“Was he bothering you?” he asks, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine, slight anger still lingering in them.
“No.”
His chest moves on a tight breath. “Because if he was, I’d —”
“He wasn’t.”
“And you’re sure.”
“Yes, I am.” I kiss his jaw. “Besides, I didn’t just kiss you to distract you from beating him up and thereby ending your streak of four months, one week and four days of no fighting and no bruises.”
Which I’m hoping will turn to forever. The streak I mean.
Because I can’t even express how happy I am that his beautiful face and his magnificent body are bruise-free. That he doesn’t subject himself to the kind of pain he used to.
“So then what else?”
I bring my hand up to his face to cradle it. “To fulfill your fantasy.”
“What fantasy?”
“The one you had,” I lick my lips, “about making him watch.”
He gets it then.
And his eyes go intense. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” I whisper, smiling. “You told me once that if I was yours, you’d do everything to make everyone around you including him jealous, remember?”
“And you’re mine now,” he says all roughly and possessively, his arms flexing around me.
“I am. So, I figured I’d better catch up and give you everything that you’ve ever dreamed of.” Speaking of, I blurt out, “And so I’ve made a decision.”
He narrows his eyes in suspicion. “Decision.”
I nod. “Yes.”
“About what?”
Taking a deep breath, I reply, “About going with you. To LA.” He stiffens but I keep going, “Look, I know what you’d say. You’d say that I shouldn’t compromise on my dreams. That I always wanted to go to NYU and so I should. But the thing is that dreams don’t have to be so rigid, you know? Dreams should be fluid and ever-changing. And yes, when I was with… him, I never thought that I could give up NYU and follow him to the ends of the earth. And that’s because I never felt for him what I feel for you. I love you, Reign. You’re the love of my life and now I know what that means. It means that I’d do anything for you. I’d follow you anywhere. My dreams include you now. My dream-likelifeincludes you and I never ever thought I could be this happy. To love you and be loved by you is my happiness, Reign. And so, I’m going. I’m going wherever you are going. So you can save all your arguments because I’ve made up my mind.”
Oh gosh.
It feels so good,so freaking good, to finally say that.
Over the past couple of months, every time this topic came up, he’d tell me to follow my dreams and do whatever I wanted to do. And since for the longest time my dream was to go to NYU, I thought that was what I should do.
But I know I’m right now.
I know what I just said resonates more with me than anything else.
Because yes, dreams change.
Becauseyouchange. Because once in a while, someone comes along and changes you. Once in a while, someone comes along, and he makes you see the world in a different way. In a hundred and fifty shades of pink and through summer-tinted glasses.
He teaches you what it means to love and be loved, and to build your life with someone. So I’m going. Not because he wants me to or because that’s what a good girlfriend does but becauseIwant to. A difference that he taught me himself.
“I’m not going to LA.”