I shook my head, and it felt like shaking off years. “We misunderstood each other so many times that we somehow stumbled into love.”
His eyes went bright, and I hated that it made mine go bright, too.
“We didn’t stumble into it,” he said. “I ran into it at full speed. And I kept pretending I was fine either way.”
I laughed, and it broke out of me before I could stop it. It was the kind of laugh that felt like crying in disguise. I pressed a hand to my face, then dropped it again because I was done hiding everything about myself.
“I love you, too,” I said.
Damon froze like he wasn’t sure he heard right.
“I love you,” I repeated, louder now, because he deserved to hear it without guessing. “I’ve loved you for so long it feels embarrassing. I just never let myself believe you could love me back.”
He stepped into me so fast I didn’t even have time to breathe. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me close, hard enough to make the world tilt. My hands found his jacket, then his shoulders, then his neck, not because I knew what to do with them, but because I needed to touch him to make it real.
He kissed me like he’d been waiting years and not just ten days. Slow at first, like he was checking if I was still here, then deeper, rougher, the way he kissed when he forgot to be careful.
I kissed him back until my knees went weak.
When we finally broke apart, we were breathing hard, foreheads pressed together, the cold forgotten.
“I’m not letting you go again,” he whispered.
“You better not,” I said, voice shaking. “I will actually kill you.”
He laughed, low and wrecked. “Fair.”
I felt the smile spread across my face before I could stop it.
I let out a breath, then another, then laughed again because I couldn’t help it.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand. His grip was warm, sure, like he was never planning to let go. “You were going to the library. I’m not letting you hide tonight, but I will carry your books if it makes you feel better about your terrible life choices.”
I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t let go of his hand.
“You’re such a liar,” I said.
“Only to those I love,” he said, leaning in to kiss the side of my mouth.
We started walking, slow and unhurried, shoulders bumping, fingers locked. The campus lights blurred around us. The cold air felt softer, like the world had shifted into a shape that finally fit.
For the first time, I didn’t feel like I was sneaking through my own life.
For the first time, I wasn’t bracing for the end.
I squeezed his hand once, just to feel him squeeze back.
“Mine,” he said quietly, like he couldn’t help himself.
“Yours,” I answered, and meant it the way you mean a truth you would never doubt.
He looked over at me, smiling so openly it made my chest ache.
Neither of us looked away.
Epilogue
Three years.That’s how long it had been since I’d first pulled up to this cabin with Seth in the passenger seat, both of us pretending we weren’t terrified of what the trip meant.