“Yeah, I just…” I glance over my shoulder to look at Jesse, but he’s disappeared. Did I just imagine that entire exchange? I turn back to Lina, whose face is now laced with concern.
“Just… give me five,” I say again. I jerk away from the table so quickly that I nearly knock over the prop chair. A quick glance around the room confirms he’s no longer in here, so I push through the café’s door, spilling out onto the exterior set. From there, it only takes a minute for me to spot him, getting his makeup touched up next to a fake plant.
“Excuse me,” I tell the artist. “I need to talk to him for a second.”
She looks surprised but nonetheless excuses herself. I stare up at Jesse, still not quite trusting my eyes. But even if my brain can’t comprehend it, my body can. It’s impossible to ignore the flutter inside my belly. Even after all this time, he still manages to give me butterflies.
“You’re here,” I say. “On the set of my movie.”
Jesse presses his lips together and nods but doesn’t say anything.
“Why?”
He takes a step forward, closing the space between us, and my heartbeat quickens.
“How did you even get onto the set?” I ask.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Violet still had Pooja’s phone number. Apparently, she was all too happy to get me on the cast list. She also said something about wanting to have my headshot on file?” Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a figure slipping through the café door. Pooja pauses before shutting the door behind her to give me a conspiratorial wink. This woman. She never quits, and I love that about her.
Jesse slips a hand through mine, drawing my attention back to him.
“I know it’s not the most direct way to talk to you, but I didn’t want any paparazzi to catch me if I showed up at your house. Plus,this strategy required a little more effort.” His eyes widen to punctuate his next point. “And I wanted you to know that you are worth the effort.”
I dig my fingernails into my palm, noting the sharp pinch and reminding myself that this is really happening. Because I still can’t believe I’m not dreaming.
“Marissa,” he continues softly, “I didn’t expect what happened this summer, but you were so much more than just a fling. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you walk away instead of fighting for you. I regret every minute that I wasted being an absolute idiot.”
I grin. “You were a little bit of an idiot,” I concede. “And I didn’t mean to hurt you either. I never wanted you to feel like you had to give up your life for me. I wanted to find a way to compromise and make it work. It wasn’t going to be easy, but the best things never are.”
Lina appears through the doorway then and waves to us.
“Two more minutes!” she calls.
Jesse turns to me and takes a deep breath. “I know we have to get back, so I’ll make this quick and efficient, because I didn’t say all the things I should have the first time around, and I have spent too many nights lying awake wishing I could have done it better.”
He gives my hand a squeeze. “Marissa, I think you are the most incredible woman I have ever met. You’re brilliant and kind, talented and generous. You light up every room and make everyone around you happy. And you’re such an incredible mother. You’ve got to know how lucky those kids are to have you.” His voice lowers. “How lucky I was to have you, even if it was just for a little while.”
“Jesse,” I start, but he shakes his head.
“Just let me get this out,” he says. “Before I miss the opportunity again.
“I fell in love with you last summer. Hell, if I’m really being honest, I fell in love with you two decades ago, when we were just kids chasing each other around the lake. I never thought I’d see you again, and when you came back into my life, it terrified me. I was so afraid to let myself fall, because the thought of losing one more person I cared about…” He closes his eyes. “I was shortsighted. I didn’t see that everything led me back to you. There’s no escaping it. It’s written in the stars. The only person standing in the way of my own happiness was myself. I thought that it would hurt less if I just moved on with my life, but the truth is, there is no life without you. Not anymore. Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be. You are it for me, and if you let me, I would follow you anywhere.”
My vision blurs as my eyes fill with tears.
“So, what do you think? Would you consider giving me a second chance? Rewrite our future together?”
Instead of answering, I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his. I pour everything I’m feeling into it, hoping it communicates the way I’m absolutely gone for him. He matches me kiss for kiss, tilting his head to find that perfect angle, until we are so lost in one another that I’m not sure where he ends and I begin. When he finally pulls away, I’m breathless. My makeup is almost certainly ruined, and I’ve never been happier in my life.
A slow, shy grin stretches across his lips.
“Is that a yes?” he asks.
“I’d say it’s a fuck yes.” We both turn to see Pooja standing behind us, hands on her hips. “I’ll keep a lookout for my thank-you card in the mail,” she adds. “In the meantime, could the two of you please get back on set before Lina has a conniption?”
I look up at Jesse and grin. Then I sweep out an arm, gesturing for him to take the lead. “After you.”
He doesn’t budge. Instead, he slides his hand through mine. “I say from now on, wherever we go, we go together.”
