Page 149 of Falling Into Forever
“Why didn’t you try to pry them apart when it first happened?” I ask.
Saylor shrugs like my question is annoying. “Because, hot shot. We were trying to get a stupidly sparkly heart to stick to the foam, so I was squishing the two pieces together for a long time. Then we took the foam frame away, and the corners of my skin wouldn’t unstick without tearing me along with it.”
I tug her to standing and lead her toward the bathroom. “Let’s see what we can do.”
Lifting her onto the bathroom counter, I open a drawer and pull out some nail polish remover and a round gauze pad she has next to it.
“We’ll probably have to soak it for a few minutes,” I say. Then rummage under the sink for a small paper cup. When I find one, I dump the nail polish remover in and place her fingers into the liquid.
“So,” I say. “You had fun with Poppy?”
“That girl had a plan, and nothing would deter her.”
That’s usually the way it is with her.
“But, for the first time in years, she made me want to have pictures around. I want to remember the good stuff, Dante.”
“I’m glad, Sayls. And you’ve made enough frames to line an entire hallway.”
“I told you. She had a plan.”
I capture her gaze with mine, and even in the shitty lighting of the outdated bathroom, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Our faces are only inches apart. We’re so close I can smell something sugary and sweet on her breath. I can only imagine the junk Poppy coerced her into eating.
“Let’s try to pry your fingers apart,” I say quietly.
She removes her fingers and with a little effort, they finally peel apart, but she’s going to have the glue residue on the pads of her fingers for weeks.
“My hero,” she says, batting her lashes like a cartoon pinup.
My throat is thick when I try to speak, and I swallow twice to get words to work. “Always,” I grind out.
Her blue eyes sparkle with love and mischief as she stares at me, and I place both hands on her thighs.
“You’re amazing, Saylor Greer. I love you so much.”
She tilts her head like she’s examining me. “You’re pretty okay yourself.”
My lips curl into a slanted grin. “Just okay?”
She shrugs. “Yeah. I mean, I won’t throw you out yet or anything.”
“How kind of you,” I say dryly. “But what if I don’t want you to ever throw me out?”
I say it in jest, but suddenly the ring in my pocket is a living, breathing thing. It pulses against my thigh like a heartbeat, and I clear my throat because this is our time.
“You’ve got some work to do then,” she teases, but the words die on her lips when she looks at my face. Whatever she finds there makes her reach for her necklace and lick her lips.
“The guys said I needed a grand gesture,” I say.
“For—For what?”
“But the way I see it, I’ve been working toward this day since I was fifteen years old.”
“What day, Dante?” The tendon in her neck twitches.
“The very first time I saw you was in the hallway. You were on your way to P.E., did you know that?”
She shakes her head and zips her necklace along its chain.
