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I’m suffocated by it, completely taken by it, and, when Clayton’s other hand slaps ha hand on my mouth A hand he rips away, so he can hear it, music to his ears

And then, everything is quiet, and everything is over

Clayton and I lay in each other’s arms forever after that Or ly as if we’ve known each other our whole lifetiot to see

“I’ve got so to tell you,” he says at some point

Our eyes lock

“That line hasn’t bode well for us in the past,” I point out

He chuckles ruefully

“I think I’ll take my chances this time”

He gets out so from the drawer and walks over to the side of the bed I’ets down on one knee

“What would you say if I were to ask you to marry me?”

He says it was such forced casualness, that I eye him uneasily

“Don’t be a dick”

His frown deepens

“Can you just answer the question?”

“Don’t get my hopes up like that,” I say

In our sporadic ht conversations, I’ve learned that Clayton never really saw hietthat I was the type of person who did see the it in my face?

He snaps open the felt box I just notice now, and I gasp My suddenly softened gaze settles on his pale rigid face

“Is that your way of asking me?” I teased

“Yes,” Clayton says simply

“Every day on this trip I’ve been weighed down by this da over if you’re going to say yes…”

“Yes,” I say simply

Clayton’s harried gaze snaps to mine

“What?”

I hold upit back and forth

“Yes, and yes, and yes”

Now, Clayton’s gaze shoots to aze swooping up to meet mine