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Marcus appears at the foot of the stairs, hair damp, eyes warm as he comes up behind me and gives me a kiss on the cheek, and my insides melt all over again.
“Alright,” Angela sighs on the other end of the phone. “Youbetter.”
“I will. I have to go, but I’ll text you soon.”
“Lila, just, be careful, okay? You know I’m here if you need anything.”
“I know. Thanks, Ange. You’re the best.”
“Keep me updated, okay?”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
“Alright, alright, alright. I’ll let you go. Ok, bye bye bye.”
I grin, my heart feeling lighter. “Bye bye bye,” I echo and end the call.
Marcus settles onto the stool beside me at the kitchen island. “Everything alright?”
“Yea, Angela’s just freaking out a little.”
“You didn’t tell her anything about where we are, right?” There’s a slight edge to his voice.
“No, I know, don’t worry. I won’t.”
I pour myself a bowl of cereal and sit down.
Marcus watches me, eyebrows pulled in tight in thought. His expression is unreadable.
“Hey, um, do you mind if I ask you something?”
His gaze lifts to mine and softens. “Of course not. You can ask me anything.”
“When we get back…” I hesitate. “Are we… can I… tell Angela and Carter…aboutus?”
I’ll tell Angela regardless, as I trust her to keep a secret, but I can’t help but wonder how he feels about the rest of the world knowing.
He’s quiet for a moment, thinking.
“It’s not a secret,” he finally says. “I don’t mind if you want to tell your friends. I don’t talk about my personal life at work, but… yea.” He smiles at me again, that sparkle I love so much flickering in his eyes. “I’m yours, Lila.”
My insides melt as I smile at him.
“In fact. Yes. Tell them. Iwantthem to know you’re mine,” he says. “Especially Carter.”
I laugh, my cheeks flushing with warmth.
Hearing him say those words sets my soul alight.
“Trust me, you don’t need to worry about Carter. If anything, he’s our next biggest cheerleader after Angela.”
Marcus grins. “Oh yea? Why’s that?”
I bite my lip. “Because if we’re actually together… it means I might stop talking about you so much,” I laugh, dropping my face into my hands.
His laugh warms my heart. “That so? Why? What kinds of things would you say about me?”
I giggle, folding into myself a little. “Mostly how much of an idiot I felt every time I bumped into you and didn’t say anything.”