I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t expected this. The cat. The fight.
He was fighting to keep me.
“You know what I think?” he asked, shoving a frustrated hand through his hair. “I think you’re scared. I think you’re terrified to love me.”
I winced. His words hit their mark.
“You’re scared I’m going to disappear. Like your mom, like assholes in your past, hell, even your dad.” He surged forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere. You can push me away all you want, but it won’t stop me from loving you.”
I sucked in a breath.
His voice gentled and his touch became more like a caress. “I love you,” he whispered.
“Romeo…”
“I love your glasses, your clumsiness, your wild hair, even the way you snort when you laugh.” He smiled. “I love you in spite of yourself, Rim. Can’t you love me in spite of myself?”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled.
“You do come with a lot of baggage.” I sighed. “You’re impossibly good-looking, terrible at math, and you like to drink that swill you call beer.” I mock shuddered.
He smiled, but I saw the relief in his eyes.
“Me being good-looking is a bad thing?” he teased.
“You have a lot of options,” I said seriously. “I’m not the best one.”
“No.” He agreed. “You’re not.”
Geez, he could have said it a little nicer.
“You’re the only one.”
Oh, well, that was much better.
“I’m sorry for not telling you about rush right away. I’m sorry for everything I did to hurt you. Now please put me out of my misery, Rim. Tell me you’ll be mine. For keeps.”
“For keeps?” I whispered.
He nodded once. “No take backs.”
I slipped my arms up around his neck and smiled. “No take backs.”
He groaned, scooped me off my feet, and carried me into the bedroom.
He was every #nerd’s fantasy.
But he wasn’t a fantasy.
He was mine.