Page 31 of Let's Be Forever

“I’m here with you for moral support!” he says in exaggerated offense.

I roll my eyes. “I know…I’m just…I can’t believe I have a daughter. I missed out on so many things. I don’t even know what a two-year-old does, what they like, whatshelikes.” I take a drag and exhale. “And then there’s Anna…” I toss my cigarette on the ground and stub it out with my foot. “I need to go home.”I need to be alone.

“Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay.”

13

SYLAS

As I open the door,I’m welcomed with a heavenly waft of something savory and familiar. But it’s not the smell that has me floating like those characters in the cartoons, but the sound that comes from the kitchen.

Striding down the hall, into the kitchen, I drop my duffle somewhere on the floor and march straight to my girlfriend who’s busy cooking and singing a Lana Del Rey song. Anna gasps when I wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck.

We just got back from an away game in Michigan. I didn’t expect her to be here because she told me she was working at Clover’s tonight. So seeing her here, cooking my favorite food—rice and beans with picanha steak—is a surprise, the best kind.

“Hi, my love.” I breathe her in, my grip on her tightening.

“Hi.” She melts into my embrace, her pliant body softening against mine, humming along to the music blasting from the surround system.

“I thought you were working tonight?” My words are muffled, my face still very much attached to the curve of her neck.

“Surprise. Happy Valentine’s Day.” She cranes her neck back, head tipped on my shoulder to peer up at me. Her glasses are a little fogged from the steam coming off the pan. It doesn’t take long for them to clear up, and soon I get a clear view of her mesmerizing whiskey eyes.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,meu bem.” I seal the space between our lips, placing a soft, chaste kiss before I pull back. “Look at us,” I drone, stealing another kiss because I can’t help myself. “So fucking adorable and in love. Considering this is our first, only, and last relationship, we’re doing fantastic.”

We’ve been together for approximately fifty-one days. I could get technical with the precise time, but my point is, I’ve never been happier, more balanced, or more obsessed.

Before Anna, I was just going through the motions, doing what I needed to and repeating it all day after day. But since meeting her, I’m absorbing the little things, really letting myself take the days as they come, enjoying the sunrise and all the stuff that makes life worth living because I get to do it with her.

This is beautiful. She’s beautiful. This song is fitting—“Love,” that’s what I feel, what she makes me feel.

“First, only, and last?” Her light brown cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink.

“Well duh. There is no one after you. Have I not made that obvious?” I drop my chin to the junction between her shoulder and collarbone. “But just in case…yeah, I’m in love with you. There’s no one but you. I love you and will only ever love you.”

Her eyes bulge beneath arched brows, astonishment evident on her face. Her lips pop open, close, but pry open again. I think she stops breathing. She’s definitely not blinking. But I feel the beat of her heart pulse in her body, heavy and frantic. An array of emotions crosses her face, and I’m not sure whether this is good or not because it’s not even been two months. So I don’tknow if it’s too soon. I don’t know the rules of relationships and when things should be done or said, but this—Anna—feels right, good, and safe. She’s home. She’s who I want, who I love, who I want to be with forever.

“You don’t have to say it back, and if you don’t feel it, that’s okay. I just—you are everything to me and I—well, you make me really happy—and I—” Fuck, I’m stammering, shit.Play it cool, Sylas.“I love you. I didn’t know what loving someone was until you came along, and I know I want to keep giving it to you because you make me feel that. You make me feel whole, and I—is this corny? Am I doing too much? I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

She shakes her head, eyes misting over. “No, no. Don’t ever stop talking. Don’t you—I love you too.” She smiles wide, and a giggle leaves her mouth followed by another. Her cheeks set ablaze, and her entire body heats where she’s molded against me. “You said the L word.”

Anna spins, setting the large spoon on the edge of the pan. She snakes her arms around my neck, then stands on her tiptoes.

“I did, I said the L word. And you said it too. I knew you were obsessed with me.” I smirk at the crimson color on her face. “You’re adorable. You’re blushing.”

“I can’t help it. You said you love me.” Her smile is mega-watt, and her eyes sparkle. “Say it again.”

“I love you.” I lean down to meet her lips, brushing my own over hers.

“Again.”

“I love you,” I whisper. “Say it back. I want to hear you say it too.”

“I love you,” she affirms, making my heart beat out of control.

I tremble under the heated look in her eyes, and a jolt of electricity runs through every nerve, incinerating them and making my heart burst into flames.