"Hudson says I'm obsessed."
He shrugged.
"Maybe I am."
Did he mean obsessed with me?
"Even though I knew who you were, even though I wanted you to know me, it still took me all those years to talk to you. Which is crazy because I talked about you all the time."
"You knew me before the basketball incident?" I said.
He nodded.
"But you never said anything to me at school."
Another nod.
"You didn't talk to me."
"Too much of a chicken," he said. "Or that's what Hud thinks. He was too involved with himself, didn't know who you were. He had no idea how far out of my league you are."
I scoffed a laugh. "Yeah, right."
Tolliver stared silently.
"You're a hockey player, and you look like you look." He grinned at that. "You could have anyone you want."
"Not anyone," he said.
"Tolliver, please."
"Freya Kent is a star."
My ears drank in every word.
"And like a star, you deserve someone who shines like you." He scowled as if even the thought of what he was about to say next tasted bitter on his tongue. "Someone like Ryker."
I was still taking in everything he revealed, would need a day or two to marinate before it set in, but I couldn't help rolling my eyes at this final pronouncement. "About that, you hit me with your assumptions and left before I had a chance to process. Tolliver, I'm not into Ryker."
"You're not?"
"No, I'm into you."
Tolliver squinted at my face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, absolutely, one hundred percent." I looked him straight in the eye. "I don't want you to step aside. I don't love Ryker Cordova. I never did. I love you, Tolliver Stone."
I raised my shoulders in a helpless shrug.
"And I know we're young, and maybe love changes over time. It did for my parents. But the point is, I think about you. I always want to talk to you. I love you. You're who I want, Stone," I said.
Tolliver showed no reaction at first.
Then his lips lifted into the most serene smile.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"I'm thinking this is the best dream I ever had," he said.
