24. I know who you are.
"I know who you are."
Caleb Hawthorne
Kissing Aria feels like coming home after a long day—like collapsing onto the couch after a grueling workout. Everything just settles into place. It’s that sense of comfort, of relief, of finally being where you’re supposed to be. A place where nothing else matters.
We break the embrace, but our eyes remain locked.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” I whisper, caressing her cheek with the back of my hand. My pulse is still racing from that perfect kiss.
“Me too,” she admits, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. “What now?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to stop kissing you, Aria.”
“But you said you didn’t want a girlfriend.” She glances away. “I can respect that, but I’m not sure I can add a casual relationship to my plate right now. I need stability, and I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”
I draw her closer. “You’ll never lose me as a friend, Aria, no matter what happens.
But I don’t want to just be your friend.
I was lying to myself when I said hockey and relationships couldn’t mix.
Just look at my friends. They’re proving to me every day that it’s possible to have it all.
” More than that, though, I was scared. Still am.
She takes my hand. “So, dating?” she asks, blowing out a breath.
A smile spreads across my face. “That’s what I want, but only if it’s what you want.
Everything about this is complicated, and I don’t want to mess with your progress or anything.
There’s just something between us, Aria.
It’s been there since the day we met, and we finally had the courage to admit it. ”
She nods, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “And you don’t mind dating someone who doesn’t even know who she is?”
“I know who you are,” I say, cupping her face.
“You’re Aria, the most beautiful, strong, and kind person I know.
You’re a terrible present wrapper, an okay skater, and a future bestselling author who’s banned from the kitchen for the rest of her life,” I joke.
“But that’s okay, because I don’t mind cooking for you. ”
She laughs, her cheeks an even deeper shade of red. “Hey, I’m a good skater,” she argues. “ I’m not the one who made us fall that day. I was finally finding my groove when you took us down.”
“Maybe I did it on purpose,” I say with a mischievous grin.
She gives me a pointed look. “No, you didn’t.”
“Fine.” I roll my eyes, securing my arms around her to bring her close. “I didn’t, but I’m not mad at myself for creating that moment. I almost kissed you that day.”
“I wish you had,” she says before placing another sweet kiss on my lips.
“So, we’re really doing this?” I ask, locking my eyes with hers. I know I shouldn’t jump into this with her, but I can’t help it. I want everything with Aria, and I want it right now. Like Miles said, waiting would only lead to regrets.
“I think we are,” she says with a sparkle in her eye.
I lean forward to kiss her, and a s our lips meet again, something inside me shifts.
It’s not just the softness of her lips or the warmth of her touch—it’s everything.
I’ve kissed before, but this . . . this feels different.
It’s like the world has fallen away, and there’s nothing left but her.
Her breath, her pulse, her skin under my fingertips.
Aria’s hands find their way to my chest, and the contact sends a jolt of electricity through me, grounding me to the moment, to her.
I can’t remember the last time I kissed someone with this much feeling, this much meaning.
It’s been years since I’ve even let myself get this close to anyone, and with Aria, it feels important.
Every movement feels purposeful, like we’re writing something new between us with each touch.
I’m lucky the universe put her on my path, because I know this is only the beginning of something great. It has to be.