Sunshine washed over me, warming me from the inside out even as nerves tried to unravel me into a pile of streamers and confetti. Butterflies and nausea fought to conquer my stomach. In short, I was a mess. But what else was new?
My phone vibrated for what felt like the fifth time that hour, bringing up a whole new set of butterflies.
Keep it together Allie!
Pulling out my phone I soaked in the newest message in Laliana's incessant updates.
Laliana: Key Lime Pie is arriving at the dome in T minus 5 minutes!
I kept expecting to be overtaken by a panic attack. Anticipating my world to begin swirling into a kaleidoscope of colors until I was just a blemish on the tapestry of the universe. But even though my heart was racing, and my hands wouldn't stop sweating, I felt... grounded. I wasn't afraid, just ridiculously nervous.
"I am starting to regret this," I said between my attempts to take deep, calming breaths. "I am going to look ridiculous."
"That's the idea," Aiden said, shoving a wire into a nearby bush, focused on his task.
"Not helping," I muttered, wiping my hands on my jeans.
Aiden paused and offered me a shrug. "Actions are our thing right?"
I nodded.
"So show him, even if it makes you look ridiculous. He will love you all the more for it. Besides, you need something big. He was pretty mad."
I crossed my arms, wondering why standing in any posture suddenly felt awkward. "Would you ever do something like this for Laliana?"
Aiden laughed, his sharp blue eyes sparking with amusement at the idea. "Let's hope it never comes to that. But yes, I would. Just... don't tell her that."
I smiled, feeling a little better. "Your secret is safe with me."
Aiden checked his phone and then darted off across the grass. "I'll hold you to that, Winters! Just remember to breathe!" he said, trying not to laugh.
"I hate you!" I shouted back, needing to do something other than be nervous.
Aiden vanished behind a tree, laughter echoing out behind him.
I had never done anything like this before. Lalianaâ and surprisingly Aiden had helped me put it together. Something that gave me far more confidence than I would have had otherwise. Aiden helping me with anything was still a foreign concept.
Laliana: Key Lime Pie is at the dome! I repeat Keyline Pie is at the dome!
I suddenly wanted to turn and run. Itching to lean into old habits. "What am I doing? I should have never agreed to this. Maybe I can just..."
But my flustered panic died as I spotted Tate across the Griffith Observatory park lawn. Laliana walked at his side, talking animatedly, clearly terrible at being normal when there was any kind of pressure to do so. But her animated failings only served to relax me as Tate stared at her with a bemused expression.
She's so bad at this... I love it.
Laliana had done her job of getting Tate here, and now it was my turn. Laliana's grin grew so wide, that I had to cover my mouth to hold back a set of nervous giggles. Then she turned Tate in my direction, letting his arm go as soon as he spotted me. His beautiful green eyes went wide in surprise, drinking me in. "Allie?"
I offered him an awkward, small wave as he approached. "Hey."
Tate turned to ask Laliana something, but she was gone, vanishing behind the same tree that Aiden was tucked behind. Tate turned to look back at me, brow raised. "Why does this smell like a trap?"
I smiled mischievously. "Afraid?"
He looked back at me, hesitant. "A little."
We looked at each other in complete silence for a long awkward moment. He took me in, eyes unreadable, closed off, while I stared back, trying to figure out where to start. How to fix what I had broken. I was so used to him reaching out first that I was left feeling completely out of my element. And of course, the way he looked in a black v neck that sat taught across his shoulders didn't help my thinking abilities.
He seemed less self-conscious now, no longer hiding his scars. Something that looked good on him.
"I..." I managed after a long moment. "Thank you..." I said quietly. "For talking to Susan."
"You made it hard to say no, leaving the way you did," he replied, running his fingers through his chocolate wavy hair.
"I know..." I rocked back on my heels, utterly uncomfortable. "I shouldn't have done that to you."
"Nope." He sighed, pinching his nose, looking tired. "Are you okay?" When I didn't answer, he motioned to my face where a bandage sat across my cheek.
"Oh... um... yeah." I touched my face, having nearly forgotten the cut that ran along my cheek, now a week since the fight at Snacks. I must have looked like a disaster, even with the thick foundation it had taken to cover the damage.
Tate nodded. "Good." He looked away, almost like taking me in was painful. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about? If not, I'm going to track down Laliana and remind her about the importance of loyalty."
I spotted Aiden a few feet away watching our exchange from behind the tree.
"I..." Nothing else came out of my mouth.
Come on, Allie!
Tate gave me a half-hearted wave before turning away.
Aiden stared at me, eyes insistent, motioning for me to spit it out. To express myself. To do anything useful at all. He was a sudden cheerleader trying to offer encouragement. And the attempt, which looked completely awkward, was almost enough to make me laugh.
"Hey, Tate Dalton!" I said far too loudly, my vocal cords suddenly working at full volume. "You owe me a favor!"
Tate turned back, raising a brow. "A favor?"
Aiden face palmed before turning and walking back behind the tree, washing his hands of the entire disaster.
"I... I won darts," I stammered. "Back at my apartment... And you owe me a favor for it," I added taking a step towards him.
There was a sudden crack in Tate's unreadable exterior as he remembered our night of Whisky and sharing past secrets over darts. "Oh. Right."
"Well, I'm calling it in..." I said tucking my hands into my pockets, trying to avoid the onlookers on the sidewalk, growing bolder.
"And what is it that you want, Allie Winters?" Tate asked cautiously.
"Two things..." I said after a moment.
"I am not a genie, Allie," Tate said dryly.
"First," I said ignoring him. "I want you to stand right..." I took his shoulders and moved him to stand in the middle of the sidewalk. "Here."
