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I grabbed an eraser, wishing I could wipe him from my heart like I could the letters on the board. But it was as if he were written in permanent ink. As if he’d tattooed himself on my very soul.
I started wiping down the board when the door to the classroom opened. “Did you forget something?” I called over my shoulder, assuming it was one of my students.
“Yes.” A deep, familiar voice vibrated through my entire being, but it couldn’t possibly…
I stilled with my back to him, afraid to turn. Afraid if I did, it would ruin whatever crazy dream my mind had conjured. A dream where Tristan was standing in my classroom in Japan. Where…
Finally, unable to take it any longer, I made myself turn. And when I faced him, I had to grip the edge of my desk to steady myself. “Tristan?” I whispered. “Tristan?” I inched closer then stopped myself.
I couldn’t possibly imagine a reason he’d travel across the world unless… I gasped, holding a hand to my mouth. “Are Maddox and Savannah okay?”
“Everyone’s fine.” He stepped farther into the classroom. “I came here for you. For us. The past few months, I’ve tried to give you the space you asked for, but I don’t want to spend another second apart from you. I can’t.” His voice was gravelly with emotion.
I wobbled and sank down on the edge of my desk. “You—” I opened my mouth, closed it again. Smoothed my hands over my lap. “What? I mean—” I shook my head. “Seriously?”
“Yes, Elle.” He smiled, taking my hands in his. “I love you. I’minlove with you.”
“You—” I swallowed hard. “You love me.”
“Yes,” he chuckled. “I love you.”
“But, but—” I sputtered. I didn’t even know what to say. Was this real? Washefor real?
He tucked my hair behind my ear, my body arcing with electricity from that brief point of contact. “You changed your hair.”
“Do you hate it?” I asked.
Even though I didn’t want to care what anyone else thought, Tristan’s opinion still mattered to me. Not because I needed his approval; I knew he’d love me no matter what.
But for so long, my bright hair color had been a badge of honor. An outward sign of rebellion. I loved the purple, but I’d loved pissing off my mom just as much.
But I was letting go of that. I was choosing things that brought me joy, regardless of what anyone else thought. I was finally becoming the confident, sexy, self-assured woman who’d been inside me all along. But it was no longer an act. And I no longer performed it for my followers. It was for myself. Because I was more than enough.
I could have purple hair or a honeyed blond like now. I could cover my face in makeup or wear none at all. I didn’t need to be anything other than myself.
Tristan’s gaze lingered on mine, intense and all-consuming. “You’re always beautiful to me.”
I thought back to the time I’d cut his hair. When I’d shown him pictures of my own botched haircut and he’d told me I was beautiful. He’d told me I’d be beautiful even if I’d shaved my head. I’d believed him then. And thanks to him, I’d started to believe in myself. I’d begun to see myself as the woman he saw. One who was incredible and beautiful and worthy of love.
“I’ve missed you so much.” My voice caught on a sob, and I held a hand to my mouth. “But I don’t understand. What’s changed? How can we be together? I have seven months left here.”
I wanted to touch him, but I was afraid to get my hopes up.
“You’re not going to renew your contract?” he asked.
“I hadn’t—” I shook my head and swallowed. “No.”
“Have you decided where you’ll go next?”
I shook my head again, realizing that he was deferring to me. Seeking my input before offering his suggestions. “I have a few ideas, but no concrete plans.”
I’d enjoyed my time in Naruto, but I was ready to move on. To experience something new. My supervisor and colleagues were awesome, but I was homesick and lonely. Not that I’d planned to return to the AV. I might not be living in my sister’s shadow anymore, but it had been too painful to even contemplate being so close to Tristan if we weren’t together.
He rubbed a hand over his mouth. “That could work.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry. You’re not making any sense. Work for what?”
“It gives the kids time to finish school. And me to sell the house.”
