19. Gracie
“What do we do? Will you go out there to meet them?” Natalie asks me in a hushed tone that evening while I’m hiding inside Espresso Bookss changing room. “Everyone out there wants a picture or an autograph with you.”
“This makes no sense,” I lament, shaking my head. Why would Trevor do a shout-out to me? I can’t stop thinking about the words he said on national TV after the previous nights game.
Each time I recall the excitement in his eyes and voice, my heart skips a beat. This is what you wanted, right? He said he loves you.
“But not on national TV!” I mutter with a cringe.
“What did you say?” Natalie asks me, and I lift my head to look at her.
“Call the cops, Natalie,” I whisper. “I want everyone out of the bookstore. I’m not the celebrity. Trevor is.”
Natalie smiles and lifts herself off the ground where she sits beside me.
“I’ll do that,” she answers, but a rapid knock comes on the door before she can move.
I stiffen and shoot her a panicked gaze. What the heck!
“Gracie?” Trevor’s voice on the other end worsens the tension snapping through me.
My eyes widen as I scramble to my feet, and Natalie squeals before grabbing my hands. “He came for you,” she chants in a playful voice, then squeals some more.
My heart picks a pace faster than it has ever assumed, and I don’t share Natalie’s excitement because I can’t predict why Trevor will be here.
Did he mean those words? Or was it only part of his publicity stunt?I don’t know what to think, and I can’t let my heart hope for more just yet.
I can’t be disappointed again.
“Gracie, I know you’re in there, so just …Open up, please.” His pleading tone softens my heart, and I motion for Natalie to unlock the door.
Natalie excuses us once she lets him in and closes the door behind her, enveloping us in silence.
Staring at him for a brief second makes me feel a tremor in my heart, but I steel it.
“Gracie,” Trevor murmurs as he takes a step towards me, and lets out a deep breath. The feathery sigh on his lips makes me melt for him, and I back away, fighting the urge to throw myself in his arms.
“That was an amazing game last night,” I stutter cautiously, then clear my throat to get rid of the huskiness there. “That was also a brilliant move…Confessing your love on national TV is one sure way to shut down the rumors that doubt our ruse and…”
“I love you, Gracie,” he blurts, interrupting my ramble.
My breath hitches in my throat, and I draw a deep breath from the pit of my stomach, hoping to steady my shaky insides with it.
“I love everything about you…From your smile to how your mind works and the dreams you have. I love that you’ve been there for me every step of the way recently, and you’ve held on…You’re resilient, and that’s part of your charm…
“I love your heart…You’re just so pure and frankly too good for me.” His chuckle ends with a shaky breath, and the look in his eyes draws me in, making my head swoon with a familiar giddiness.
“Trevor…”
“I’m probably too late, Gracie…Time and time again, I tried to fight this, tried to ignore how I felt about you, and I just…I realize now that fighting it and condemning myself to a life without you, is worse than the fear of what the future holds.
He shakes his head before closing the distance between us and takes my hand. “I don’t want to live like that anymore, and if you still want me, then I want to take you on a date tonight…It’ll be just you and me, and no one else will matter.”
Every blink after that is a heartbeat. This is the moment that I’ve hoped for since the first time he kissed me. This is the moment that I’ve dreamed of since I first realized eight years ago that I was falling for him.
“Took you long enough,” I murmur.
His lips quirk up with a smile at the corners, and I chuckle. “I have loved you for eternity, Trevor,” I say to him before lifting a hand to his cheeks. “And yes…I’d love to go on a date with you tonight. It’ll be just you, me, and no one else.”
He leans towards me like we’re in a trance. The magnetic pull is just enough to make my nerves sizzle, and nothing else matters as our lips meet for an enchanting kiss.
It’s a perfect moment for me. I can only hope for the years to come, and the joy of sharing every moment with him as we write our own fairy tale.