So… You realise you just said you love me, right?” he…

““So… You realise you just said you love me, right?” he says, and I can see he is trying to act calm about the joy that those few words give him. “I know,” I shrug, trying to stay as casual as possible. He soaks in the words, and I stand waiting. “Well?” I prompt. “Well, what?” “Don’t you have something to say to me?” I ask, widening my eyes. Travis thinks about it for a minute. “You hair has come out of its clip at the back.” I smack him on the arm. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!” “I know,” he smiles and it softens all the features of his face. I love when he smiles at me like that. “But if I said it now, you would just go home and overthink whether I just said it because you said it to me first.” I open my mouth to argue, but then close it. Damn it, he’s right. “And, I’m not going to just say it so you have a good scene for your book,” he says, eyeing me as though he knows exactly what is going through my head. What is he, psychic? “Can we at least have a great kiss?” I argue in exasperation. “Well, it’s not raining,” he says, looking up at the clear sky. “And your hair is kind of all over the place.” I put my hand up to my hair and know that he’s right. Those sixteen blocks didn’t do my bun any favours. “Should we maybe back up a little and slowly walk towards each other so I can twirl you at the end?” he asks, the smile tugging at his lips. Actually, that’s exactly what I want to do, but I obviously can’t suggest it now. “Or maybe I could push my way through this large crowd, trying to get−” “Oh, just shut up and kiss me,” I say, grabbing his face and pulling it to mine.””

— Emily Harper