"You really believe that?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Well, what's the alternative?" she says, shrugging lightly, like it's the simplest thing in the world. But that's Nora—she makes the impossible seem within reach, like there's always a way through. I've never met anyone like her, never met someone who could pull me out of my own head the way she does.
"How come you can believe in everyone else's dreams except your own?" I ask. I've always noticed that about her—she's the first to stand in someone's corner, to cheer them on, but she never gives herself the same grace.
"I've always found joy in cheering others on and watching the people I love succeed and thrive."
I watch her, the way the last of the sunlight catches the edge of her hair, turning it into a halo. How does she not see it? How does she not see the way she lights up everything around her?
"Maybe it's time someone was in your corner for once," I say, my voice low, but she hears it.
The moment feels too raw, too real. I need to break this tension before I do something reckless.
"Come with me," I say, nodding toward the front of the boat.
The boat rocks beneath us as I pull her closer, leading her to the bow. The sunset is fading behind us, casting the water in deep orange light, and I can't help but feel like the world is about to tilt on its axis.
"Do you trust me?" I ask, a smirk tugging at my lips.
She looks at me, half-smiling, half-nervous. "Do I have a choice?"
I step closer, my chest almost touching hers. "You always have a choice."
Her breath hitches, and that beautiful blush I love spreads across her cheeks—the one that appears whenever I'm too close. It drives me crazy, the way her body betrays how she feels before she even says a word.
"I trust you," she says.
"Good. Then hold onto me." My voice is rougher than I intend, laced with something I can't hide anymore.
She hesitates but still wraps her arms around my neck. Something inside me settles as my arms circle her waist like they belong there. If I could freeze a moment forever, it'd be this one—her body pressed against mine, her head tilted up just enough for me to see every inch of her face. Her lips parted, eyes locked on mine, trust radiating from her.
"Keep your eyes on me, Leni," I say, using her nickname like a tether.
Without giving her a chance to protest, I tip us both over the edge of the boat. We crash into the water, the cool shock of it wrapping around us as we plunge beneath the surface. For a second, everything is quiet—the world muted, the only thing I'm aware of is her body pressed against mine, clinging to me like I'm her lifeline. I know she's mine.
When we break the surface, she gasps, laughing through her shock.
"You're insane!" she yells, her arms still wrapped tightly around me.
"You say insane, I say fun.” I grin, holding her closer. She's still gripping me, her wet hair plastered to her face, water droplets sliding down her skin. It's like God himself took the time to carve her to perfection.
The way she's looking at me right now? I'm not sure I'll be able to keep myself in check much longer. My gaze keeps drifting to her lips, to the soft curve of her mouth, and the way her breath hitches when I run my hands down her back to hold her steady in the water.
But I know better. I can't just act on this—on us—when everything is so tangled up in the past and the chaos I've created. It would be selfish. So instead of leaning in, I take a deep breath and pull back.
"It's getting dark. We should probably head back."
"Yeah. Right. Sure." She lets go, and the second she does, the distance feels like a physical ache.
I help her back to the boat, guiding her up the step ladder as she shivers, and I'm struck again by how much I want her. How much I need her. Every inch of me is screaming to pull her back into my arms, to let everything I'm holding back pour out into one kiss, one touch.
But I keep it together.
Barely.
I hand her some dry clothes—my favorite Aerosmith t-shirt and track pants. When she steps out of the cabin wearing just the t-shirt like an oversized dress, the sight nearly knocks the wind out of me. She's doing things to me that I won't be able to hide much longer.
"How do I look?" she teases, her cheeks flushed, but there's something in her eyes that tells me she's feeling the same pull I am.
