Page 269 of Faking the Goal

Taylor's anger fades completely. She reaches up and rests her palm against my cheek, guiding my face back toward hers. "Then don't make the decision tonight. And don't make it alone. Talk to your mom. Talk to your sister. Give them the chance to tell you what they want instead of deciding for them because you're afraid of the answer."

"I don't want to frighten my mother."

"She'll be more hurt if she finds out later that you gave up your future to protect her without ever letting her have a say." Her thumb brushes gently beneath my eye. "You made me understand that shutting someone out isn't the same as protecting them. I think maybe you need to hear that too."

That lands harder than I expect, mostly because the words are almost identical to the ones I've used on her. I've spent months asking Taylor to trust me with the things that scare her, telling her that I can't stand beside her if she refuses to let me see what she's carrying. Meanwhile, I've been doing exactly that—keeping every fear contained, convincing myself that silence is somehow kinder than letting the people who love me share the weight.

"I still don't know what I'm going to do," I tell her.

"You don't have to know right now." She moves into my side, and I wrap an arm around her as she settles her head against my shoulder. "I'm not asking you to solve your entire life tonight. I just don't want you sitting beside me pretending you're fine while this eats you alive."

I rest my cheek against the top of her head and breathe her in. The problem is still there, and the deadline hasn't moved. By the end of the week, my father will still expect an answer, and I still have no idea how to give him one without losing something I can't bear to lose. Yet the pressure in my chest isn't quite as crushing as it was before. Taylor hasn't fixed anything, but saying it all aloud has made the burden feel less like something sealed inside me and more like something I might actually survive.

"I'm not used to this," I murmur.

"To what?"

"Letting someone see me when I don't have everything under control."

She tilts her face toward mine. "You don't always have to have everything under control with me."

I tighten my arm around her, pulling her closer, and when she lifts her face toward mine, neither of us looks away. Her hazel eyes catch the soft light from the television, all warm brown and muted green, like sunlight filtering through leaves after rain. They're the kind of eyes a man could lose himself in without realizing how far he has fallen until the ground is already gone beneath him, and right now, with the way she's looking at me as though every imperfect part of me is still worth holding on to, I want to tell her exactly how deep I've fallen for her.

The words sit right there on the tip of my tongue.

I love you.

Three simple words, yet they feel too important to let slip out while we're sitting on the couch after one of the worst conversations of my life. It isn't that I'm afraid to say them, because I'm completely certain of what I feel. I just don't want to give them to her carelessly.

Taylor deserves more than a confession spoken in the middle of an ordinary night because my emotions got the better of me. She deserves something beautiful, something I've taken the time to plan because she should never have to question whether I mean it. I want to take her somewhere special, somewhere she'll remember, and tell her properly while I'm looking into these same eyes.

I'll figure it out soon.

I'll make it perfect for her.

For now, I lift my hand and gently brush my thumb along her cheek. "Thank you," I say softly, hoping she can see everything I'm not ready to put into words yet.

Her expression softens, and for a moment, she looks at me as though she understands anyway. I cup her chin and draw her closer until the distance between us disappears, then press my lips to hers in a slow, tender kiss. Her lashes flutter closed as she kisses me back with the same warmth, one hand settling against my chest while mine remains against her face.

I let the kiss say what I can't—not yet—and hope she feels every unspoken word in the way I hold her.

CHAPTER 34

TAYLOR

I step out of the Student Media office after the meeting and make my way down the hallway toward the lobby. Kentaro isn't waiting outside the door like he usually is because he's running late, but he texted me ten minutes ago to say he was already on his way, which means he's probably pulling into the parking lot by now.

He specifically told me to stay at the office and wait for him, but I don't see the point in making him get out of the car and walk all the way into the building when I can meet him outside instead. It'll save us both time, and I'm perfectly capable of walking through one building by myself.

At least, that's what I tell myself as I continue toward the lobby.

That's when I hear something behind me.

It's faint enough that I almost miss it—a soft scrape against the floor somewhere farther down the hallway. I keep walking, telling myself it's probably someone leaving one of the offices, but a few seconds later, I hear it again.

My pace slows, and a second later, so does the sound behind me.

My heart gives one hard thud against my ribs.