Page 69 of All That Glitters

“We don’t have to miss each other anymore.” I pull back to look down at her. “That is, if your kiss means what I think it means.”

A shy smile plays on her pink lips.

“What do you think it means?”

“I know it means I’m yours.” I brush back a lock of her hair. “But will you be mine?”

Her gaze holds mine for a long moment. I watch the walls she’s been building crumble.

“I think I’ve been yours for a long time,” she whispers. “It’s just taken me a long time to get over my fears and admit it.” Her gaze drops to the floor. “I’m still scared, but I don’t want that to keep me from being happy.”

I lift her chin up. “You’re not in this alone. I’ll be here whenever you need me. We can walk through this together.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “I’m worried I’m going to disappoint you. I don’t want you to regret this or resent me.”

“The sun would have to stop shining before I regret loving you, Goldie. You’re my best friend. We’ve known each other for years, and I haven’t run away in all that time. Even when you’re cranky after staying up all night doing homework and you throw things at me.”

She pushes me with a wet laugh. I wrap her up in a hug, letting her rest her head against my chest.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I vow. “Even when it hurts or gets hard, I’ll be here. You can count on that.”

“It may take me some time to come to terms with all of this,” she says, her voice slightly muffled. “I’ve spent so long trying not to think of you this way that it’s overwhelming to have such a sudden change.”

I kiss the top of her head. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” I repeat the sentiment, knowing she needs to hear it.

“Thank you.” She squeezes her arms around my waist.

I close my eyes and hold her close in the middle of the newsroom. There might be a whole host of problems waiting for us, but we can deal with them later. For now, I focus on treasuring this moment with my best friend. My person. My Goldie.

Chapter thirty-three

For You

Marigold Belmore

The sunset paints the campus in a shade of golden peach. An icy breeze sweeps my hair back, and I snuggle into Jameson’s side more as a result. He presses his lips to the crown of my head.

“This is so perfect it makes me wish I would have told you I loved you sooner,” he says in a low voice.

There are plenty of other students meandering the campus grounds, so our walk is not as private as I’d like it to be. Not that I want to keep our newfound relationship a secret, but I’d like to be able to tell my friends instead of running into them this way. One might think I’d keep distance between me and Jameson until I tell my friends, but I can’t resist.

After that kiss, I never want to stop touching him. His wish to tell me sooner proves he feels the same. And yet, I don’t know that it would have worked out any other way. I’ve been encased in a shell of hurt, calling it protection, when in reality it was just keeping me from the one thing—the one person—who loved me most. I needed the time apart to show me I wasn’t protecting myself from anything; I was just choosing a different kind of pain. Maybe more than that I needed to see Jameson apologize not just in word, but in action.

“That’s funny, because I was thinking I should have held out longer to see the groveling I was promised.” I tease him, not quite ready to voice those more emotional thoughts. We’ve done so much of that recently. It might be selfish of me, but I just want to rest in this moment with him. Drink in the sunset and his love.

He chuckles. “I’m happy to oblige you.”

“Would you get on your knees? All proper begging requires a little posturing, after all.”

I tip my head up to grin at him as we walk down the tree-lined path near my building.

“For you?” His gaze is soft with adoration, but there’s a spark of something more heated that makes my stomach swoop. “I’d crawl.”

I bite my lip and look away, my face hot. It’s going to take time for me to get accustomed to this side of Jameson. I know him as a friend, and though I’ve been attracted to him for some time, a crush is a lot different than this tension being wound up within me. Just a look from him turns my core molten. It’s disconcerting to have a man I know so well be entirely new to me in many ways.

We turn and my building comes into view. I can see through the large glass windows that the lounge area is bustling with students. Some having dinner at the various tables, others gathered around TVs to watch shows or play games. A typical evening on campus for most. But not for me.

I kissed my best friend.