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The words are on the tip of ain, to prod into her inner thoughts and figure out what the fuck she’s thinking so I can fix it, but I know I can’t, and I have to let her figure it out on her own I can’t understand why she’s so against this, against us We’re right together, ays have been, and we’ve always fought anted because Cade would never approve But fuck Cade, he has no right to tell us that we can’t be together—and believe me, he’s warned me away from his sister tooto feel so with someone else when I only want Thea I can’t do it anyether—but I think she knows, andher, the reality that this could really be our forever

I rub my hands up her arolden froh the

I cup her cheek and leanI don’t need to I just want her to know that I’m here

After a moment, she steps out of my embrace “Jaws,” she says softly after a moment “I want to watch Jaws”

I so put it on and I’ll pop the popcorn”

She sht up with humor “Don’t add so much butter this time You nearly made me sick the last time you made it”

“The more butter, the more delicious,” I reason

She shakes her head, but she’s s nevertheless She disappears into the fale her ass—she has a nice ass, okay?

I pop the popcorn and pour it into a large orangethe butter I do use less than I did the last time but it’s probably still too much for Thea

Thea already sits on the large, black leather couch, covered in her favorite flannel blanket She hits play when I sit down and I lift the bowl so she can stretch her legs out in ether—Netflix is our kryptonite—so we have our routine down I set the popcorn bowl on her knees so we can each reach for it with ease

I’ nor herself in her roo of a million and one reasons why this won’t work

An ache builds in my chest One full of worry

What if I can’t convince her that this is real? What if in three months she still wants a divorce?

I s thickly and my eyes bounce to her where she lays on the couch

I don’t want to lose her, but I also know I’ll never break irl happy even if it kills me in the process