“I just—” I exhaled sharply, pacing a step before stopping again. “I just got you.”
His hands stilled.
“And I’m not about to stand here and pretend I’m fine with someone coming after you. I—I can't lose you. I’m already barely functioning emotionally, if I lose you too, I’m going to become a ghost.”
For a second, nothing moved.
Then his hands uncurled, dropping the papers he had in his grip as he rose—slowly—like something had shifted, and he was adjusting to it in real time.
His eyes stayed on me the whole way, growing wider as he crossed the space between us. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him before he even touched me.
“Baby,” he said quietly, one hand coming up, brushing along my jaw, grounding. “I’m not going to get hurt.”
“Can you see the future now, Professor?” I snapped. “Because if not, youcan’tpromise me that.”
“Brat,” he said fondly, holding my face, looking at me like he was resisting the urge to smile.
It was…infuriating.
How was he so calm?
How was he standing there so controlled when everything in me was the exact opposite?
My pulse was loud in my ears, something hot and overwhelming building under my skin, pressing up into my chest until it felt too tight to hold.
“You don’t get to just dismiss this. Not when it’s you.”
“I’m not dismissing anything, Rabbit. I’m handling it.”
I huffed out a breath, my hands coming up to his wrists, holding there like I needed something solid to anchor to.
“I love you.”
He sucked in a sharp breath.
“I love you so much,” I pushed on. “I feel like I can’t see straight. Like something’s off and I need my prescription checked because everything just—” I huffed out a breath, shaking my head. “Everything’s different when you’re here. When I’m around you.”
“Archie—”
“I mean it,” I vowed. “I know it’s fast, but I don’t care. I do. I love you.”
He swayed once—my words hitting him hard enough to throw him off balance, his hands tightening on my cheeks, pulling me closer until our foreheads pressed together.
“I love you too.Christ.I love you so fucking much.”
