Page 92 of The Beta Test

He leans his forehead against mine. My eyes close.

“Avery,” he murmurs. Then his soft lips meet mine.

It’s tender at first, careful, like he’s asking the silent question one more time without words. Like he’s not sure I’ll stay.

A little groan escapes him, and he pulls back just enough to whisper against my lips. “Be mine.”

My hands slip up around his neck to tug his lips back to mine, meeting his caresses with some of my own. When I open my mouth, he groans again, this time louder. His hands dive into my hair, holding me more firmly.

Our tongues meet, igniting me. Every bit of resistance falls away, and I push closer into his warmth. All year I tried to keep myself anchored to the wrong things, and now I'm flying straight into the stratosphere. With him.

Jake pulls back and my eyes flutter open. “Is that a yes?”

His fingers massage my skull, still twined in my hair. Between his fingers and the kiss, my brain struggles to stop misfiring. “Huh?”

His dimples mesmerize me. “Will you be mine?”

Mine? My consciousness fires back online. Jake's eyes are tender, his fingers still working their magic. When I’m with Jake, I feel like a princess.

“Yes.”

Jake’s face explodes into a blinding grin. “Wow,” he breathes. Then he crushes me to him in a tight hug. “I’ve waited so long for this.”

I close my eyes and rest my head against his solid chest, relaxing in his embrace. He’s big and warm and safe. Now that I’m here, I could live here forever.

Both of us break apart at the buzzing in our pockets. We slide our phones out while smiling shyly at each other.

It’s a text from Jenna to both of us.

Jenna: Everyone is wondering if you guys got abducted.

“Oh,” I say, a blush spreading. “I guess we have been out here for a while. We should go back in.”

Jake puts his phone back in his pocket, then slings an arm around my shoulders to lead me back towards the restaurant doors. Just then another text arrives from Jenna.

Jenna: Stop smooching or else I’ll start eating your food.

Jenna: Oh yeah, I ordered for you both by the way.

My head whips toward the windows, half expecting to see Jenna looming behind the glass, but I’m pretty sure our table inside the restaurant wouldn’t have a view of us by the bench. Jake seems completely unbothered, his fingers around my shoulder loop a strand of my hair.

“Unbelievable,” I mutter as I furiously text back. Jake chuckles, but I divert all my attention to my screen, trusting Jake to steer me in the right direction.

Me: That joke was old yesterday, Jenna. Time for some new material.

Jenna: That I’d eat your food?

Me: Obviously not! The other thing.

Jenna: *kissy face emoji*? Is it old? Or…

Jenna: Is it just getting started…?

A blast of A/C hits as we enter the restaurant, pebbling my skin. My fingers still fly over my screen; Jake weaves us between tables. I hit send as we arrive back at our party.

“There you are!” my mom calls cheerfully. “I was worried your food would get cold. Did you get what you needed from the car?”

My mind blanks for a second. I totally forgot I was ‘getting’ something from the car! What would I even need?