Page 180 of ClickBack

“Yeah.”

Behind us, Javon laughs at something Ronan says. Jarrett turns toward the sound, then looks back out over the street.

“I didn’t want to ask him,” he says.

“About you coming here?”

“I’d have wondered if he was telling me what I needed to hear. Today I didn’t have to.”

I take his hand off the railing and hold it between mine. He has been letting people see what he wants all day. His brother. A place on this team that makes sense. Me beside him while he tries to find out what is possible.

I want to give him an answer to the part I can answer.

“I love you,” I say.

He turns toward me. I keep looking at him even when the words begin to frighten me with how little there is to take back.

He rubs a hand over his mouth. A laugh gets through.

“What’s funny?” I ask.

“I had a plan.”

I laugh because he is smiling at me now, because he has taken both my hands, because nothing about his face looks like a man trying to get away from what I said.

“Was I supposed to wait?”

“No.” He draws me closer. “I was.”

“For what?”

“A minute when I could have you to myself.”

“You have me.”

He looks at me long enough for the people behind us to become unimportant. Then he cups my face.

“I love you, too, Zelly.”

I close my eyes when he kisses my forehead. His mouth finds mine next, and I hold on to his shirt because I need somewhere to put all this happiness before it makes me cry.

Behind us, Bellamy calls out that her father cannot take the serving spoons with the food.

Jarrett starts laughing against my lips.

“Your family has terrible timing,” I whisper.

“My family?”

“You heard me.”

He kisses me again. When he lets me go, I stay close enough that he doesn’t move his hands.

“I meant it,” I tell him.

“I heard you.” His voice is quiet now. “I meant mine, too.”

We take our time going back to the table. Denise is talking to Jacqueline near the door. She looks at Jarrett, then at me, and smiles without asking anything.