Page 142 of Twisted Needs

“I doubt she’d invite you for coffee to fail you.”

“That’s true.” He pauses. “Unless she’s trying to soften the blow.”

“No. You’re catastrophizing, sweetheart.”

“My generation is very cynical.”

I laugh softly. Then Anders goes quiet. Thinking.

“What?” I ask.

His eyes lift back to mine. “I think we should probably tell our families soon.”

The nervous heat that flashes through my body is immediate and violent.

Luca. Just the thought of telling him makes my stomach twist. Because this stops being theoretical the second Luca knows. This becomes permanent. It becomes real.

“I was gonna tell Bish on the plane tomorrow,” I admit carefully. “Let me survive that first, and then we’ll figure out family stuff together when I’m home.” Just thinking about the conversation makes my stomach knot.

Luca will kill me. There’s no arguing. Emelie, it could go either way. Instead of murdering me, she might just cut off my leg or something.

My mom…honestly, I think she would accept it. She loves Anders, and she was a lot younger than my dad when they got married, so I’m sure she can look past the age thing.

Anders nods slowly. “Okay, Pet’ka.”

God, I wish I could touch him right now. I wish I could pull him into my lap and kiss his forehead and feel him breathing against my chest instead of staring at pixels on a screen three provinces away.

“Do you wanna go to brunch tomorrow afternoon?” I ask before I can overthink it.

Anders blinks. “You’re asking me on a date?” He suddenly turns his face out of frame. I hear him sniff once, then again. When he turns back, he’s wiping quickly beneath his eyes. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

“Don’t hide from me.”

“I’m not trying to.” He laughs weakly at himself. “I just told you today was emotionally exhausting.”

“I know, sweetheart. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He nods quickly. “Yeah, I just…” He trails off.

And for one horrible second, I think he’s about to say it.

I love you.

My entire body tenses instinctively. I need him to say it because he’s ready—not because he thinks I’m waiting for it. I haven’t said it again since the first time, but I feel it every single time I look at his beautiful face. Knowing Anders, I know he’d force the words out before he was ready if he thought it would make me happy.

“I just really miss you,” he says finally.

Something inside me loosens and aches at the exact same time. The longer we’re apart, the more painful it is. I’m on the verge of falling apart and I’ve only been gone a few days. “I miss you too,” I tell him quietly. “So much, my baby.”

He laughs softly, embarrassed by himself. “This is pathetic. It’s been, like, three days and I’m acting like you’ve been shipped off to sea.”

“Luckily for you, I’m too old to be shipped off to sea.”

“Oh, hush. I’d love to see you in a sexy little sailor uniform.”

I smile so hard my face hurts. “Just pray we lose the next three games and I’ll come home early.”

Anders immediately shakes his head. “What? No, come on. Don’t say that.”