Page 138 of Better Than Gelato
“A perfectly nice girl. For someone else. I let her know last night.”
He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head.
“The truth is, I’d forgotten I could feel this way. And if this connection still exists, I can’t settle for anything else.”
He takes my hand in his. His palm is damp with sweat. “I know this is fast, and I know we just spent one evening together…”
He looks at me, soft brown eyes lit with intensity. “I asked Paolo for your number for years, but he’d never give it to me. He told me you were happy. He didn’t want me to ruin it. He said maybe you would call me when you were ready.
“And then yesterday you called. And I guess…I guess I’m wondering, are you ready?”
My brain races to process his words and interpret their meaning. My thoughts are all scrambled. I don’t know what to say.
But my body knows what to do. I lean in and touch my lips to his. Tentatively at first, my hand trembling as I press it against his chest. His arm reaches around my waist, pulling me close to him, and all the nerves in my body wake up for the first time in years.
This.This overwhelming feeling of rightness is what I’ve been trying to forget for years. And I know, with everything in me, that I’ll never find anything like it, no matter how long I look.
When we come apart, I’m not scared, or nervous or uneasy. I look into Jake’s eyes, and I’m sure.
“I’m ready,” I say.
* * *
