Page 116 of The Love Interest

“Never!”

I pull back the pillow to hit him again, but then he grabs my wrist and pulls me, laughing, onto the bed. I’m on top of him now, looking down at him, and he’s so frigging cute I just have to kiss him once.

Okay, maybe twice.

After the third kiss I roll sideways so that I’m lying next to him. “I wasn’t joking, Dyl. I really want to watch the sunrise. You in?”

He nods. “Of course.”

I get up as he pulls on a pair of black jeans.

“Hey,” he says. “Speaking of plans, I was thinking we should invite Nat and Jules over tonight. We could make a nice meal, see what they’re up to.” He bounces out of bed. “Sound good?”

I take a red shirt from the drawer beside the bed. From the same drawer I retrieve a black one and toss it to him. He catches it with one hand and puts it on, then he makes his way over to me.

“That sounds great,” I say. “Is Jules still with that singer? You know, the one with the dreadlocks?”

He shakes his head. “Nope, she’s with a marine biologist now. As soon as she said it I thought for sure he was a Love Interest, but then I remembered how badass we are.”

Together, we walk out of the bedroom and through the kitchen. It’s simple, with wooden counters and an old-fashioned gas stove, but I love it. The white oven dish Dyl used last night to make lasagna is still on the counter, between a stack of library books and a wooden bowl filled with fruit. I open the glass door and step out onto our porch. The sky is clear, and shiny drops of dew have collected on the wooden railing.

The view is of the hills that surround our property. I reach the balustrade and place both hands on the cold, wet wood. He mimics me.

Two small trees are growing beside the house, just in front of a gray concrete water tank. One for Trevor, one for all the others. Trev’s is a red maple. The other is an elm.

Dyl sniffs and rubs his nose. I’ll never leave him, and I think he knows this. The cost for us to be together was just too high for me to ever give up on us. But that’s a problem for another, darker day; right now he makes me happier than I’ve ever been.

I look up. The sky is really freaking blue today. It’s cloudless and immense.

“Hey,” says Dyl. He isn’t looking at the sky. He’s looking at me, smiling that Bad boy smirk of his. “I love you.”

I smile so big it’s probably lopsided.

I don’t even care.