page33 (1/2)

I shrug “It’s not a big deal, I just…” I put the fork down and look her straight in the eye There are people I don’tfrom, but Lark isn’t one of them “You’re not an idiot, and I don’t want you to feel like one”

“I don’t” Her brows furrow in confusion for aabout and her forehead smoothes “Oh, you mean what I said before It doesn’t ossips and Aria’s friends and my friends think whatever they want I don’t care I know I’ht for me”

“You do?”

“I do You’re right for h a hundred e moments than live without you in my life”

“I love you,” I say, not caring if this isn’t the perfect, romantic moment It’s the truth, my most important truth, and I want her to know it

“I…I love you, too,” she says, with a nervous rush of breath

“Scary?”

She nods “Yeah, but good And true No sense pretending that it’s not”

“I don’t want you to pretend” I find a path between the waffle plate and grits bowl and take her hand again “And as soon as I can afford it, I’”

Lark’s eyes go wide

“Too soon?” I ask, arching a brow “Too scary?”

“Maybe A little,” she says, pulling her hand gently away “Let’s take things slow for a while, okay? Just being with you, being happy together…it’s enough to process right now You know?”

I bite my lip “Sorry”

“You don’t have to be sorry,”

“No, I do I don’t want to mess this up, and—”

“Relax, Mason,” she says with a laugh “There’s only one way you canlike that again Now hurry up and grab soet cold”

“Nothing worse than cold eggs”

“Unless it’s cold grits Better grab some of them, too, before they turn to concrete”

And just like that, our perfectis perfect once more