Page 55 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
Only, it made his voice crack, too.
“Earlier, I—” he managed, regardless. “I’d come to terms with how things were and whatever time I had left. But these past months with you have made me greedy for more.
“I’ve told you before that I didn’t expect you to reciprocate anything. And I still don’t. But I had to tell you how I feel—mainly because I can’t watch you blame yourself any longer, for things that aren’t even true. But also, because I’m incredibly selfish, and even though I know I shouldn’t, I’ve been dying to say this to you every day since… I…”I love you.
He sucked in a shaky breath before finishing what he had to say, “The guilt I’ve been sensing from you is so intense, it’s second-hand crushing me, Nori. I can’t fathom what it must be doing to you. So, please, let it go now and stop blaming yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. If anyone’s at fault, it’s me.”
He swallowed against the fresh lump in his throat, waiting for her to say something. Anything. A few heartbeats passed in silence. Then a few more. He finally glanced up to find Nori sitting exactly like before, still refusing to look at him.
And then he noticed the tears falling on her tightly curled fists.
“No. No. No.” He jumped to his feet. She was supposed to get pissed, maybe even threaten him with a taekwondo move or something. Notcry. He smoothed a thumb against her cheek. “Nori—I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry. Please. Forget everything I said. I wasn’t serious.”
“Shut up.” Nori sniffled loudly before hopping down from her stool. She wiped her face on the back of her t-shirt sleeve. Then stood glaring at him with her chocolate eyes rimmed red.
What have I done... His heart sank. She was finally going to push him away for good.
“You can’t say all that,” she said between hiccups, her eyes boring into his, “and then tell me you weren’t serious.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry.”
“Okay.”
“So, which is it?”
“Which is what?”
“Everything you just said.Wereyou serious?”
“I was,” he replied quietly. The damage was already done. “I am.”
Nori nodded, her chin quivering. “I—” She hiccupped again, then swore, turning her head to the side to roughly wipe her face on her sleeve again.
“Nori, I’m—”
“Can I kiss you?”
“What?” He seemed to have heard “fuck off” wrong.
“Can I kiss you?” she asked again,gloweringat him.
Vir almost barked a laugh. Was she really asking or threatening him? Or daring him to say no?
Neither. He blinked, bewildered at the revelation. She was expectinghimto rejecther.
The chaotic swirls of Nori’s emotions surged while she waited for him to reply. And without another word, Vir crushed his mouth to hers.
Nori
The sweetness of Vir’s lips combinedwith the salt from her tears, and the fire from the beach reignited.
She knew he’d be better off without her. And that someday he was going to realize this on his own and leave—when he no longer needed her to keep him alive. But that day wasn’t today.
“For the record, you don’t have to ask me again,” Vir whispered against her mouth. Right before the tip of his tongue grazed the crease between her lips.
They parted to let him in, and she instinctively pulled him closer till their bodies were flush against each other. When Vir began tracing a trail of slow, agonizing kisses along her jaw, her head tilted back with a hum. For the briefest moment, the counter’s edge dug into her lower back, and then she was airborne. In one swift motion, Vir picked her up by the waist and set her on the granite slab behind her.
