Laughing softly, I reached for his hand, tugging him down beside me. He came without resistance, shoulders tense, still bracing for impact.
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Sorry,” I murmured, letting my lips linger. “I’m afraid that ship has sailed.”
“Right, so I should probably explain—”
“You don’t have to,” I cut in gently. “But I’m dying to hear about this crush.”
“Oh, fuck me.” He slumped back against the bed, hands covering his face.
I shifted closer, propping myself on one elbow so I could look down at him. “I’m, like, properly crushing on you right now,” I said. “So you don’t have to be shy about yours.”
Lifting my knee over his thigh, I hooked my leg around his. Close, but not trapping. An invitation.
He dropped his hands, though his gaze still stayed just off to the side. “I noticed you when you came into the restaurant,” he said. “The guys in the kitchen noticed too. They liked teasing me about it.” A pause. “That’s all.”
Jessie had told me earlier at the shoot that he worked at ?Aina Grill, where I ate more often than I probably should have—sometimes with my dad, sometimes alone. Still, I couldn't remember seeing him. The thought made something in my chest dip. How many times had I walked past that open kitchen, eyes fixed on moving hands and plated food, and missed him completely?
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you,” I said.
Jessie let out a short, humorless chuckle. “Why would you?” The words came easily. Dismissive. Like it made perfect sense that I hadn’t.
It didn’t sit right.
My hand came up to his cheek, thumb brushing his skin until he finally looked at me. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “I know I can be a lot. I get told that constantly. And knowing full well this could absolutely kill your crush instead of fueling it—which is what I want—I’m going to let you in on something.”
His eyes stayed locked onmine.
“If I weren’t leaving in two days, I would’ve asked you to be my boyfriend after I kissed you.”
His lips parted on a soft inhale.
“I’m like that,” I went on, the words coming fast now. “I move too quickly. Fall hard. I get my heart stomped on, and then I do it all over again.” A small shrug. “But this doesn’t feel impulsive. There’s something about you—I don’t even know what it is—but it feels like your soul is calling out to mine.” I let out a quiet, breathy laugh. “Maybe it’s just attraction. Maybe we’re compatible. But the fact that you saw me first? Wanted me first?” My thumb brushed his cheek again. “That makes it feel like fate. And I fuckinglovefate.”
I held his gaze, unapologetic. “So I’m about to get weird with you, man,” I said. “Hope you’re ready.”
He stayed quiet. Long enough that my chest tightened. Long enough for doubt to creep in—for me to think I should take something back, soften it, make it less… me.
Then—
“I would have said yes,” he said, stopping my spiral cold. “If you’d asked, I would’ve said yes.”
And there it was again. That sense of alignment. I threw my mess at him, and he met it without flinching.
“We should stay in touch after I leave,” I said quickly. “We can do that, right?”
My heart kicked when he nodded.
“Yeah. Let’s do that. I want that.”
A laugh broke out of me—not humor exactly. Relief. “Why me?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Because I needed to know if this was fleeting or if I was already falling headfirst.
His hand found purchase on my hip, tentative at first, then firmer.
“You’re so gorgeous,” he said. “More than I could probably put into words. And it’s not just—” He faltered, scrunching his face. “Not just how you look.”
I waited.
“It’s like there’s this light coming off you,” he said finally. “When you laugh. When you’re serious. When you smile.” His fingers tightened on my skin. “You look like sunshine, and I can’t make myself look away.”
