Fall

“I love you.” So much honesty came from those three simple words.

“I’m unlovable.”

“Impossible,” she whispered.

“What if I told you I loved you too?”

“Do you?” Her head tilted.

I nodded, and then fell to my knees, pressing my face against her stomach. “I do. God help me, but I do. I love you so much. I love you so much I can’t breathe. It’s wrecking me from the inside out — you have everything. Harley, I would be satisfied with just a look from you. A nod, a hand shake, I would be satisfied with anything. But, right now. I have to kiss you.”

She tilted my chin with her finger. “Then kiss me.”

“I have to love you.”

“Then love me.”

“I want to marry you.”

Her breathe hitched as her eyes dilated. “Then ask.”

I couldn’t catch my breath. In an instant, I was on my feet, kissing her, tasting her, touching her everywhere.

The script dropped to the ground.

And it was just us.

Not Harley and Zach.

But Jaymeson and Priscilla.

I ended the kiss and pulled back.

She was a better actress than most girls I’d worked with — it was raw, believable. I was still shaking from the encounter.

Because while she acted…

I lived.

I existed.

I wasn’t playing Zach. I was playing Jaymeson — for the first time in my life, I didn’t have to pretend to be someone or something. I was being me. I was the one on the floor begging. I was the one confessing my love.

And I was the one willing to take whatever crumbs she dropped off her table.

“That was fun.” Priscilla cleared her throat and looked away while I went and pressed stop on the recording. I sent it to Peter immediately.

If that didn’t get me the job…

I didn’t want it.

“Are you staying?” Pris’s hand touched my back.

I turned and pulled her in for a kiss. “You’d have to lock me out to get rid of me.”

“Left side?” she whispered against my lips.

“Any side.” I plundered her mouth and retreated. “As long as it’s by you.”

Silently, we got into bed. I pulled her in to the curve of my body, and within seconds, her deep and even breathing told me she was asleep. I kissed her temple and whispered, “I love you.”

****

I heard a buzzing. At first I thought some suicidal bug had found its way into the guest room, but it kept getting louder and louder.

Groaning, I flipped over and noticed it was Pris’s phone. I hit ignore and tried to go back to sleep.

But it went off — again.

With a curse, I looked at the screen. It was her dad. Why would he be calling so late?

At any rate, he stopped calling.

And I fell into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Priscilla

I woke up tangled in Jaymeson’s arms, cocooned in his warmth — he was so dang warm — so comfortable I didn’t ever want to leave his embrace. But I had to go to the bathroom, so I scooted away and walked toward the door.

A blinking on my phone caught my eye.

Putting off the bathroom visit, I snatched my phone up and saw a few missed calls from my dad and then some random number I’d never seen before. I quickly listened to the messages and smiled.

“Hey, honey, just hanging out, shooting the breeze. Being awesome. Thought I’d talk to my other favorite daughter. We’ll see you in a few days! Love you, sweetie! Don’t do drugs!” The voicemail ended.

The next two were warnings about not giving away my rose to a boy who didn’t like flowers and the next one had something to do with pie.

Parents were weird.

“I must breakfast you now,” Jaymeson announced when I sat back on the bed. “Or so help me God, I will be the worst boyfriend in the history of the universe.”

“Aw, how cute. You’ve been drinking already.”

“Not true!” Jaymeson shot out of bed, his hair a spiky mess, and his cheeks flushed.

How the heck was it fair that he looked like that? And I looked like I got run over by two trucks while I was sleeping?

“Breakfast for the fair lady.”

“You’re weird.”

He shrugged. “Part of my charm.”

I nodded and looked away. Was he really my boyfriend? Were we doing this?

“Pris…” Jaymeson’s arms came around me as he pressed a kiss to the back of my head. “Don’t freak out but…”

My heart started hammering in my chest.

“…I want to take you on the best date in the history of dates. I want to fly you to London. I want to go to France, and I want to sit at the Taj Mahal and kiss you as the sun sets…” He cleared his throat. “But since Evan’s going to want me to work another day at The Goodwill before I start helping out with the local theatre camp, can we just walk along the beach?”

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah. But only after you make me breakfast.”

“Demanding little wench.”

“Yup.”

He squeezed his arms around me and kissed my head again, then rose up from the bed and walked to the door.

When he opened it, Demetri was standing on the other side. A frying pan in his hand and a glare across his ridiculously handsome face.

“What are your intentions, sir?” Demetri asked.

Jaymeson crossed his arms. “Breakfast.”