Always (Indigo Falls #1)

by Loren Leigh

Simkung. It’s Korean for that throb you get in your chest with some people.

“It’s just a couple of Euler-Lagrange equations.” I frown. “I know that. The shortest distance between two points is a line.” His eyes light. “And that’s a prediction, right? Every equation in physics is an attempt at predicting the future. It gets pretty abstract, but if you take this equation and expand it, it lets you predict how the systems of our universe evolve over time.” He drags in a breath. “Not that it works. Complex systems are too difficult to predict. But sometimes the exercise of exploring what could happen brings us to a new place.” He pauses. “Like you showing up at the end of my office hours so I can give you a ride home.” “That’s a prediction?” “No.” He shakes his head slowly. “Just an exploration of what I hope for.”

This is more than a crush. More than me exploring this sexual awakening situation. More than friendship. What if I could fall in love with Kepler Quinn? What if I’m a bit in love with him already? What if I have been for years?

“You fill up so much of me.

“I could explain to you all the years of our history.” His voice is soft and warm and full of so much emotion that it hits me low in the gut. “I could tell you about the treehouse and the telescope, the way that this man lives in my soul, that first moment I saw him on the Quad five years ago, how he’s my constant, how he fills me up. But you can see all that because it’s spread out on the table before you. It speaks for itself. So, ‘how long has it been going on?’ I’ll just distill it down to one word.” His eyes warm to a light gray. “Always.”

“I love you to the depth of my ability to love.”