"Allie?" He shoved his hands into his pockets, growing serious. "I don't know what you are doing, but..." He paused, frustration crossing his features. "You took my phone and tried to bomb your career."
"A little," I admitted, not meeting his eyes as I adjusted where he was standing.
Tate snorted. "Allie, that wasn't cool."
I crossed my arms. "I know. But... can we forget that for a second?"
"What?" Tate blinked, looking confused by my quick sweep of his words. "This is important."
"I know. I just... I have to do something real quick," I insisted. "Then we can talk."
"I swear if you are going to steal my phone again, take off running and send out a mean tweet about yourself from my account I am going to lose it," he replied.
I shook my head, trying not to smile too wide. "No promises. Just stay right here."
"Whyâ"
Music suddenly blared to life across the grass, nearly making Tate jump out of his skin. He looked around, eyes going wide. "What on earth?!?"
People jumped up from the grass where they had been sprawled out, soaking in the afternoon sun, and took up formations around us, moving to the rhythm of the beat. Tate's smile was instant. "Is this a flashmob?!?"
As the music skittered towards the vocals, I caught a wireless microphone that Iz threw me and began to butcher the words to Classic by MKTO.
"Woo boy, you're dyin'
Like a 5th floor diamond,
And they don't make food like they used to
You're never goin' out of a pile!!!"
Tate's eyes went wide, mouth falling open in shock as I broke into dance moves in sync with the others, committing to the utter ridiculousness of it all. I spun around, before going into a set of K-pop dance moves.
Tate covered his mouth to hide how large his grin had grown, utterly flustered as a blush furiously took over his face, powerful enough to turn his ears pink. His eyes glistened, brighter than I had ever seen as I moved into Tate's version of the chorus.
"You're over the bread, I'm out of my time!
Thinkin' I was sworn into the wrong crime!"
I heard chuckles from the others around us and I could see Laliana trying not to laugh from where she and Aiden stood off to the left.
It took all of my focus not to fall into a puddle of flustered emotions at the look on Tate's face. He was openly, completely, and utterly taken with the class clown that I was attempting to be. A version of myself that didn't care what anyone in the world thought.
"One of a find, living in a world gone sarcastic!
Tate, you're so classic!"
The music carried on and the others continued to dance around us, but I put down the microphone, walking towards him, needing to tell him how I felt in my own way. "I am not very good with words..." I said, stopping a foot shy of him, letting the world wash away around us. "But I want to try anyway."
I took Tate's hands in mine, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "I am done being afraid. I am done running. And I am done pretending that I don't care. Because you are right. Love is a powerful and wonderful thing. It makes us stronger. And it took me a while to figure it out, but I am worthy of love, and I want that, with you."
I cleared my throat, trying to keep my voice steady. My heart raced faster than it ever had in my life as I drank in the bright green eyes that I was completely in love with. "I am head over heels for a karaoke butchering, annoyingly happy, insanely kind, irritatingly positive guy who refuses to give up on me no matter how many chances I give him to walk away. And just to make my intentions clear..." I leaned closer. "I am utterly in love with you, Tate Dalton. I want you. All of you. For as long as I can get."
I took both of his hands and placed them against his chest where his scars ran. "Beautiful scars and all."
I searched his face, suddenly worried. "And I am sorry for what happened. If you don't want this, or if you want to talk about what I didâ"
He pulled me against him, his body hot against mine, and kissed me like I was the final wish of a dying man, cutting off my ability to form words. Fire exploded the butterflies inside of me into sparkles like it was the Fourth of July. I didn't just see stars as he caged my face with his hands, thumbs tracing patterns across my jaw, I saw galaxies, solar systems. I forgot how to breathe, as he trailed kisses across my skin. It was marvelous, terrifying, and perfect.
My world was suddenly so bright that I wondered why I had denied himâ and myself for so long. Because even though love was scary, it was wonderful.
He leaned back, placing his forehead to mine, tracing my lip with his thumb, memorizing it gently. "I love you Allie Winters. You better be ready for forever because that's what I want."
I pulled him in for another kiss, murmuring against his lips before getting lost in the light again. "Forever sounds good to me."
Clapping erupted around us as the music ended, startling me enough to remember that we were surrounded by witnesses. Tate kissed me for another long moment before reluctantly stepping back, his eyes dark, cheeks flushed. "What was the other thing you wanted?" he asked breathless, coming back to himself.
All of you. Forever. And that includes more kisses, please, my heart sang. But what I said was... "I would like to cook you dinner."
Tate rocked back on his heels like the request was everything and more. Like I had just promised him the world. "It's... ten in the morning," he replied, lips twitching.
"Breakfast then? Or brunch? Or lunch? Or whatever you want to call it," I replied. "I owe you a meal. And I've run out of reasons to say no to you."
He tried to look serious, pretending to weigh the idea. His face fought a smile and lost as a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips.
I shot him a challenging grin. "What do you say, Tate Dalton? Will you let me cook for you?"
He blinked, nodding before realizing that he had even moved. Like his body knew what he wanted even as his mind lost all ability to process information. "Okay, Allie Winters. Although it's hardly fair. You know how I feel about... food."
"I know," I said smiling back brightly. "I am pretty smitten with... food too."
---
Thank you for reading chapter fifty-two! I hope you are enjoying the story!
UPDATE DAYS - THE FINAL CHAPTER IS OUT NOW, GO READ IT!
Things are starting to wrap up. But there are still a few things that need to be clarified, the most important one being...
What will happen to Laurence Royal?
CHAPTER QUESTION - Have you ever had to do something completely out of your comfort zone? What was it and how did it go?