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He settles into the chair next to me and we eat and talk for the next hour. The food is incredible, but the company's even better. Afterwards, we feed each other chocolate strawberries like besotted fools…and then he switches the song and takes my hand and pulls me out of my chair.
"Dance with me?" he murmurs.
The song’s haunting, one I haven't heard before, and it almost brings a tear to my eye as he takes me in his arms and begins to sway us back and forth, the twinkling lights and the moon shining down on us.
"I love you," he says, as his hands play with the curls in my hair and his head rests on top of mine.
"I love you too," I whisper, but not for the first time, a thread of uneasiness flickers through me.
Because right now, in this moment, my life feels completely perfect. And I want to hold onto it so badly that I would do anything, give up anything, to keep it.
I only hope that I can.
Chapter 27
Skylar
Eighteen years old
“At this rate, I’ll never earn enough to move out,” Daisy grumbles as she counts the tips she earned at The Scarlet Letter Café tonight.
“Well, if you’re not happy working at the restaurant, you could always go to the community college with me in the fall,” I tell her.
“Shit. Dartmouth still hasn’t said anything?” she asks me, disgruntled, forgetting all about her shitty job. “You would assume the assholes would at least send you a rejection letter or something. Not keeping you waiting all this time.”
“Must have gotten lost in the mail. No worries,” I mumble, turning my back to her and opening the refrigerator so she doesn’t read my face.
I bite the inside of my cheek when I feel my sister walking toward me until she’s standing right behind me, placing her chin on my shoulder and hugging me from behind.
“I’m sorry, squirt. Those idiots don’t know what they lost. You can do it without them.”
I shrug again and plant a thin smile to my lips.
She pulls away and grabs an apple from the fruit plate on the counter, flipping it from one hand to the next. “Are you sure you can’t make it work with the other colleges that accepted you? I mean, that is what school loans are for.”
“Not a chance,” I reply, steadfast. “No way am I starting my life out with a ginormous amount of debt. I’ll just take some creative writing classes on the mainland. It’s fine, Daisy. It is what it is. No use crying about it.”
My sister’s brow furrows, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Wow. You’re really taking this well. I’d be a total head case if I were in your shoes.”
“Yeah, well, you always did like to be dramatic. I’m a little less neurotic.
“Ouch!” She laughs, placing her hands to where her heart is. “That one hurt.”
“I doubt it.” I laugh, thankful she’s off the college topic.
We’re both still giggling when Noah walks through the door, his hair all mussed up and gorgeous. My heart does cartwheels in my chest as he winks at me behind Daisy, making sure she doesn’t see the endearment.
“Since I’m not getting any love here, might as well go up to my room and get some shut eye. I’m beat,” Daisy utters, strolling past Noah and ruffling his hair.
He chuckles, slapping her hand away as she starts to leave. But then suddenly my sister stops in her tracks and turns toward me, a vulnerable hint to her eyes.
“I know this is going to sound selfish as shit, but I’m kind of glad those morons didn’t offer you a grant. I’d miss you like crazy if you had left for Dartmouth. I mean, I wanted you to go, but it would hurt like hell not seeing your face every day.”
“I’d miss you too, Daisy,” I reply with sadness in my voice.
She gives me a curt nod, not entirely comfortable with showing her underbelly, and leaves the kitchen. When Noah hears the familiar sound of a bedroom door closing, he quickly eats the distance between us, placing his hands on my hips.
