Page 60 of Yours, Forever

"Max. Give me time to think about it, okay? I know moving makes sense, but the house of my dreams… I don't know."

What happened when he left?

He frowned and turned to me. We ended up closer in the process, but I didn't pull back.

"All right. I'll give you time."

I turned to him. His gaze followed the curls of my hair, the curve of my jaw, my neck. It went as low as the deep V of my dress.

I bit the inside of my lip. "Has life in Laguna Island been too difficult? It's so different from all of this."

"Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be." His eyes returned to mine.

"Except for the mattress being too small, too short for you?" I teased. "And living in a house too small for all your suits, or all the children my mom thinks we'll have?"

His lips took on a slant full of humor. "Two would work."

"Oh yeah? In this illusion we're creating for others, is that what we're aiming for? Is that the reason why there's a multiverse timeline where we move to the Venturelli house?"

"It's what I would want with a partner I loved, so yes."

I couldn't help it. The question, dangerous as it was, slipped from my tongue. "Do you want to have that in your future?"

"Yeah. Ultimate proof that I’m not my parents, if I manage to make it happen. Not that that’s completely healthy. My therapist and I spent a lot of time on it back when I saw her often, but. It's still what I want." He licked his bottom lip. "What about you? Do you see yourself partnered up in the future?"

I searched for the pause button. When I couldn't find it, I put my hope on the ropes keeping the hot air balloon tied to the ground.

I nodded. "I can see myself with a guy who loves the simple life of Laguna Island, of being a small business owner. Someone I can snuggle up with at night in our PJs, walk through the sand castles in Semana Lagunina, and watch the lighting of the Christmas tree in December. Someone happy to call my small town their home, where we can grow old together."

He got closer to me, a sparkle in his eyes.

"He probably wears overalls, sometimes," I added.

He smiled. "When you describe that, someone like me is not the first thing that comes to mind."

"I know." I bit my lip.

His eyes dropped to my mouth. "Ironic, almost, that we ended up married."

The ropes went taut, the balloon straining to become free. My breathing sped up, as did my heart.

"You turned my life upside down, Max. I'm still not sure what to do with that, but I'm trying."

"We're trying. Like any married couple of old, making it work with the partner they ended up with."

Trying to live together, despite what kept us apart. Not that distance defined what happened between us in that moment. He stood closer to me than I'd realized, and he licked his bottom lip again, his eyes tracking my mouth.

We could have a life together for a couple of years, at the least.

I swallowed my nerves. His lips tempted me.

"The partner we ended up with," I whispered.

"Considering it's you and me… sharing so much…"

The warmth of his words caressed my lips, we were so close. His approach didn't register, perhaps because I didn't resent it. I craved it. If he kissed me…

I blinked, the pause lasting longer than usual. The hunger for his lips on mine swelled and obscured everything else.