Page 120 of Game On
“Listen, it was shitty of you to hide the letter. I didn’t like the way it made me feel when I found it, but I get where you were coming from. We’ve both grown a lot since we met, separately and together. And despite your minor lapse in judgment, I want to make this work.”
“You think we can?”
“Yes.”
“No matter the distance? No matter the fact that I’m … overly hesitant? That I’m stubborn, scared, and that you deserve someone who isn’t afraid to give you everything from the start?”
She stops pacing and kneels in front of me, her hands cradling my face. The intensity of her gaze makes my heart pound. “Hudson, don’t you see? I’m not doing this because of some misguided sense of loyalty or pity or for a fun time while I’m abroad. I love you. All of you. The parts that are messy and the parts that are perfectly put together. I want all of it.”
I swallow hard. “I want you, too. More than anything. Loving you, needing you this much? It’s uncontrollable, but it’s also the only thing that feels right.”
“It is for me, too,” she says. “Before you, my life was safe, predictable. But with you? I feel like I’m finally really living. Like I have something worth fighting for, and I can’t let that go.” Her voice softens, her breath warm against my lips. “I thought I was tired of fighting, but Hudson, you are so fucking deserving of it.”
I wrap my fingers around the back of her neck, and pull her closer, our foreheads touching. “I love you, El. You have no idea how much you’ve changed my world. And I’ll do everything I can to make this work, to make Oxford work.”
The thought of money nags at the back of my mind. It’s gonna be the biggest hurdle, figuring out how to afford it, but even as she speaks, I’m already forming a plan. I’ll make it happen, no matter what it takes.
“Are you sure about Oxford?”
I give her a firm nod. It hits me then, harder than I expected. I’ve been holding myself back from truly wanting it—telling myself that it wasn’t in the cards, that it wasn’tworth chasing. That an acceptance letter doesn’t mean Ibelongthere.
But deep down, I know that’s not true. I want to travel. I want to study in places I could only ever dream about before, and I want to do it with Ella. I was scared of failing, or maybe it felt easier to settle. But now, with her by my side, it feels like I’ve got something real to fight for.
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
“I don’t want to force your hand here. You need to tell me if this is what you truly want, to go to Oxford—not just for me, but for yourself. For your future.”
“It is,” I say, “I promise. I won’t lie to you ever again.”
“Good,” she says, beaming. “Because I was thinking we should live together next year. My parents will pay for my accommodation, so long as I don’t bother them elsewhere. And I have my savings, too. We would be all set for the year. You wouldn’t have to worry about room and board, and we could create a space all our own.”
My heart swells. It feels too good to be true—like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. But this time, I need to just let myself have it. Let myself believe that this, that she, is real. Maybe I do deserve it after all.
Because being loved by Ella? It feels like finally finding your way home after wandering alone for so long. To know that someone sees all your flaws and still chooses to stand by your side … it’s a kind of magic I never thought I’d experience.
I brush a strand of hair from her face, my fingers lingering on her skin. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“Well, if you had told me about the letter when you first got it …” She trails off, and I wince, knowing exactly how much I fucked up. “I’m kidding. You weren’t ready to hear it yet, and I wouldn’t want to pressure you.”
“Thank you, darlin’.”
“For which part?”
“For all of it.” I kiss her. “For everything,” I say, and then I kiss her again—on the lips, on the neck, along her shoulders until I reach my favorite little divot just there. “For being you, and for choosing me.”
She smiles. “I always will.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Ella
Our squad is a collective bundle of nerves waiting on the sidelines. Whitland’s next on mat, and we’re tied with Wyler State based on yesterday’s prelims. That means today’s performance isn’t just another routine; it’s the ultimate deciding factor.
“We’ve got this, Whitland!” Coach Morgan bellows, her voice slicing through the haze of anxiety. “Keep your focus.”
“Whitland on three!” someone shouts.
“One … two … three … Whitland!” we roar, and the battle cry echoes off the walls. “Rise up, stand tall, we conquer all!”
