Page 160 of Unrequited

“Why did you… why did you hide all these?Didyou hide them?”

He shifts, hands in his pockets. Looks almost… bashful and boyish.

“I wanted to wait until the time was right,” he says softly. “Until the war ended. Until we were at peace. Until you already knew that I loved you—before I gave you even more proof.”

“Oh, you exasperating man,” I say, laughing through tears. “I love you so much.”

He takes me in his arms and kisses me. Hand to cheek. Lip to lip. Heart to heart.

“I love you, Zoya McCarthy,” he says.

“I love you, Seamus.”

His arms wrap around me. And in the silence, I stand with him. Comforted, hopeful. Loved.

THE END