Page 18 of Unwrapped
“Very.” My smile was wide enough to make my cheeks ache. Ryan?—
Wait a minute. The smile slid from my face. We’d never actually discussed officially becoming boyfriends. I needed to rectify that. Now.
And after I’d spoken to Ryan about that, I had something else to tell him, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to react.
But I had to do it.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent a text.
* * *
2:25 p.m.
“Coffee?” Wandering through Borough Market with Sam on our way to the river, both of us wrapped up in thick winter coats and scarves, I spotted a coffee vendor among the stalls we were checking out.
“Yeah. I’ll get these. It’s my turn.” Sam flashed me the grin that made me want to agree to anything.
“Okay. My turn next time, though.”
“Sure.” Squeezing my hand in his, he turned to place our order with the vendor. As soon as we had our drinks, I took my coffee in one hand and gripped his fingers with the other, tugging him through the market and down towards the river. When we reached it, we stopped, leaning against the wall that ran alongside the pathway, watching the sun sparkling on the Thames. Londoners and tourists meandered past us, enjoying the winter sunshine, while seagulls circled overhead, eyeing the ground for fallen morsels of food.
Sam’s voice was soft as he shifted back against the wall, scuffing his trainers against the ground beneath our feet. “You’ll never know how happy I am that we decided to give this a go.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I met his gaze. “Same. Best decision we ever made.”
He returned my smile before turning serious. Placing his coffee carefully on the wall, he reached into the inner pocket of his winter coat, pulling out a little silver flask. “A toast,” he murmured, careful to keep the flask out of view of the passers-by.
“A toast? What are we drinking to?”
“Uh. Two things. First, will…will you be my boyfriend? Officially. I, uh, I realised we’d never properly discussed it.”
My heart fucking melted for this man, standing there, chewing on his lip nervously. He had zero reason to be nervous. There was no way I’d ever let him go. “Sam. Of course. We already are, you know. But this can be the date we make things official.” He blew out a relieved breath, and I smiled, reaching out to clasp his hand. “Okay, boyfriend. What’s the second thing?”
“Second. I—I need to say this.” Swallowing hard, he stepped closer to me, sliding his arms around me, keeping a grip on the tiny flask.
I put my coffee down next to his, my heart suddenly beating faster. The surrounding people faded away as my full focus fixed on him.
“I need to say it,” he continued, his voice breathless and a little shaky, and it made me want to keep him wrapped in my arms forever so he knew that I’d never let him go. “Maybe it’s too soon. But I can’tnotsay it, because it’s true, and I need you to know.” His lips brushed against mine. “I love you, Ryan.”
“I love you, too, Sam.” The words fell from my mouth without me having to even think about them. How could I not love this man? He knew me better than anyone else, and he owned my heart.
His arms tightened around me, and his lips met mine.
Everything faded away.
Everything except for him.
EPILOGUE
FOUR YEARS LATER
January 26th
10:15 a.m.
Pausing in front of the closed bedroom door, I met Sam’s eyes, and he gave me a wide smile that made my heart skip a beat. Taking his hand in mine, I returned his smile. “I hadn’t originally planned this, but when I checked the date, I realised it coincides with the anniversary of us officially getting together as boyfriends. Then I knew Ihadto have it ready for you.”
“Oh.Oh.” His gaze went soft, and I knew he was remembering the same thing I was.