“I’m sorry,” he whispers, placing a kiss on top of my head.
“You’re sorry?” I pull away and peek up at him. “For what?”
“For not deleting the picture ASAP. I should have. You told me to delete it and I shouldn’t have waited a second longer to do so. This is all my fault.”
“No,” I say with determination. “No fucking way. This is your brother’s fault. He’s the one who immaturely sent out that picture of me. This ismyfault for blaming you, butnoneof this is on you.”
He hangs his head. “I can’t accept that.”
“Well too damn bad. You’re going to have to.”
“You don’t get to boss me around, Delia.”
I raise a brow in a challenge. “Watch me.”
He laughs, and I can’t believe how wonderful the sound is to my ears.
Resting his forehead against mine, he says, “I missed you, you know.”
“I missed you like you wouldn’t believe.”
“But Delia?”
“Yeah?”
“You have to promise me that if anything—and I meananything—happens where you’re worried I’ve betrayed you, where you’re worried I’m not being the person you think I am, you need to confront me. Don’t throw out accusations and fly off the handle. Talk to me. We’ll work through it. Besides, chances are you’re just beingsocrazy again.”
Without having to ask, I know he’s referring to Zoe’s tirade distraction method during our goat retrieval mission.
“That damn Zoe.”
He chuckles and steps toward me. “I’m still going to want my goat back, by the way.”
“We’ll see, Zachary.”
“But do you promise, Delia? Do you promise to trust me and talk to me? Don’t shut me out and push me away because you think you’re right about something.”
“One, Iamalways right, that’s just a fact.” He shakes his head. “Two…yes, I promise. I know I’ve already said it, but I am so,sosorry I didn’t come to you about it…but you try seeing your boobs plastered across a stranger’s cell phone and see how you feel.”
“I have great boobs, so I wouldn’t be too offended by it.”
I roll my eyes. “Ass.”
“That’s great too.”
“Stop it.”
He reaches out and touches my bare skin for the first time in over a week, his fingers brushing over my cheek. My breath catches in my throat and I’m frozen to the spot.
His eyes have turned serious, and I’m nervous to hear what he’ll say next.
“I know you said I don’t need to say it, but I do. I’m sorry this happened to you, Delia. I’m sorry you were so violated, and I’m really fucking sorry it was by my brother. I’m not sure I can ever forgive him for this. My parents are threatening to rip him out of school entirely. It’s been a wreck of a few days.”
“I think that made me feel worse.”
“No, don’t let it. It’s his fault this is happening to him, not yours.”
“Thank you, Zach, and please, thank your Titanic parents for me too.”
