“If I’m being honest, I don’t think I wanted you to be. I wanted to be strong and deal with it all on my own, but I couldn’t and I took it out on you. And that’s not fair.” Beau would never, ever blame her for not figuring out what was happening before it was too late. He’d sabotaged them, he really had. At the very least, he was hoping for her forgiveness, even if he had to have her out of his life from now on. Making it right with her meant everything to him. She shocked him when she reached out to him, her gentle hand on his cheek, startling him with the unexpected affection. He didn’t deserve it, a voice in his brain echoed the sentiment, but he didn’t push it away. Instead, Beau lifted his hand to press over hers. “Cora…”
She wanted to come home to him… and she still wanted him. It was hard to fully process what he was hearing. Could that really be true? His brows lifted and his gaze softened and three words left his lips without another thought. “I love you.” It slipped out, partially by accident but the second it was out, Beau knew it needed to be said, before it was too late, before he lost his chance. “Cora. I mean it, I love you. I’m sorry I let you down. I promise, if you… if you give me another chance… if you really do still want me, you won’t regret it.” His heart was quite literally held out in his hand for her as he reached for her cheek, and leaned close to her, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’ve been so fuckin’ scared to say that. And yet…”
It was a lot - all of this right now. Months of not speaking, months of dwelling on the hurt, months of processing what it was like to be just Cora again instead of Cora and Beau. She hated thinking back to the summer, the both of them going through different things and neither one having each other to lean on. There wasn’t anything either of them could do now - it was past that now. All they could do was move forward - together. A slow smile tugged on her lips as his hand pressed on top of her own. She found herself shifting closer to him on the swing, and she could only imagine the things her friends were saying now when they’d realized she’d disappeared with Beau for so long.
But it had always just been Cora and Beau, hadn’t it? Why would anyone be surprised that they’d fall right back to where they were before the start of summer? The smile that tugged on her lips now was a bright one, and the little giggle that escaped her was a happy one. Words failed her, even though she tried. Eyes fluttered shut as his forehead pressed against hers, and for a moment, she enjoyed the silence between them. The dull roar of the party going on inside felt a million miles away. And Beau? He was here, right within her reach. Both her hands moved to cup his cheeks now, and eyes blinked open to lock with his. “I love you,” She repeated after him, words soft as her nose brushed against his own. “Beau, I don’t wanna be without you anymore. I don’t wanna be without you ever again.”