Page 81 of Tripped Up

“I love you, Elsy.” My heart thuds in my chest, trying to merge itself with hers. “I’m so fucking in love with you. You’re the light in my life.”

“Is this because of last night?”

“Even before the panic attack. I’ve been trying to find a way to say it for a while now, I just didn’t have the words. Even now, I’m not sure I do. I just—I love you so fucking much.”

She makes everything better. Every second I’m away on a road trip, I’m counting down until I see her again. When we’re apart, my only desire is getting back to her. She settles my system in a way nothing else ever has. I’m not crawling out of my skin with anxiety. Yes, it’s still there, but it’s tamed, beneath the surface. It’ll never go away, not completely, but I can live with it.

When I go to sleep at night, she’s my last waking thought, and when I wake up, she’s the first thing I want to see. Her happiness supersedes mine. Her wants and needs are my priority.

Above it all, it’s the way I know she prioritizes my wants and needs, too. There’s a careful balance to it, but it’s a tentatively stable ebb and flow. We take care of each other. We prioritize each other.

It took us a while to find our way here, but now that I know what true happiness is, I never want to let her go. Not again.

She sniffles, her eyes glassy.

“I’m saying this all wrong. I’m sorry. Pretend I didn’t say it. I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

Elsy wipes at her eyes. “You said it. You didn’t ruin anything.”

“But you’re crying.”

“It’s not ruined,” she insists. “It’s better now.”

“So…” I wait expectantly for her to say it back.

She lifts her eyebrows, a teasing smile on her face. “So?”

She knows exactly what she’s doing and I love her for it.

“Do you love me?” I hold my breath. What if she’s not there yet? What if she doesn’t feel the same?

There’s no need to rush. We don’t have to be in the same place as long as we’re on the path together.

“Eh.” She shrugs, her eyes bright with mischief.

I stare at her. “Eh?”

“Eh. I’m getting there.” Her hand lands on my cheek, her calming touch so familiar. “I like you a lot. I’m crazy about you. But love? Eh.”

Laughing, I kiss her, and she kisses me back, and we’re finally, finally one. She winds her arms around my neck, smiling against my lips.

“I’m fucking crazy about you, Wyatt Whitney,” she whispers. “You make me so incredibly happy. Every day.”

“That’s all I want. You and me, happy.” I breathe her in, her subtle jasmine perfume heating my bloodstream. “Can I take you home?”

She nods insistently. “Yes. Please.”

A throat clears, and I realize Mitchell and Henry are watching us—along with half of the team.

“After we spend time with your bestie,” I add belatedly.

Elsy laughs. “Yeah, okay. That can work.”

“You’re adorable,” Mitchell says, a teasing smile on his face. He lifts his beer in toast. “I’m happy for you, Els.”

“Thanks. I’m happy for me, too.” She winks at me and my smile stretches my face as she curls into my side.

Tina delivers our burgers. After the last few weeks, we don’t even need to order anymore. She’s brought Elsy’s with no tomato products, whereas mine is slathered in ketchup.