Page 295 of Every Almost

Reyna had justkissedher.

"What..." Charlie's hand lifted and motioned vaguely between them. "What wasthat?"

Reyna began to laugh softly.

"That," Reyna said, looking deep into Charlie's eyes, "was me telling you I love you, you idiot."

Charlie stared at her.

"You... what?"

Reyna took a breath.

"Charlie Wickett, I am telling you that I am completely, irrevocably, helplessly in love with you. And I have been for quite some time."

"How long?"

Reyna sighed, and her expression changed, content, and thoughtful. "I thought, originally, that I'd been in love with you since you told me my engines were suboptimal."

Charlie laughed softly.

Reyna held up one finger.

"Ithoughtthat was when. But I thought about it some more, and I realized I was wrong."

"You were?" Charlie's voice went soft.

"Mm hmm." Reyna's smile was small. "I realized I fell in love with you the moment I touched your heart. On the kitchen floor. The night you arrived."

And the smile that broke across Reyna's face changed the way Charlie thought about everything.

Her breath caught. She looked at Reyna, so earnest, so nearly stoic even now, and she understood the whole truth of the woman in front of her, and of a life with her in it.

Then Charlie laughed, her whole body shaking with it against Reyna, who looked at her with something close to confusion.

"Wow," Charlie said. "I never would have believed it."

"Believed what?" Reyna raised an eyebrow. "That I'm ridiculously in love with you?"

"Well. Yes. That." Charlie's voice dropped, and she leaned her forehead against Reyna's. "But also that you fell first."

"I... what?" Reyna pulled back to look at her.

"You. Fell. First."

"Charlie, you are driving me insane." The exasperation was clear, and it was losing badly to her smile. "What does that mean. Exactly." And she fixed Charlie with a stare.

Charlie gave in.

"It means, Reyna Solas, that I fell in love with you, too."

Reyna pulled in a quiet breath.

"You did?"

Charlie nodded and pressed her forehead to Reyna's again. "Is it really that difficult to believe? That I did?" Charlie lifted her hand to run her fingers against Reyna's cheek. "And I do."

Reyna let out a short burst of laughter. It quieted the second Charlie spoke again.