Page 111 of Every Move You Make

She leans her head against mine as I sweep my hand overher arm while the other skims her firm, warm leg. I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing as me. If she can see herself in this family too. If she can see dinners and pickup rugby games in the backyard; birthday parties and babysitting.

But when her golden hazel eyes find mine, I know she sees me.

Something powerful and familiar breaks through the surface of my uncertain future and it begs me to release it. I whisper, just loud enough for her to hear, “I love you.”

Her shapely eyebrows raise, and her lips part in a smile. She quickly looks around and back to me. “You just said that.”

“I just said that.”

“You love me,” she repeats and it’s not quite a question.

“I love you.”

I’ve loved her for a long time and foolishly kept it bottled up. But here, on a casual summer Sunday in the childhood basement of our boyfriend, where we can be exactly ourselves and love out loud, I tell her the truth. It feels right and real and good.

Pink blooms across her cheeks and down her neck as she bites her lip. Lacing her hands behind my neck, she cradles it and whispers, “I love you too.”

Chapter 43

Worshipped

Dell

The takeaway container of taco fixin’s taunts me from my lap as we drive down the Schuylkill Expressway to Isaiah’s place. This has been the best cheat day ever. Maybe just one more bite…

Robyn’s phone rings and after a cursory glance, she silences it.

“You don’t wanna take that?” Isaiah asks.

“No,” she sighs. “It’s just my mom. She usually calls on Sunday nights, and it usually puts me in some kind of mood.” She takes Zay’s hand. “I’d rather not spoil everything that happened tonight.”

“Did you have a good time?” he asks.

“I had the best time.”

“Me too,” I say from the back seat. “Robyn professed her love for me tonight.”

She turns around and taps me on the knee. “You said it first!”

“Is that what was going on on the couch?” Zay chuckles, but then all three of us stop when another call comes in from Robyn’s mother.

“Alright,” she groans. “Two in a row means it’s serious.” She swipes open the call and taps speakerphone. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, Birdie. Are you driving?”

She looks at Zay. “Yeah. What’s going on?”

“Your photoshoot with Adidas is this week, right?”

“Thursday morning in New York.”

“I’d like to be there.”

Robyn looks back at me now, as if I contain the answers. “What? Why?”

“Well, your father and I were talking and we think it would be in your best interest if you had someone there looking out for you.”

“Mom, I already had our team lawyer look over the contract, and it’s been signed.”

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