NICO READSย the first few pages of my draft. The entire time, my mind spins and falls like an acrobat performing a show without a net.
I can practically hear my heart rushing against my eardrums.
The conversation downstairs couldnโt have gone better. I know thereโs a long road ahead for me and Nico, but the possibility of him moving to New York and us getting a real shot together is everything I couldโve asked for.
โThis is incredible.โ He smiles at me after a long while, eyes glistening and warm. My favorite eyes. My favorite person. โItโs about me, isnโt it?โ
โShut up. Of course it is, Nico. I think theyโll all be about you.โ I give him a playful nudge. โRead the dedication.โ
โโTo the man who made me understand I deserve to take a risk on my own happily ever after.โโ Nico looks up at me. โLilโโ
โWait.โ I pull the unfinished manuscript out of his hands, then wrap my fingers in his. โI have one more thing I want to say.โ He tilts his head, urging me to go on. โI love you for always making me laugh, even in the most inappropriate times. I love you for talking my ear off with silly jokes and ideas. I love the way you ask all the hard-hitting questions, even when I donโt want to hear them. I love you like Iโve never loved anyone, and I want your liabilities.โ
โI want yours too, love.โ He kisses my forehead, and I lean into the magnetic feeling of his lips on my skin.
โSo, Nico Navarro.โ I lower my knees in front of him, holding his hand as tightly as I can with my sweaty palms.
โWhat are you doing?โ He chuckles and tries to follow me onto the floor, but I force him upward until heโs standing over me again.
โWill youโโI dig for the ancient DVD case I tucked under my bed last and present it to himโโhold my hand while watching this with me?โ
โA scary movie?โ Nico drops beside me. โThatโs some girlfriend-and- boyfriend level of commitment.โ
I shrug. โI think if you got me, then I got you.โ
โI got you, Lily.โ The words Nico taught me to no longer fear. โNow, can you say that one more time? I think I had something in my ears.โ He grins his signature Nico grin at me.
I land a soft punch against his arm, and he kisses me until my head is spinning on my shoulders. โI fucking love you, Nico Navarro.โ
โI fucking love you too.โ
