Page 86 of Rush
Me: I'm here. Can I come up?
The three dots appear immediately.
Everly: Yeah.
I take the stairs two at a time and she opens the door before I can knock.
She's wearing pajama pants and a tank top. Her hair is down and she looks tired but beautiful.
"What are you doing here?" she asks.
"I needed to see you."
"Why?"
"Because I'm done keeping distance."
She crosses her arms. "What does that mean?"
I step inside and close the door behind me. "It means I want you and I'm willing to take the risk."
"What risk?"
"All of it. Your dad hating me, fucking it up, losing control. I'm willing to risk it because I want you more than I'm afraid."
She studies me for a long second. "You're serious."
"Yeah."
"You're not going to run when it gets hard?"
"No."
"You're not going to push me away to protect me from yourself?"
"No. I'm going to trust you to make your own choices."
She steps closer. "And if I choose you?"
"Then you choose me."
"Just like that?"
"Yeah, just like that."
She reaches up and touches my face. "What changed?"
"I realized I've been choosing safety over connection and it's been making me miserable. I talked to Esme, and she reminded me that I'm not the worst thing I've ever done."
"And now?"
"Now I'm choosing you."
She stands on her toes and kisses me. It's soft at first but then it deepens.
My hands go to her hips and I pull her closer. She makes a sound against my mouth and it breaks something in me.
I back her against the wall and kiss her harder. My hands slide under her tank top and her skin is hot.
