Page 129 of The Trade

Pride wells up inside my chest. “You passed?”

“Fuck yeah, I did.” He beams. “Look, I know this sounds goofy, but I actually do need to take the next flight back. Coach will ream my ass if I miss our four-o’clock practice time.”

I blink, shock coursing through my body. He actually woke up this morning, boarded a plane, and then flew hundreds of miles just for this one moment? “Oh, wow.”

“I know.” He winces. “I’m sorry to bail so soon. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting you to ...say anything back.”

“Theo ...”

“I’ll just call myself another Uber,” he awkwardly cuts in. “Unless you’d be willing to drive me to the airport.”

“Actually, I think you’re gonna need that Uber.” His face falls, a stunned silence piercing through the stilted air. “Because I’m coming back with you.”

“Wait, what?”

“My bag’s already packed,” I finally admit. “I was just heading to the airport when you showed up.”

His brow furrows. “You’re going back to Dayton?”

“I am.”

“Why? I need you to spell it out for me.” His hand, still around my neck, gently squeezes as he draws me closer. “Remember, I have a hard time reading context clues.”

“I love you, Theo. I’m in love with you,” I say, echoing his earlier confession. “And I don’t want to wait an entire summer to let my guard down. I was going to tell you this in person, but the truth is ...I’m so done with this breakup.”

The fire in his eyes instantly reignites. “It was only a break.”

“Okay,” I relent, releasing a shaky breath of laughter. “Then I’m done with this break.”

“You’re serious.” His fingers trail from the back of my neck down to my collarbone. He presses his palm flat against my chest, directly over my heart. “You really love me back?”

“I love you, period,” I amend. “And I’m sorry I let my own fears and insecurities get in the way of that. I knew that if I stayed that night, if I woke up in your arms again, that I would’ve changed my mind right then and there. I didn’t think I was strong enough to handle it, strong enough to let you go. But then, when I made it home, I realized just how miserable I was without you, and I knew I made the wrong decision.”

“So, what does this mean?” he asks, wrapping me into his arms. “For us?”

“It means I’m gonna spend the weekend with you.” I nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck, murmuring the words against his flushed skin. “And then we’ll do long distance for the summer. I know it will be hard, but I have faith that we can make it work.”

“Holy fuck.”

I press a soft kiss to his jaw. “You good?”

“Oh, I’m more than good.” His voice is light, raspy, choked with emotion. “You should probably say it one more time, though. Just for good measure.”

“I love you, Theo.”

“Goddamn,” he drawls. “Those are some pretty words, baby.”

I snort. “You’re so corny.”

“Yeah, but you love me anyway.”

“I sure do.”

“And I love you,” he says, tone filled with unshaking sincerity. “So fucking much.”

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