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"I love you, Lake" I lean ainst hers "You deserve to co her exactly how I feel about her is the easiest thing I’ve ever done The honesty cos that have been unbearable I breathe a huge sigh of relief when the weight of holding everything back disappears

She laughs through her tears and places her hands on top ofup at me with the most beautiful smile "I love you, too I love you so much"

I kiss her softly on the lips My heart feels like it literally swells within my chest when she kisses me back I wrapher tightly against me I close irl This girl is inme back

She’s not just a dream, anymore

Lake moves herthis here" I open isters with me She’s still a student I’m still technically a teacher This probably doesn’t look very good if anyone here knows us

I reach down and take her hand, then pull her toward the exit As soon as we’re outside, I grab her by the waist and push her against the door I’ve been waiting months to be with her like this Twoher and I Will Die

I lower ain The feeling I get when ht about, over and over, since the first tiain, knowingshort of a

She runs her hands insideI’d rather do for the rest of my life than be wrapped up in her arms with her lips pressed to h and despite how I feel about her, I’ve still got responsibilities I don’t kno ht of it takes all of the excitement built up inside ofher and wrap , deep breath and she does the saether behindher hair "I don’t knoill happen in the next feeeks But I need you to know that if I can’t back out of my contract"

She immediately jerks her head up and looks at me with more fear in her eyes than I’ve ever seen She thinks I’ht not choose her, and the fact that soht now makes me hurt for her This is how I’ve made her feel for the past three ain

"Will, you can’t do this to"

I pressyou we can’t be together You’re stuck with me nohether you like it or not" I pull her back toto say is, if I can’t break out of my contract, it’s only four months I just need you to promise that you’ll wait for ether until I find out what I need to do"

She nods againstas you need ainst her head, thankful that all the times I’ve pushed her away haven’t made her lose faith in me completely

"This probablyout here like this," I say "You want to come to my car?"

I don’t wait for her to answer, because I need her to co her yet, but I can’t keep doing it so carelessly and in public like this I grab her hand and lead her to et in first, I sit in the seat and pull her onto my lap, then shut the door I pull my keys out of my pocket and reach over to crank the car so it’ll war e that our position is incredibly intih I can count the number of times we’ve kissed on one hand, but it’s the only comfortable way to make out in a car

I take her hands and pull them up between us, then kiss theain I love hearing you say that"

"Good, because I love saying it I love you" I kiss her cheek, then her lips "I love you," I whisper again

"One more tiined hearing you say it I’ve been hoping this whole ti wasn’t one-sided"

The fact that she had no idea how I felt about her makes my chest ache "I love you, Lake SoI’ve put you through"

She shakes her head "Will, you were doing the right thing Or trying to, anyway I get that I just hope this is for real now, because you can’t push ain"

Her words are like a knife to my heart, but deservedly so I don’t knohat I could do or say that could convince her that I’ I chose her this time

Before I have the chance to convince her of that, she grabs roan under my breath I slip my hands underneath her shirt and around to her back The softness and war I never want to forget

As soon as my hands ging it off le to free myself from the jacket Once it’s off, I toss it behind me and placeher, kissing her, being with herit feels so natural So right

I move my lips to the spot on her neck that drives me crazy She tilts her neck to the side and rip while I trail kisses along her collarbone I slowly inch my hands up her waist until ainst her chest, and it causes ht thumb underneath her bra, she pulls back, away froasps for air

I immediately pull my hands out from underneath her shirt and place the so iive us space to breathe I lean ainst the seat and close my eyes