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I did that. I made those lips swell. I made those dark eyes water. I left my mark on him. Me.
While I may get violent with Huckslee because I’m forced to, the thought of anyone else touching him pisses me off. He’s mine to torment. No one else’s.
“That glare is reserved for me. You’re giving it to everyone else, and I’m jealous.”
This can be like neutral ground or something. A fake place. Like…Delaware.”
“You’re fucking cute when you’re flustered,” I blurt out, cutting off his rant, and my smile grows when his lips part at my words. His dark eyes widen, twinkling like a starry night sky as he flounders like a fish for something to say.
“Sometimes bad things happen, Huck.” He sighs deeply. “And God has nothing to do with it. Sometimes, shitty people are just shitty people.”
Because I want to show him, for some insane fucking reason, that my touch isn’t always painful.
I’ll always be hot-headed—nothing can change that. But making other people pay for my issues is coming to an end. I’m determined.
“But I want to talk to you, and you don’t trust me right now. So we’re going to Delaware.”
“God, I’m so fucking stupid.” I laugh humorlessly as I turn on my heel, heading back toward the house. “Despite all the shit you’ve done to me, I pined after you for years. Years. You really couldn’t care less about anyone but yourself, Taylor.”
“You weren’t there,” I accuse softly, gripping the handlebars. He must not have heard me because he tilts his head and steps closer. “I don’t know what we are, Huckslee. Maybe at one point, I did, but all of that changed. And I know I can’t undo everything I’ve done, but I almost fucking died, and you weren’t there.”
Huckslee Davis, jersey number twenty, currently in his fourth and final season playing for the California Golden Bears at CU Berkeley.
Fuck, even sad, he’s adorable. Makes me want to make him hot chocolate and shit. Tuck a blanket around him. Sit on his face.
Because he’s here, and he’s finally willing to listen to me. I’m going to tell him all of it. Even the hard parts.
“It’s not a joke,” he growls, glaring at me. “Say it right now.” “Ok, Jesus. My experiences are valid. Happy?” “No. Continue.” God, he’s so grumpy.
“Did you seriously get the shape of Delaware tattooed on you?” “Yep.” My teeth sink into my lip as I fight a sheepish grin. “Right over my heart.”
A world without Huckslee is a world I don’t want to be a part of.
“I love him. I have for years, and I won’t stand here and listen to you break him down when he’s already been broken enough by one parent. We all make mistakes and do things we regret, but people can change. He’s the one for me, and if you can’t accept that, then this is the last time you’ll see me.”
His very presence seems to strip every negative word and action from the walls, replacing them with his touch, his scent, the way he looks at me like I hung the moon. He’s the love of my life, and he’s slowly healing me, making me whole. I just hope I can still remain in one piece when he’s gone.
“Yeah. It’s me and you, baby. Has been since the moment we kissed beneath the bleachers in eighth grade, and it will be for the rest of our lives. I’m not afraid of what the world thinks about us. I love you, and nothing they do or say can change that.”
“Is it everything you hoped it would be?” Clearly, he’s not talking about the state of Delaware but rather the state of us—Taylor and Huckslee. “No.” Deepening the kiss, I jump up to wrap my legs around his waist, trusting his strength to catch me if I fall. “It’s so much more, baby. So much more.”
