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“It’s dangerous to play with fire. And with firefighters.”
“I had fun tonight.” “Me too.” “But I don’t love you.” She burst out laughing. “I don’t love you either.”
“I forgot to tell you I don’t love you.” He shrugged. “Given how nice I was tonight, I didn’t want you to get worried or anything.” I laughed. “Thanks for the reminder. I don’t love you either.” But as I went up the stairs, I couldn’t help thinking it was a damn good thing I was moving away soon. Because I might not love him now, but I could. I easily could.
He threw a pillow at me. “Because I’m not done messing with you.” Laughing, I scooped up the pillow and brought it back to the bed. “I thought maybe it was against our rules to stay over.” “Listen,” he said, taking my arm and pulling me under the covers. “Ogres don’t follow any fucking rules. When they want a princess in their bed, they just grab one.” “Any one?” “Their favorite one,” he clarified, flipping me beneath him. “And my favorite happens to be Princess Minnie.”
“Well, you know, princes are overrated.” “Yeah?” “Yeah. They’re handsome and rich, but they know it. They don’t even have to work to get the girl—girls are lining up at the castle door for them. But an ogre . . . an ogre has to woo his lady.” He picked his head up. “Woo his lady? That sounds hard.” “It is.” I wrapped my legs around him. “But you’re doing a good job so far. Don’t stop.”
NINETEEN DEX I raised my arm to knock on the door like I had last night, ready to make the joke again—tell her I didn’t love her. But I couldn’t do it. After what she’d told me tonight, I couldn’t do it. Lowering my hand, I stepped off her porch. She didn’t need to hear those words tonight, not even as a joke. She’d trusted me with something fragile, and I didn’t want to trample on it. In fact, it was the opposite. I felt even more protective of her than I had before.
Hello, heart? This is brain. We’d like to remind you of the rules on this ride. In order to stay safe, you must keep your hands, feet, and feelings inside the cart at all times. We cannot be responsible for items that are lost or stolen. In case of an emergency, please use the nearest exit.
I didn’t like things I couldn’t control, including that she was leaving and I was scared of being lost and lonely without her. That I was going to miss her so much it hurt. That somehow I’d fallen in love with her, when that had been the one fucking thing I was so sure wouldn’t happen. That my feelings were building and growing and spreading like wildfire, and I couldn’t contain them.
Forcing myself to walk away, I went to the door and hesitated, my back to her. I swallowed hard. “I lied to you.” “What?”
“I lied to you when you asked me how I felt. I said I didn’t love you.” I heard her quick inhale, and that was it. I pushed the door open and walked out.
“He loves you, but he doesn’t think he can handle being the guy who loves you. It’s fucked up, but it’s clear.”
“That’s how I want to be loved—big and crazy. Because that’s how I love.”
“You ignited a fire in me I couldn’t put out. I couldn’t control my feelings for you, and I’m someone who likes to be in control all the time. But Winnie, that fear was nothing compared to how scared I’ve been that I lost you forever. I never should have let you go without telling you that I love you, I want to be with you no matter where you are,
you’ve taught me something incredible.” “What?” she whispered, tears falling freely now. I smiled at her. “To believe in happily ever after.”
