Page 86 of The Dating Game

Just add this moment to the list of low points Will has witnessed: me vomiting, me getting trashed by an ex, me covered in snotty tears and red splotches.

No. I straighten my shoulders. He does not get to witness this emotional and physical low point, because I don’t have to stay here. Without acknowledging Will’s presence I get to my feet and start walking away from him.

“Brooke,” he says my name a third time, but this time his voice cracks and my steps falter. Surelyhe’snot crying. Doesn’t matter. I’m not going to look. I forge on.

But Will doesn’t let me leave him behind; a few seconds later he’s jogged in front of me, blocking my path.

“Please, Brooke, wait.” Goodness, heisfighting tears. Probably tears of triumph, like an Olympic athlete who can’t believe they won gold. I go to sidestep him, but he grabs my hand. “Honey, please.”

It’s the honey that breaks me. I’m no longer just sad. I’m mad. I get that he felt the need to retaliate to my bet, but this is above and beyond.

“Oh don’t you honey me!” I exclaim, ripping my hand from his grasp and stepping back from him. “You just stick to your Brooke-a-doodles please and thank you!”

It’s a ridiculous thing to say, but I’ve already said it. What are you going to do? These things happen. Life doesn’t comewith a rewind button.

“Brooke, please,” he tries again. “Hear me out.”

“Oh go jump off a plane,” I grouch.

“Only if you’ll go with me.”

“Ha! You’d like that wouldn’t you. You’d probably take the opportunity to correct my form. Does wrist extension matter in skydiving? Or perhaps you’d just set up a mountain of trash for me to land in. You know you can’t just treat people that way, Will.”

His placating expression vanishes, replaced by something harder.

“Ican’t treat people that way?” he cries. “What about you? You only went out with me to try and win a bet!”

Oh right. I temporarily forgot about that due to an influx of self-righteousness. Still. I’m not backing down now. If I back down he wins.

And I’ve already lost enough in this game.

“Hey, I was only trying to help my friend who’s been too scared to risk falling in love again, okay? I never intended for anyone to get hurt in the process.”

He snorts. “You know what they say about good intentions.”

I flush. “Oh please!” I shout, volume control a thing of the past. “I did not pave any roads to hell with my good intentions! In fact, the way I see it you got exactly what you wanted!”

“You have no idea what I want!” he shouts back, stepping toward me.

I mirror his movement stepping forward too as I cry, “I do so—my heart on a platter!” Something drops from his hand. A water bottle. I didn’t notice he had that before, but I don’t have time to think about why he has it because a second later he grabs me roughly by the waist.

“Don’t you get it?” he says desperately, his voice low and husky as he looks down at me. “Your heartisexactly what I want. Your heart and every other part of you. This may have started out as a game forboth of us, but it’s been real for me for a long time.” He searches my face, then reaches up and gently tucks a curl behind my ear, letting his hand linger by my cheek. His thumb slides across the smooth skin there, sending a trail of sparks down my body. “I might be a crazy fool to admit this after you just finished yelling at me, but you’re worth the risk. You’re worth every risk, because I love you, Brooke Garza, okay? I love you!” These last three words ring out into a deafening silence.

I can’t move. Can’t speak. Can’t think.

He loves me! Willlovesme?

This is what it feels like to be loved by the person you love? Because my goodness— it’sincredible.

“Brooke?” Will is staring at me nervously, and oh yeah. I should probably answer him. Let him get in on the crazy, wild happiness.

A wide smile spreads across my face as, safe in the knowledge of his love for me, I fearlessly declare my feelings: “I love you too, Will Barrett.”

“You do?” His smile matches mine.

“So much so that I was willing to overlook your more annoying tendencies,” I tell him with a wink, and he laughs.

“Are you sure about that? Because I may have stopped trying to scare you away awhile ago, but I had a whole list of ideas that I never used.”

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