“Yes,” I breathe, not needing him to finish that question. I’m sure. This is what I want. I grab the hem of Levi’s white T-shirt and start to pull it over his head. I feel no doubt, none at all. This isn’t some boy; it’s Levi. Levi, who carried Pru to safety from the boathouse. Levi, who loves classic novels as much as I do. Levi, who sees me for all that I am and accepts the good along with the bad. Who’s never known me as anything but complicated and broken. And who’s loved me anyway. I tug at his shirt, and he raises his arms above his head. My heart works overtime once his shirt is off and I can take in the contours of his chest. His body is next to mine, and his bareness makes me bold. I kiss him again, utterly wrapped up in Levi’s force field, and nothing short of Gravelle himself could tear us apart.

“This is—” I gasp.

“I know.” His words are breathy and full of longing, and something else. “Emma,” he says, tracing one hand down my arm. His bangs hang loose in his eyes, and the look on his face is something I don’t recognize. Reverence, maybe.

“Yes?”

“I don’t care about anything but you right now.”

Then he kisses me with a ferocity that’s both startling and welcome. Our limbs are tangled, our breathing synced, and the next thing I know, my shirt’s coming off, and I’m vaguely aware of the fact I’ve never done this before, and it should feel momentous, but instead, it just feels uncomplicated and right.

“I—I haven’t,” I stammer. Then I find my voice. “But I want to.”

“Me either,” Levi murmurs. “And me too.”

Levi seems to find some kind of confidence deep within himself. He presses me back onto the bed with a quiet strength I know is only a fraction of what’s contained there. As his muscled body covers my own, I have only one thought: I never should have doubted him, or us.

The rest is as it should be, unfolding moment by moment. Not rushed. We may have so much uncertainty looming over us, but we take our time, because right now, tonight, time is all we have.

Afterward, I lie the crook of Levi’s arm, his fingertips glancing my hip. He’s fast asleep, but it takes hours before I can calm my erratically thudding heart.

Bianca

“Is it morning?” I ask when I open my eyes.

I’m hoping it isn’t. Not yet. If I could stay here with Levi indefinitely… But I can’t. I know that.