Page 97 of Swerve
He walks toward me, and we stand there for a moment, just looking at each other, the seconds ticking by. I take him in as fully as he takes me in. And I see in his eyes the same thing I’m feeling, pure gladness to rest my eyes on him. I realize now that memory had softened my grief at the thought of never seeing him again by letting me forget how completely beautiful he is.
“How are you?” I ask, my voice barely making the words audible.
“Much better now that you’re here,” he says.
I smile then, because I don’t know how to censor myself. “It’s really good to see you, Knox.”
“It’s amazingly good to see you,” he says.
We look at each other for a few long moments, and then he adds, “I was glad you said yes. I thought there was a very good chance that you wouldn’t.”
“I considered it,” I admit. “It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but I’ve kind of spent the last year redefining that, so it seemed like a good opportunity to put it into practice.”
He laughs, softly, and then reaches out to brush the back of his hand across my cheek. And I swear the current of feeling that ripples through me is like nothing I’ve ever felt. I close my eyes for a moment, letting the feeling settle in, and then when I’m looking at him again, I say, “Whatever you’ve been doing has been good for you.”
“Just coming to terms,” he says, “with the things I can’t change and figuring out who I’m going to be now that I’ve accepted that.”
“Who are you going to be?” I ask, meeting his gaze and holding it with the desire to see and hear his answer.
“Just a man who wants to live,” he says, “and spend that life with someone who wants the same. Who can accept me with all my shortcomings, and my desire to do better, be better. I’m hoping that someone might be you, Emory.”
My heart beats a note of pure gladness. And now, I touch him, my palm curving to his cheek. I lean forward, stretch up on my tiptoes, plant a soft kiss on his mouth. “That’s why I’m here,” I say.
He takes my suitcase, without letting go of my hand. We walk through the front door of the house. The main living area faces a white sand beach.
“Come on,” he says, leading me through glass pane doors. “I want to show you something.”
The sight before us takes my breath away. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. The sand is a glistening white against an aqua sea.
“How did you find this?” I ask, tearing my gaze away from the beautiful sight to meet his.
“Basically luck,” he says. “It’s an investment property owned by a family out of England. They’re currently in a squabble over whether to develop it or not. So far, the opposition is winning, and it’s remaining as is for now. “I agreed to stay here for year, basically as a caretaker.”
“Nice work, if you can get it.”
“Nicer now that you’re here,” he says, smiling.
“About that,” I say.
“Yeah, about that.” He steps closer, loops his arm around my waist and reels me in a bit. “Hello.”
I look up at him, smiling. “Hello.”
“Confession?”
“I’m listening.”
“I thought your Dr. Maverick might have ended up winning you over with his bedside manner.”
“He was nevermyDr. Maverick. And there was only one problem with him.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“He wasn’t you.”
He smiles, looks undeniably pleased. “Were you this beautiful before, or am I like that guy who’s been living out in the desert too long, and you’re just a mirage?”
I feel the heat bloom in my cheeks. All of a sudden, I feel sixteen again, realizing the boy I’ve been crushing on likes me. “I think I’m real.”
