They Say Love Hides Behind Every Corner. I Must Be Walking In Circles!

Chapter 24

His smile grew into a wide grin. He seemed to have ignored my question, or statement, actually. “Oh, my God. You did it, Shay. You actually did it. You saved me. You saved me!”

His disbelief was beginning to annoy me. Honestly, was it really that hard to believe that I had been clever and cunning enough to have managed to solve the case mostly single-handedly? My eyes narrowed in response. “Yeah, I did. Why is that so hard to believe, anyways?” I couldn’t help it; how could anyone expect me to refrain from asking it? I may not have been as impulsive in words, but there were some things I just couldn’t resist.

He chuckled, the sound like music to my ears. I realized I had been seriously Forrest-deprived. I missed this easy aloofness, when he laughed at me for something stupid or weird that I did. I was tired of fighting him; I was tired of fighting what I felt for him, as well. “Relax,” he commanded, smile still intact. “I was just saying.”

“Mmm-hmm.” I wasn’t convinced.

He laughed at me once more before turning serious. This sudden change in emotion did surprise me, I’ll admit. “Shay,” he began suddenly. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m such an idiot. You must think I’m the biggest jerk on this planet.”

His apology shocked me. It was something that I had dreamed of for so long: the moment when he realized his mistake. I hadn’t expected it to come, though. My mind had always been a bit crazy, and I figured that this was just yet another dream that would never come true. Yet, here we stood, all of the things that had remained unspoken for so long now being thrown out for us to pick up the pieces.

“Granted, I had some different words in mind, other than ‘idiot’ and ‘jerk’, but yeah,” I agreed, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.

He gave me a small smile, encouraged by my response. I suppose it was better than what I could have done, such as throw an angry sissy fit. He went on speaking when he saw I had nothing more to add to my response. “I guess I just couldn’t see past what everyone else saw: the beautiful blonde girl that was obviously nothing like Shay. I didn’t realize that I knew better, what I knew, until it was too late.”

“Which was?” I pressed impatiently. I was determined to make him crack, to make him practically beg, now that I knew his life wasn’t in danger and I could safely do this without the slightest hint of remorse.

“That it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside,” he declared, coming even closer to me than he already was, to the point where our bodies were nearly touching, and I could feel the heat radiating from him. I was sure he could feel my nervousness, hear the rapid beating of my heart, caused by our sudden close proximity. “What matters is that you’re still the same crazy weirdo I fell in love with.”

I had to laugh at that, although traitor tears were clouding my vision. I couldn’t believe it. Had he just admitted that he loved me? But he had said it in past tense. Did that mean he didn’t feel the same way anymore?

“The same crazy weirdo I’m still in love with,” he continued softly, looking me straight in the eye.

The traitor tears went loose at that moment. It was just too much to even try to hold them in. he loved me! He still loved me! Apparently, he loved me all along, too! I doubted I could achieve this high with even the strongest of drugs. Nothing could compare to this moment.

“Shay, don’t cry,” he whispered, eyes soothing.

“I’m such a weirdo!” I cried, wiping at the tears. “I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

He laughed quietly and without hesitation, he reached out, arms enveloped around me, holding me tight to him. I put my arms around him, holding him tightly. I never wanted to let go, and I was hyperaware of the fact that the space between us was practically nonexistent, except for our faces.