I wake up hot. I blink a few times and realize there are two strong arms wrapped around me. I stiffen until I smell him and hear his voice at the same time.
“It’s me, Aves.”
Dylan.
I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. He never breaks his hold on me—of course, he never did. Slowly I turn in his arms to face him. His face is scruffier than yesterday. This is a good look for him. I rest my palm against his cheek. “You’re not a dream.”
“No.” His voice is soft and low. “I’m not a dream.”
“I asked you to stay.” I remember last night. The details are a little foggy, but I remember him holding me on the dance floor for what seemed like forever and then me needing to get out of there. Dylan came with me. He told me he loved me and I asked him to stay.
“I couldn’t make myself leave. I had plans to hold you for a few hours and then slip out, but I couldn’t seem to let you go.” He closes his eyes as I run my fingers over his facial hair.
“You haven’t slept,” I say, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes.
“How can I sleep with you in my arms? I don’t know if I’ll ever have this chance again, Avery. I refused to miss a single second of my time with you.”
“You did this, Dylan.”
“It wasn’t just me. You weren’t willing to compromise. To just try it to see if we could make it.”
“We were young.”
“We were, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t love you.”
“That was years ago.”
“Doesn’t matter, Aves.” He places his hand on my face. “I’ve never for one second stopped loving you.”
“I can’t take losing you again, Dylan. I won’t live through it.”
“I’m here, Avery.”
I close my eyes and relish the feeling of being back in his arms. I’m sober this time, yet I continue to lie here next to him.
“We can take it slow,” he offers. “We can date again, see if the memories are still our reality.”
“What happens when you figure out that I’m not what you want? I can’t do it again, Dylan. I can’t.”
“I won’t. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. There are some things I need to tell you about the last four years.” I tense up. “Nothing bad, baby. Just what’s been going on, you know?”
“Dylan, I care about you.”
He leans in, his face close to mine. “You love me. You want to know how I know?”
I nod. “Because your heart races any time I’m near. Your eyes still light up like they used to when you would see me. It only happens when you’re looking at me.” He pulls my hand from his face and places it over his heart. “You live here, Aves. Not one day has gone by that you haven’t been here with me. No matter what you decide, that’s something that’ll never change. Let me show you. Give me one more chance to love you like you deserve to be loved. We have no obstacles in our way now. Just… let me love you.”
I think about what he’s asking. He’s right, I love him just as much now as I did then, but I don’t know if trying again is the right answer. What if our time is over?
“Aves, we’ll go slow, at your pace, baby. Just let me show you.”
“Slow. We have to take it slow, and I can’t—”
He places his finger over my lips. “Slow I can do. Be ready to be reminded.”
“Reminded?”
“Of how good we are together.” He kisses my forehead and pulls me in to his chest.
We’re already here, and since I insisted on slow, it’s going to be a while before I have this opportunity again. I relax into his hold and just live in the moment, with him.
My phone rings. Dylan reaches over me and grabs it from the nightstand for me. “Hello.”
“Av, hey. We’re checking out and I wanted to check on you before we left. You okay?” Harley asks.
“Yeah, Dylan, he, uh, got me back to my room and stayed to make sure I was okay.” My eyes never leave his, and I see them soften when he hears my confession. I’m sure he thought I would hide this from her. I told him I was willing to go slow and I am; I need to see if these old feelings are lingering because of how we ended or if my heart still really is his like I think it is.
“He stayed?”
“He did. He’s here now.”
Dylan grins.
“Well, okay then. You’re in good hands.”
“You think so?”
“I know so, Avery. He loves you. You two have fun. I’ll see you in a few days.”
“Enjoy your honeymoon, Mrs. Harris.”
She giggles. “Bye. As soon as I’m back, we have some catching up to do.”
“You got it. Love you, Harls. Give Brad a hug from me.”
I end the call and Dylan kisses my forehead. “Can I take you to breakfast? I know you said slow, but we both have to eat, right?”
My stomach growls loudly. I didn’t each much last night. “Yeah, we can do breakfast. I need a shower.”
“I’ll run to my suite and shower, pack up. I’ll be back to get you. Did you drive here?”
“No, I rode with Harley. I was going to call my parents to pick me up today.”
“I’ll take you.”
“Thank you, Dylan.”
He stands from the bed and slips back into his shirt and shoes. Leaning down, he kisses my forehead. “I’ll be back, Aves.” And then he’s gone.
I stare at the door. I never would’ve dreamed that this is how things would turn out last night. One day at a time, I remind myself. We’ll take it slow and see where it leads us.
Realizing that Dylan’s going to be back soon, I hop out of bed, grab some clothes, and rush to the shower. I’ve just finished throwing everything back in my suitcase when there’s a knock at my door.
“Hey.” Dylan smiles when I open it. “I’m really glad to see you,” he says.
“Were you expecting someone else?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “I just wasn’t sure this was real, that last night happened and that I’m really taking you to breakfast.”
“It happened and I’m starving. You ready to go?”
“More than ready. Let me get your bag.” He grabs mine and his, then leads us to the elevator.