That only adds to Nova’s confusion. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.”
I suck in a deep breath. Apparently, this is still a Band-Aid that needs ripping off. And if I’m going to rip it off, there isn’t a safer place than Nova’s arms.
“My last boyfriend . . . Things didn’t end well. Pretty shitty, to be honest.” I exhale, slow and steadying. “After he . . . we broke up, I was leaving for a five-month trek. Between school and all the packing and planning I had to do, I guess I suppressed those emotions since I didn’t have time to deal with them.”
My gaze lifts to his. There’s worry in his eyes, but also caring. Like the worry is because he cares about me. He cares that I’m happy. That I’m ready. I thought I was. I wanted to be. But once again, the asshat’s fucked it all up.
Nova reaches up and wipes a tear away. “Maybe I should go? If I stay . . .”
I reach out, grabbing him and pulling him closer. I nestle myself into him. “I think . . . I think I’d like you to stay. If that’s all right? I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
He sighs with relief, and his tense muscles relax. He rolls onto his back, pulling me with him until I end laying with my head resting on his chest. He places a soft kiss on my forehead, and I melt into his presence. “Okay,” he agrees. “But promise me one thing?”
I lift my head enough to take in the sincerity in his gaze. “What?”
“Promise me you’ll be here in the morning? That you’re staying with us?”
He says us, but I don’t miss his real meaning. Promise you’re staying with me.
I lean into him, closing the gap between his mouth and mine. This kiss, it’s so different from all the other kisses we’ve shared tonight. Slower, softer, and yet much deeper than all of them combined.
“I promise,” I tell him, as my sleepy eyes drift close, leaving me to dream of the days ahead. They’re filled with meadows full of blooming wildflowers, tall pine trees on the sides of majestic mountains, playful squirrels darting all around me. And Nova. Even in my dreams, his eyes tell me something I desperately need to know. With him, I’m wanted. Desired. Safe.
When I wake up the next morning staring into Nova’s deep blue eyes that are dancing with joy, I know I’ve made the right choice.