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“The baseball camp. You leaving me at the field. What was that all about?”
“That was after we slept together the first time.”
“I’m aware. I was there.” I tick with anger.
“I knew I was already falling for you. Even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I knew it. And Kat did too. She called me out on it as I was walking her to her car and I panicked. I was desperate to prove her wrong, and prove myself wrong, so I left you there.”
“But then you came groveling back because you needed me for your ridiculous plan.”
“I needed you, but not for any plan. I needed you for me, and nothing else. That’s why after you forgave me, we started spending so much time alone. I no longer wanted to share a story with the world. I wanted you all to myself.”
“But in the video, you gave no indication that anything had changed. When Helen was talking to you…”
“You only saw part of the video. I tried saying something right away but you’ve been around Helen. She’s hard to get a word in with sometimes. The video cuts off right before I tell Helen the truth about you and me. Had you heard the rest of what we said, I promise that your reaction to all of this would have been so much different.”
“Then tell me what you said.”
He takes another step closer and then another, until he’s standing right on the other side of the couch from me.
“I told her that I had fallen in love with you, and that I wasn’t faking anything. And then I reassured her that I was serious. That I love you. Because Clarke, I do. I love you so fucking much that I feel like I’m tearing apart at the seams without you.”
I swipe at a tear that slides down my cheek.
“How do I know I can believe a single thing you’re saying?”
“Because I can prove it.” He pulls his phone from his back pocket. “I had a suspicion it was Brandy that sent you the video. So, while she was filming a scene, I snuck into her trailer and stole her phone.”
“Treyton.”
“Don’t worry. I only had it long enough for my guys to gain access to her files. And sure enough, I found the video. Both the edited one she sent you, and the full one.” He taps the screen then hands the phone to me.
I watch the video in its entirety. The parts I’ve already seen, and the parts I hadn’t. And he was telling the truth. He really did tell Helen that he’s fallen in love with me.
By the time I hand the phone back, my hands are trembling and I feel unsteady on my feet.
This doesn’t change what he did, but it does prove that he wasn’t lying about his feelings for me.
“You’re in love with me.”
It’s a statement, not a question.
Because how could I not believe it? And not only because of the video, but because of the magazine article where he openly admits to what he did, without any regard for what kind of backlash he might face from his fan following. And because he came clean to my parents, convincing them enough that he was able to get my mom to help him. And because he’s spent the last week doing everything he can to convince me, too.
“I am.” He nods, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. “I know you can’t just forget what I’ve done, and that it’s going to take time. All I want is that chance, Clarke. The chance to love you the way you deserve to be loved. To prove to you without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m in. I’m all in. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my entire life.”
“Not even baseball?” Another tear slides down my cheek.
“Not even baseball.” He smiles, hopping over the back of the couch with ease. And then he’s standing in front of me, in all his glory, taking my hands into his. “You’re everything I never knew I needed. And now that I’ve felt what life can be like with you, there’s no living without you. Tell me I haven’t lost you. Tell me there’s still hope. Tell me you feel the same way.”
“I love you,” I let myself admit. “I’m so in love with you.” I let go of his hands, my fingers tangling in the material of his shirt as I fight to keep my voice steady. “The thought that none of it was real...” I can’t even say the words.
“But it was real.” He dips down so that our faces are eye level. “Itisreal. I love you. Will you please give me the chance to show you just how much I mean it?”
I consider his words.
Am I scared to be hurt by him again? I am. But I’m more terrified to be without him.
“I will.” The words are barely a whisper from my lips.
“You will?” The smile that spreads across his face is like seeing the sun for the first time. It’s bright and warm, and burns against my skin in the most delicious way.
“I will.”
“I love you.” He leans in, pressing a tentative kiss to my lips. When I don’t object, he steps in closer. “I love you,” he repeats, his warm breath dancing across my face.
“I love you, too.”
I could hold onto my anger and fear and let it ruin what we could have. Or, I can choose to embrace the man I love–flaws and all–and accept the fact that no one is perfect. Not even Treyton Tyler.
I fought this every step of the way, terrified I’d lose myself in all the bright lights. But what I found instead was so much more.
