Jace takes a step forward, and Stevens’ two friends both shift uncomfortably before moving back slightly. Stevens holds his ground, but his jaw twitches.

“You’re fucking right I am,” Jace warns. “We clear?”

Stevens’ bravado has entirely disappeared. “We’re clear,” he mutters, turning back to the rack of weights.

Jace looks to me, and the hard expression melts off his face. “I’ll be right over,” he calls out to his three friends. They all return to the corner where the rest of the football team is standing.

I glance over at Claudia and Katie. They both look stunned.

My hand is suddenly surrounded by a larger, calloused one as Jace tugs me away from the weight rack and against the wall about ten feet away.

“Are you okay?” he asks, looking down at me with a worried expression.

“You didn’t have to come over. I was handling it.”

“I know, but I’ve wanted a reason to intimidate Stevens since freshman year. The guy is an asshole.”

I decide not to press the issue further. “You called me your girl.” I state instead.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Yes.”

“Were you going to ask for my opinion on the topic?” I ask.

“In the midst of defending you?”

“At any point,” I reply.

“I was waiting for the hot-air balloon ride I scheduled later.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine, forget it.”

“Do you want to be mine?” Jace asks, his teasing tone gone. His eyes bore into mine.

If I hadn’t already realized the depth of my feelings toward Jace, this would have been the moment. The weight in the back of my mind disappears as I realize I wouldn’t change a single thing that’s led me to this point in time. I know it’s not fair to Jace. I know it will only make my inevitable departure harder, but I simply stare at him and let myself fall.

“Yes.” I’ve done my best to avoid lying to him about anything important—least of all this.

Jace’s answering smile is breathtaking. “We’re going to need to talk about the sneaking out in the morning,” is how he breaks the poignant moment.

“We’re going to need to talk about the no sex thing, too,” I reply.

Jace laughs. “I could probably be persuaded pretty easily on that one.”

“Me too.”

“I’ve got to get back to the team,” Jace tells me, his voice tinged with regret. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

I nod. To my surprise, he tugs me closer and gives me a quick kiss.

“What was that for?” I ask when he pulls back.

“Just saying goodbye to my girlfriend.” He grins and leaves me standing there as reality slowly trickles back in.

I manage to walk over to where Claudia and Katie are still standing. Katie is wearing the same stunned expression and Claudia looks completely floored.

“Let’s go,” I instruct, careful to not make eye contact with any of the many stares I can feel on me.