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"Are you...sure?"
"Completely sure. You're mine, and if the world needs to burn down for us to be together, I'll make it happen."
"Oh." My voice is small and trembling, but I've never been more certain of anything. "I'm sure."
"Good. Because I love you."
"You...what?"
I pull back, and he drops his arms. There's an intensity in his eyes as he stares at me, and a part of me is terrified that this is too much, that this is moving too fast.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I know that we haven't known each other for very long. But I can't pretend anymore, Noelle. You're the only woman I want. You're the only one that I think of. Every time I close my eyes, I can only see your face. It's why I couldn't go through with it, and it's why I didn't want you to go." He rakes a hand through his hair. "Fuck...I tried to be a good man and let you go, give you space to make your own decisions, but I can't. So I'm here for you. And I love you. Let's go."
He reaches for my hand.
And I let him take it.
I can't think of a single reason to say no. Not when he's offering me the entire world.
"Let's go," I whisper.
He smiles, the most genuine smile that I've ever seen, and it fills me with warmth. I can't help but smile back. He loves me, and I love him too, but I want to wait until the perfect moment to say it. Not here in my stupid dorm room.
I want to say it beneath his sparkling Christmas tree after he opens the little gift I bought him. It just feels right.
8
NATHAN
Ican't stop looking over at Noelle in the passenger seat. There’s joy on her face as she keeps dipping her face down to smell the enormous bouquet of roses, but I can still see the red rims of her eyes from where she has been crying.
Fuck. I never meant to hurt her, but it was inevitable that we would get pushback on our relationship. I just didn't expect it to be from her mom, and so damn soon.
It almost ruined Christmas, but I'm going to turn things the fuck around. My girl will not be sad today.
I'm trying not to think about how I told her I loved her and she didn't respond in kind. Just because I'm completely confident of our life together doesn't mean I should expect the same from her. I mean...of course, I want the same from her, and there's no way in hell I'm ever letting her leave again, but a little space should be fine.
Should. But it isn't. It's bugging the hell out of me. If she doesn't love me now, then I'll make sure she does by the end of the night, even if I have to make her come one hundred times before dawn. I will fucking do it.
Noelle doesn't sense my unease and all but leaps out of the car when we pull into the driveway. My house has always been just that... a house. But with Noelle here, it feels like a home.
I think she's just happy to have the hard part out of the way, but all that carefree attitude morphs into something else entirely when she opens the door.
I called in a favor, something I never do. When I left to get the roses and go find Noelle, my sister and my niece were just arriving to get the place ready. I told them both my plans over the phone, and they squealed so loud that I was sure it burst the speakers on my phone. My sister cooked dinner with all the things we bought at the market, and my niece turned the Christmas spirit up to eleven with her decorating and sprucing up the place. I thought it was gaudy before, but now...holy shit. It's a fucking lot.
It's all worth it to see Noelle's face right now and know that the tears in her eyes are from joy.
All the lights in the house are out, and everything is lit by candlelight. I try not to think about the fact my niece lit a bunch of candles and then just...left them burning in the empty house because I have to admit, the effect is pretty damn romantic.
The tree is the only thing with electric lights on, and it glows like a sun in the middle of my living room. The fire is roaring, there are steaming cups of hot cocoa on the table, and a plush sherpa blanket I've never seen before folded on the couch and waiting on us.
Dinner is in the oven, which is set to warm so it won't contribute to the massive fire hazard that my place has become, but I don't think I'm going to be able to sit through a whole meal to finish the plan I've put into action.
There’s a gift under the tree for Noelle. One that is going to change our lives forever.
I have a speech prepared, closing the door behind us and leading her to the living room, but before I can start, she darts forward and grabs a magazine-sized gift bag tucked towards the back of the tree. Huh. I hadn't even noticed it before.
"Noelle–" I start, but she puts a finger on my lips to shush me, which I immediately nibble on, making her laugh.
