Page 20 of Let it Crackle
Her cheeks flush. “You’re just saying that because I only let you proofread it after sex. In the harsh light of day, I’m sure you’d be more critical.”
“No,” I say, firmly. “I’m saying that because I know talent when I see it. And because I want you to believe in yourself the way I do.”
She shifts slightly, but I don’t let her retreat. I hold her gaze.
“Send it out,” I say. “To a publisher. An agent. Anyone. Take a shot.”
Her lips part like she’s about to argue, to list all the reasons she shouldn’t. But I stop her with a kiss, softer this time. Reassuring.
“You’ve been writing stories that make people feel seen. That makemefeel seen. You owe it to yourself to at least try.”
She exhales shakily. “What if it’s not good enough?”
“Then we try again. Together. I’ll punch a hole in the wall for every rejection note, so you’ll know I’m in this as much as you are.”
She laughs, eyes glassy now. “You’re ridiculous.”
“No, I’m yours,” I say. “And I want to see you win, Maya. Big.”
She studies me for a long second. “You really think I can do this?”
“I know you can,” I say. “And I want you to move in with me.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “What?”
“I mean it,” I say. “Half your stuff is already at my place, and I wake up every morning wanting to reach for you. I don’t want borrowed time anymore. I want every minute.”
She doesn’t say anything right away.
And that’s okay.
I let her sit with it.
Her fingers toy with the collar of my hoodie, her eyes focused on the little firefighter patch stitched over my heart. She presses her palm over it gently. “I’m scared,” she admits. “But I don’t want to be.”
“Then be scared,” I tell her. “And do it anyway. I’ll catch you if you fall.”
Tears prick at the corners of her eyes. “You’re really not going anywhere?”
“Not a chance,” I whisper, kissing the tip of her nose. “And I’ve got all your snacks at my place. Plus a bookshelf with exactly one novel on it—that I think is ready for a friend. Or two. Or five hundred.”
She lets out a watery laugh. “Fine. I’ll move in. But only if you let me arrange the bookshelf however I want. I have a system.”
I grin. “Deal.”
“And I’ll email the chapters out,” she adds, voice trembling a little. “I promise. You can even hit send for me.”
“You got it.”
She kisses me again—slow and sweet and full of something real. And in that quiet little corner of the library, I know for sure I’ve found everything I didn’t even know I was looking for.
Maya Gibbons is the story I want to keep writing. Forever and forever.
Chapter 9
Maya
A year later…
