Seth
Moment of truth time has arrived.
I pause, gathering myself. "You're right, I have been acting weird since we got back."
"Because of what happened with Darlene?"
I frown. "What? No. Marcus, actually."
"Oh."
"His story really resonated with me."
"It did?"
I nod, take Gabriel's sweaty, gross palm in mine and walk him over to sit on the end of the bed. I hate that I've made him so worried he's literally sweating.
"You know me better than anyone in this world so I don't have to remind you how my parents' experience with love has tainted my own."
"I know," he says softly, his green eyes steady on me, warm and careful.
"Ever since Marcus shared his story, I've been doing a lot of thinking."
"About…?"
"Where my fear of love is going to see me end up." I drop my gaze to the rose-petaled carpet. If it's this scary opening up to someone who I know loves me and will be there for me, how do people do it when they don't have that assurance?
I lift my head. "I don't want to miss out on something great because I let fear hold me back."
"What are you saying?"
I grab Gabe's other, equally sweaty hand, clutch both close to my chest and look him straight in the eye. "I'm saying I'm in love with you, and…" I'm doing it, I'm doing it. "I want to be with you."
Gabe blinks a few times. "Did I knock my head on the way over here? Because I think I just heard you say—Are you for real?"
"I am. I love you, and I want to be with you," I say, and it feels even more right in my bones than it did the first time.
"Wow. I'm…shocked."
"Happy shocked, right?"
"Yeah. Of course…" More blinking.
I clear my throat. "You know, I'm woefully inexperienced at this, but based on what I've seen on TV and in movies, I believe the custom when one person tells another person they're in love with them is for them to, you know, say it back."
Gabe chuckles, shakes his head, then kisses me hard. "I've loved you ever since I met you," he mumbles into my mouth. "And the only reason I didn't say anything was because I was respecting your boundaries."
"Hm," I murmur back. "That sounds like a punishable offense."
He chuckles again. "That makes absolutely no sense."
"I'm going to fuck you so hard you'll be walking with a limp for a week."
"Makes total and absolute sense."
"So you'd better not disobey me."
He continues playing along, his green eyes sparkling with mischief. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Oh, I think you know."
And with that, I pull him even closer and start doling out his punishment one slow, deliberate kiss at a time.