I open my mouth to say, Really? But I can tell, when I see his face, that he’s speaking the truth. There’s heaviness in his eyes, a dark weight that reads like fear and guilt.

Guilt that he’s responsible.

Fear of losing me.

“Hey,” I say, swinging my legs over the side of my bed. My bare feet touch the floor. I stand up, ignoring the pain and swallowing a hiss, but I don’t make it more than one step before Blake’s gently pushing me back.

“Get back in bed, Andre.”

“Not until you hear me.”

“I’m going to call your mother up here, I swear to God. Get back in bed.”

I study his eyes, trying to gauge how much I can push back. The rigidness of his jaw tells me there’s no wiggle room.

“It’s not your fault,” I say, sitting down. “And I forgive you. We both made a lot of mistakes.”

Blake looks down at his feet, tapping his right foot against the wood in a beat I don’t recognize. It’s a metronome, of sorts, and the only constant sound in the room for half a dozen passing moments.

“Remember what we agreed on when we first started this? That I’d teach you how to time travel, and you’d grant me one free request? Remember that?”

My body tenses. “I remember,” I say quickly. “But—”

Blake looks up at me, and his foot falls still. “I’ve decided what I want to ask you to do,” he interrupts. “I want us to try, Andre. To really try. You and me, if you’ll have me again. No do-overs, because I don’t believe in those. But I want us to see if what I think there is between us, this feeling… I want us to see if it can become something, you know? If you and I can become something. That’s what I want. A chance for us. But I only want it if you want it. And I don’t want to be your second choice. I don’t want you to be with me because you can’t be with him. So… What do you think?”

I think about it. I think about a future, not only my own but a future with Blake. A life together, with ups and downs, highs and lows. Maybe I’m just daydreaming, or maybe I’m being too optimistic, but it feels so real, so tangible.

And, judging by the way my breath hitches, I want it. I want it badly.

“I can give you that,” I finally say.

Blake’s sharp features turn into a wide smile, one that reflects in his eyes.

“Really? You’re not joking? Oh, shit.” He laughs nervously. “I thought you’d say no! I seriously had a whole speech planned!”

“I thought I just heard your speech?”

“I had even more. I rehearsed it. Be honored.”