Page 62 of Lessons in Touch

"Yesterday was a mistake."

The words come out harsher than I intended. She flinches as if I've struck her.

"What happened? What changed?"

I can't look at her. If I do, I'll tell her everything about the video, about Cassandra's threats, and about the impossible choice I'm facing.

And if I tell her, then she might try to leave Wolfswood to fix this. Or worse, give up her inheritance. No, I have to solve this myself.

"This isn't right, Rose. It never was."

"That's not true."

"I'm your professor. You're my student. The power dynamic alone is enough to put an end to this."

"Stop. Gabriel, don't hide behind academic ethics. Not after everything we've shared and everything we’ve… done."

She's right, and we both know it. What exists between us transcends the classroom. It transcends the roles we're supposed to play.

"There are things you don't understand, Rose. A lot of complications that we should have considered from the beginning."

"Then explain them to me!"

I finally turn to look at her. She looks like she’s about to cry. But there's determination in her expression that reminds me why I fell for her in the first place.

Before I can answer, she reaches for my hand. Her fingers are cold from the winter air, but they warm against my palm.

"Gabriel, whatever this is about, we can face it together."

The kindness in her voice nearly breaks me. She has no idea what we're up against. She does not know how ruthless people like Cassandra can be. And she still believes in fairness, in justice, and in the idea that love can conquer obstacles.

"You don't know what you're saying, Rose."

"I know that I love you."

The words hit me like a physical blow. She's never said it before. But she has confessed it now, in this sacred place. While I'm contemplating ways to push her away. It's almost unbearable.

"Rose, please…"

"I love you," she repeats, and she's stronger this time. "Not the professor, not the politician, not the Thorn legacy. I love the man who shows me things I never knew before. Who listens to my dreams and makes me feel like I'm worth something beyond my last name."

I close my eyes, and I try to hold onto my resolve. But when I open them and see her face, I'm lost.

"I love you, too," I whisper.

The admission breaks something inside me. She moves closer, and I can't resist pulling her into my arms. She fits against me perfectly. Her head is tucked beneath my chin, and her body is warm, solid, and real.

“I… got you a gift for Christmas,” I tell her, and pull out the box from Tiffany’s.

She opens it and touches the pearls gently.

“Thank you so much, Gabriel… They’re so beautiful. Will you put them on me?”

“Of course.”

I clasp the pearl necklace around her neck and kiss her.

“Just like I imagined you…”