Page 129 of Catch

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He’ll come back and hopefully he won’t ask me to leave…

Two hours later, with the movie almost over, I hear the door open and my heart kicks up. I glance around to find Ethan stalking toward me.

“Hey. You’re back.”

State the obvious, Jett.

God, I’m so relieved and so fucking nervous at the same time. Like I’ve never talked to him before.

Ethan’s face is flushed from exertion, and his eyes look calmer.

“I said I would. How’re you feeling, baby?”

“Better. You?”

“Same.”

“Um, there’s tons of pizza left if you’re hungry.”

Lame, Jett, really lame.

“Maybe later. Come on.”

Ethan offers his hand, and I take it. He pulls me up off the couch.

“We’ll be back,” Ethan says to his friends.

I follow him up the stairs as we make our way to his room.

When he shuts the door behind us, I walk over to the bed and sit down. Words aren’t coming yet, and I feel so awkward.

Ethan moves to sit down beside me.

“Is this okay?”

“Of course it’s okay.”

He slides one arm around my waist, and I snuggle into him, notching my head into his shoulder. His warmth, his scent, it’s everything I need.

I’m home.

“I need to tell you something,” Ethan whispers.

I raise my head to meet his eyes.

“Yes?”

“Today was the most scared I’ve ever been in my whole life. When I heard you on that call, the fear in your voice, I—” His eyes fill, and he blinks rapidly. “Maybe my timing is shit, but I think we need to talk about what’s going on with us, me and you. This has gone way beyond how things started?—”

Oh God, please tell me he’s not breaking up with me.

“—and every day it gets more intense. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and sometimes I’m not sure I can handle it. I was so sure that I’d never want a relationship until youcame along. But you deserve to know the truth. I haven’t told you what our being together means to me—what you mean to me. I asked you to be my boyfriend, but I want you to know why.”

“Ethan.”

“I love you,” he whispers. “I love you so fucking much, Jett.”

Tears well up in my eyes. The good kind. The kind that I can’t fight. And I don’t need to.

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