This version of Sev was there the whole time.
When I thought we were enemies, Sev was already this person, capable of being so thoughtful and caring and…
Good.
Sev isgood, in a way that’s been blindsiding me for too long, now.
And my life has far too few good people in it.
It’s the most precious thing when you realize that you actually trust someone, not because something has changed, but because you can finally see them clearly.
“Fuck,” I whisper, leaning my head back on the seat.
A stray tear breaks off from my eye and I pull in a breath.
“You don’t have to say anything back. You don’t have to feel the same way,” he says.
“Sev, I don’t think I’ve been able to trust a single thing in my life since my dad died,” I let spill, feeling a torrent starting to rush through me. “Maybe sooner than that. Since my brother ended up with my best friend, without even telling me. Since every year of my life has been more and more pressure. Maybe I’ve fucking felt it forever.”
Sev cuts the engine.
He takes off his seatbelt, and I feel like I’m frozen in place again.
Like I always am.
“Why does it still feel likeevery fucking thingthat goes wrong is my fault? If it weren’t for me, no one would have these problems. I’m… an appendage. Dead weight. Nobody’s first pick, just blending into the background?—”
“You’ve never blended into the background for me,” Sev says, his voice more assured than it has been all night. “Never.”
His whole body suddenly shifts, and I realize he’s moving to get closer to me.
Not just near me, but straddling me, moving so that his leg is on the far side of my lap near the passenger door.
The weight of him sinks down on my thighs and all of a sudden he’s my whole field of view, stunning in his suit, cradlingboth of his hands on either side of my face as he looks me in the eye.
It’s too much.
I feel like I could cry, but I force myself to hold it in, unsure of what’s real. My throat is tight.
“How could you say you were falling for me?” I ask.
“Because for the first time in my life I’ve realized there’s nothing tofix,” he says. He leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead, then my temple. “I couldn’t fix you if I tried. You’re stubborn and solid and absolutely yourself, and I love every frustrating moment of it, Weston.”
“Sev,” I utter as he slides his hands into my hair, holding me.
“The reason I thought I hated you is because I couldn’tcontrolhow I felt around you. You terrify me.”
I’m surprised as a laugh escapes me, even while my throat is still tight, like I don’t know whether to cry or laugh even harder.
“You can’t be scared of me. You could take me out no matter how strong I am. You’re not scared of anyone.”
“No. You have the power to hurt me.”
I exhale as I finally summon the ability to unfreeze. My heart pounds in my chest as I stop trying to resist the current.
And I stop trying to resist the gravitational pull this man has on me.
I wrap my arms around his waist and tug him closer against me. “I’m never going to hurt you, Sev,” I whisper.