The corner of his lips tilted into a slight smirk.
“It wasn’t just that he wanted his own place.” Zain leaned forward as if ready to divulge a secret. “He was trying to put some distance between him and Kaylee.”
“Ha, I knew it!” I slapped my palm on the table with a triumphant cheer. “I knew there was something going on between those two.”
Zain looked taken aback. “What? How? Even I didn’t know she had a crush on him.”
“There was a really weird tension between them during your practice session,” I explained.
“Technically, nothing is going on,” Zain said. “That’s exactly why Micah moved out. To make sure nothing does.”
I wished the guy good luck with that, because from what I had sensed, this whole crush thing wasn’t as one-sided as Micah had apparently made it out to be.
Zain stood from the kitchen table without letting go of my hands and came around to my side.
“There’s something else I want to tell you,” he said slowly. “You remember when I played you that acoustic song after our jam session?”
“I remember.” I gave him an ear to ear smile. “You made me cry.”
“That song was about you,” he said.
“Me?” I asked, taken aback.
“I’ve been working on it a lot,” he continued. “And it made me realize something. Something that I think I’d already known for a while, but I just didn’t want to admit it.”
“What is it?” I asked, wondering why he sounded so nervous.
He took a breath as if to steel himself.
“I love you,” he said.
My eyes went wide. The air left my lungs. My heart started pounding heavily.
“Repeat that,” I demanded.
“I love you,” he said again, a small smile appearing on his lips.
I hadn’t been dreaming or hearing things. He’d really said it.
Zain said he loved me.
I leaped from my chair and into his arms.
“I love you, too,” I said breathlessly.
He wrapped his arms tight around my waist and planted a long, lingering kiss on my lips. I pressed myself against him, wanting to get as close as I possibly could.
“Can you do me a favor?” I whispered into his mouth.
“Anything,” he said.
“When you write the lyrics, please don’t mention my luscious ass.”
He chuckled.
“I was thinking the song title might beOcean Eyes,” he said. “Is that okay?”
“That’s suitably romantic, yes.” I snuggle down into his chest. “Say it again?” I asked.
