Page 141 of The Echo of Forever

Forever and I never ate out in public together; our entire relationship had developed in secret for the most part.

“It’s because your thoughts are suffocating me. “ She pushed her plate away. “I know you’re concerned, but this is all too much, and I’m hoping you’ll let me process slowly.”

I thought about what she was asking, how it was the one thing in this life I preferred not to let her get away with.

“Baby…” I kept my voice low and leaned forward. “Letting you process is hardly what I want to do.”

Her eyes flashed with frustration or fear, I couldn’t tell, before softening.

“I know,” she said, nodding. “And that scares me more than I want to admit. Mostly because I can tell how much this is bothering you. I’m not asking to sweep it under the rug, just to leave it for later.”

I leaned back, studying her face. The way her eyes held mine without wavering. She wanted me to know that my concerns mattered, and I was grateful for that, grateful that she wanted to consider me at all.

What choice did I have but to follow her lead? Pushing too hard might push her away entirely, and that wasn’t an option. Never would be.

“Alright,” I conceded, deciding to let her process in peace, while I put the pieces together for her. “Whatever you need, baby.”

The relief on her face was immediate, and then she smiled, and it settled me a little.

“I think…” she started, sliding out of her side of the booth to sit beside me. “…your presence is healing a part of me, and that maybe we should let it without interfering.”

Her hand found mine under the table as she slid closer.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, wanting to understand her logic.

“Because when I’m with you, I feel like all is right in my world,” she said simply. “Before, it felt like there were pieces of me missing, but I didn’t understand it until you came around. I don’t have the memories, but the feelings are there. They never left.”

We stared at each other, the voices fading around us until it was just her eyes and mine, having a conversation our mouths hadn’t caught up to yet.

“I wish I could live in your mind,” I whispered, unable to stop myself from expressing it. “I want to know everything you’re feeling.”

Forever hadn’t opened up easily in the beginning either. She fell for me, but the rest took time. Love was more than just a feeling; it was a commitment. I knew the more I offered, the more vulnerable I allowed myself to be, the easier it’d be for her to rely on me and do the same.

“I love you, Demetrius,” she said so softly I almost missed it. “You deserve to know that.”

Those words coming from her mouth, in this moment, were more satisfying than I imagined this go ‘round to be.

I felt the corners of my lips lifting before I could stop them.

“Tell me again, baby. I don’t think I heard you clearly.”

A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she shook her head, eyes never leaving mine.

“I’m in love with you,” she repeated, stronger this time. “I never needed my memories to know my feelings for you have probably always been beyond our comprehension. So, yes, I’ll tell you everything because your wants are my needs, too.”

It wasn’t like the first time she’d said those words, sitting on the hood of my car in the red light district. That confession hadbeen quick, thrown out in the moment before she tried to take it back.

This one wasn’t a surprise to either of us.

“I love you,” I told her back, pressing a kiss to her forehead, then the tip of her nose, before hovering just above her lips. “Always have, always will.”

I sealed the declaration with a kiss and then draped an arm over her shoulder, wanting to savor this moment before secretly going against everything she asked of me.

Later, after she went to work, I met Kai at the psychiatric facility. Forever wouldn’t appreciate the intrusion, but my mind had been made up since last night; everything that happened today solidified the decision.

Kai was waiting at the entrance when I arrived, tugging the door open after we exchanged silent greetings.

“You got an hour,” he said, following me in. “She’s awake and talking today. Use it wisely.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “And try not to pull a gun on my ma like you did me.”