Page 90 of Collide

“Everything all set up?” Alex asks.

“Exactly as you said,” the guard replies.

My heart pounds. We’re here…alone?

Alex turns to me. “Let’s go.”

His fingers graze my chin, just enough to make my breath catch. That gaze, steady and sure, burns straight through me, melting away every last shred of hesitation.

When he looks at me like that? I’d follow him anywhere. No questions. No logic. Justyes.

I place my hand in his, and he leads me inside, through a dimly lit lobby roped off for crowds. Now empty.

He lifts the rope with a grin, and we sneak underneath, laughing quietly like we’re kids about to cause trouble.

The exhibits are lit up in soft neon hues, casting the world in dreamy blues, greens, and purples. We wander between glowing tanks of fish, marveling at the strange, colorful creatures. The jellyfish are my favorite—translucent, pulsing softly, hypnotic.

I stand mesmerized, lost in the dance of the jellyfish, when I feel Alex move behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist, his chest solid and warm against my back.

I nestle into him, breathing him in, my heart stuttering against my ribs.

“You’re so beautiful, Elena,” he whispers, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” He holds me tighter, like he’s trying to memorize the moment, the feeling of me in his arms.

“You should probably get help for that,” I tease, turning in his embrace to face him.

He smiles, and before I can say anything else, he leans in and plants a soft kiss on my lips, a kiss so tender it makes my knees weak.

“I should,” he murmurs against my mouth, “but I won’t. I’m too far gone.”

“What is it that you like about me?” I ask, brushing a soft kiss to his mouth. “Aside from my beauty,” I add, rolling my eyes.

“I don’t know,” he murmurs. “I feel like we’re both searching for the same thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone who understands us.”

The words land hard—simple, honest. He sees me. Not just the surface, but the part I keep tucked away. My heart thuds hard against my ribs.

“Do you think I understand you?” I whisper.

“I hope you do,” he says, brushing a loose tendril of hair behind my ear. “Or at least will…with time.”

After a short while, he leads me deeper into the aquarium, down a hallway lit only by electric candles lining the walls, soft golden light flickering in the dark.

At the end, the space opens up into a breathtaking room where the exhibit stretches from the floor to the ceiling, towering at least nine feet high, columns of kelp swaying in the water. Alien-like creatures floating around.

The whole room glows an ethereal turquoise. It’s magical.

In the center, an indoor picnic is set up—cushions and padded blankets scattered across the floor, surrounded by candles of all different sizes, flickering like tiny stars.

I gasp, covering my mouth with trembling fingers. “Alex… you really did this for me?”

He shrugs, almost sheepish. “I had some help.”

“Oh my God,” I breathe, my voice catching. “This is incredible.”

I walk toward the picnic, moving slowly, taking everything in.