She furrows her eyebrows as if the concept is foreign and I hate it. “Together?”
“Yeah, that’s one of the perks of having such anincredibleboyfriend. All you have to do is talk to me. About anything. And we’ll go through it together.”
She gently smiles up at me, that faint shade of pink forming on her cheeks. The same tint that appears when she gets a little shy but won’t admit it because she has a reputation to maintain.
“I guess I could get used to that.” She shrugs.
I laugh, pulling her into a hug. “Good, ’cause I don’t plan on letting you go anytime soon. You’re stuck with me now. Whether you like it or not.”
She mumbles against my shoulder. “It’s a day-by-day case.”
And yet she squeezes me just as tight.
“Ouch.” I pull away, resting my hand over my heart. “Fuck you.”
Denise leans in, a sly grin on her face. “Maybe later.”
I’ve been learning to ask for what I want instead of taking only what’s given and Denise is realizing that she doesn’t have to push me away when things become too real. Because as far as I’m concerned, I’m not going anywhere.
Some days we argue.
Other times we ignore whatever we’re disagreeing about because fighting about it hurts too much. But most days we're willing to meet halfway. It’s a process but I’ll keep telling her if I have to because we’re learning.Together.
She turns to try and continue with our walk but I grab her wrist, pulling her back to face me. Her gaze goes to my hand and then to my face. She softens.
“I’m serious,” I say. “I’ve got you. We’ve got each other. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her breath hitches and she breaks eye contact for a split second, like she’s trying to collect herself. I want to tell her that she doesn’t have to do that with me.
She can let her guard down.
Not have to pretend to be so tough all the time.
But we’ll get there. I know we will. For now, I just want her to know that I’ll happily catch her whenever she falls.
She steps closer once again, her other hand reaching out to wrap around my waist. “Even if I don’t get the job and I ugly cry?”
I chuckle. “Especially then.”
I kiss her forehead and we wrap our arms around one another. We stand like that for a moment, feeling each other breathe and settling into the warmth.
The honking of cars, the shouting of someone getting kicked out of a nearby bar—it’s all background noise to the sound of Denise’s steady breathing and her arms wrapped around me.
Epilogue
Four months later
Denise
“Lucas!” I shriek as he chases me, splashing me with saltwater.
The waves crash against my thighs, slowing down my movements and making it harder to escape Lucas’s attack. The sun barrels down on Mission Beach, San Diego and my skin smells of sunscreen, sand, and a faint scent of the churro that me and Lucas shared.
London, one of Lucas’s younger sisters, decides to join Lucas in attacking me. I gasp, trying to splash back.
“You’re a traitor,” I laugh, accepting that this is how I’m repaid for doing London’s nails last night.
London laughs and continues to splash, distracting me so Lucas can come and hoist me up onto his shoulder.