Page 39 of Cross the Line
He stares fondly at Ellie, paying me no mind. ‘You really have been obsessed with me for ever.’
I’m so stunned that he’s throwing that in my face right now that I’m pretty sure my jaw is hanging open. Never have I wished more that I hadn’t let the tequila loosen my lips that night. Maybe wedoneed to have another conversation about this, because I’ll die of embarrassment before we can even begin to fix his reputation if he keeps this up.
But just as I’m about to scold him, Dev says, ‘Good thing it’s mutual.’
Somehow, that’s worse than anything else he could have finished with.
I’m still lost for words, splayed across my bed, when he lovingly sets Ellie down and strides over to my desk like he hasn’t just said something to wreck my whole world.
A minute ago, he was trying to course correct, trying to keep me from reading into his words, and now he’s . . . uttering things likethat. One old stuffed animal, and everything has shifted.
‘You wanna show me these pictures now?’ he asks, far more casual than I could dream of being.
Another beat passes before I can peel myself off the duvet. If that’s all it takes for Dev to throw me off my axis, I’m in for a world of trouble.
‘Sure.’ My voice trembles, and I clear my throat to keep it at bay.
I scramble up and make my way over to him. He moves aside, and I slip into my chair. I slowly page through the photos, holding my breath when he braces one hand on the edge of the desk and leans closer. His cologne and the lingering spices from the breakfast his mother cooked swirl around me. It both comforts me and has my heart hammering against my ribs, and when his chest brushes my shoulder, I swear I’m about to combust.
Finally, he nods in approval and shifts back some, though not enough for me to feel like I’m not still surrounded by him. I hold up a finger to signal that I have more to show him and pull up the Word document with the caption I wrote for the post.
In my periphery, he scans the text. Honestly, it’s more of a twenty-two-hundred-character essay than a caption, one that outlines why he disappeared – how he made a mistake and hurt someone who then wronged him in return – what’s been going on in his life (making sure to sing the praises of Argonaut) and wrapping it up with a few optimistic lines about starting fresh and reintroducing himself to the world. I like to think it comes across as organic and heartfelt, but not too mushy. Like it could have come from Dev himself.
He drops his hands from my desk when he’s finished and backs away, prompting me to swivel in my chair. Anxiety surges through my veins at the idea that he might not like the words I chose. I don’t mind starting over, and his feedback will make a second draft stronger, but—
‘This is perfect.’
The fear floods away, leaving me to exhale a surprised laugh. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, really,’ he affirms, dropping to the edge of my bed. His legs are spread wide as he puts his elbows on his strong thighs and leans forward, his focus never straying from me. There’s no smile on his face. No humour. He’s serious about how good this is. ‘I love it. I should have gotten you on this sooner.’
I suppress my delight, but it warms me from the inside out anyway. ‘English degree coming in clutch,’ I joke. It doesn’t crack him, though, so I clear my throat again. ‘You ready to get this out?’
He nods. ‘Let’s do it.’
With a few clicks and highlights and last-second edits, everything is copied, pasted, and uploaded to the pertinent places. All I have to do now is clickpost.
‘Here,’ I blurt, picking up my laptop and shoving it at Dev. ‘You do the honours. It’s your reputation.’
But he pushes it back to me. ‘You’re the one who did all the work. You do it.’
I slide the computer back into my lap, frowning at him. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Like I said before – I trust you.’
Okay. Fine. My heart may still be stutter-stepping, but here we go.
Shockingly, my hand doesn’t shake as I navigate the cursor over the icon and peer up at him one last time. When our eyes meet, some of the lingering worry disappears. He wants this. I want this. And we’re dedicated to fixing this. Together.
I click.
CHAPTER 14
Dev
Fantastic news: onlysomepeople think I have an STD now.
Willow has been hard at work over the past week, posting daily to every social media platform I possess – and ones I didn’t know existed before she came into the picture – to bring me back into the public eye. And if the curated comments she’s texted me every day we’ve been apart are anything to go off, it’s going pretty well.
