Page 53 of Dump Tackle My Heart
“Because it won’t last,” she chokes. “Because it’llhurtwhen it ends.”
The words gut me.
“Who says it has to end?” I rasp.
She shakes her head like she can’t even look at me, like if she meets my eyes this whole dam she’s built will come crashing down.
“That’s not how real life works,” she says, voice brittle and raw.
“What real life?” I demand. “The one where we pretend we don’t want what we want? That we don’tfeelwhat we feel?”
“You know what I mean!” she snaps. “The sexy, perfect pro athlete and thenerdy, fat girl? Comeon, Hudson. Be serious.”
“Iamserious.” My voice is gravel now, anger and need scraping together in my chest.
“And first off, agree to fuckingdisagree. You’re not just sexy—you’re a goddamn knockout. And nerdy? Are you nuts? Geezus, Dani. I doCalculusfor fun. I quote Shakespeare when I’m drunk and recite theOdysseyin Latin just to pass the time. You wanna play nerdy? Bring it. Ilikesmart. Iloveyou smart. And this body of yours? It’s my fucking kryptonite. I covet this body, Sweetheart.”
“Stop—”
“No. I won’t. You keep talking like you know how this ends, but youdon’t. You’re not even giving us achance.”
Her lip trembles, her arms curling into herself like she’s bracing for a fall.
“I’m giving usthis,” she says. “This weekend. This storm. Thisbubble. But after that?—”
I cup her face, my hands big and warm against her chilled skin.
“I don’t want just this weekend,Dani,” I murmur, voice breaking apart. “I wantyou.For more than a storm. More than a few nights on borrowed time. I want all your seasons. All your moods. I want every version of you, even the one that builds pillow walls and pushes me away.”
Her breath catches.
And I see it—that flicker in her eyes.
The war between fear and hope.
I lean in, our foreheads touching, breath mingling.
“I want to be yourreal life,Dani. Let me.”
She doesn’t answer.
But she doesn’t pull away, either.
So, I take that as permission.
I press her against me, curling my body around hers like a shield.
Her cold fingers slide under my shirt, searching for warmth.
Her breath catches as I tuck the blanket tighter around us and nudge her head beneath my chin.
Outside, the storm rages on.
But in here?
She’s letting me hold her.
Letting me keep her warm.
