Page 112 of Yours, For Good

She sighed. "Yes, that's something true, too."

"Why do you think?"

"Because it's scary. It feels like Grand Central looms over us, rather than it being a beautiful train station."

I drew patterns on her skin. "It's going to be hard tomorrow."

She didn't respond. She lay still next to me, and for a moment I wondered if she might drift off to sleep. If I might have to wake her up so we could tackle what was to come.

When she spoke again, sleepiness was nowhere to be found. She sounded resolute.

"We need to talk." She sat up and rearranged her clothes, a thoughtful frown on her brow.

I echoed her; I put myself back together, as if having all our clothes on would protect us from the pain we might feel, if our decisions left us bereft.

"It's time," I agreed. I buttoned my jeans, but didn't bother with my shirt.

"I was thinking… I don't have to return to Lock Willow tomorrow. I could stay here for a bit longer…"

It would have been easy to take her words and prolong the inevitable. I could have taken comfort in waiting with her by my side, letting hope cloak the future for a bit longer.

Even as my heart knocked at my breastbone begging me to reconsider, I begged for the wisdom to do good for us both.

I got up and pulled her hand, so she'd follow me to the bookshelves behind my desk.

"I'm sorry if it's too sudden of a proposal." She followed me to the other end of the room. "I said it as a suggestion, but maybe I should be more direct and ask properly. Communication is key, right? And we should be able to…"

She quieted down when I opened one of the drawers at the bottom of the built in, to reveal two gifts of about the same size. I took them out and placed them on my desk.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Open them."

Her eyes switched between the packages and me, as if trying to figure out if it was a trap.

"Come on." I kissed her cheek. "They're yours."

Reluctantly, she tore the blue paper with specks of gold.

"Books?" She put the paper aside and inspected the tomes closely. "The Alders Trilogy?!"

She removed the ribbon keeping a set of three books together, and studied one of the novels in detail.

"These ones are signed first editions." I cleared my throat. "For the first book we discussed. I asked the author to sign them to Nora, rather than your full name— I hope that's okay."

"She signed them to me?!"

"I only got them this morning. I've been waiting for them."

She opened the hardback cover of the first book and ran a finger down the first page, where ink had marked a few words from the author and Nora's name.

"These are beautiful, Javier— so special—" She sounded a bit choked up.

"The other one is the latest special edition. Also signed."

She hugged the first edition to her chest with an arm; her free hand landed on the other set sitting on the desk.

Her eyes were on me, a trace of tears on her bottom lid. "Thank you. This is incredibly sweet."