As I walk through the gate and into the airport, my phone vibrates from my pocket. I pull it out and see a message from Olivia. She has the name of the hotel and the address where Stella is, along with her room number.
Either her or Sterling must have been able to get through to Stella. I don’t know what Olivia had to do to get that information, but I will forever be indebted to her. There’s a part of me that is surprised she actually got it.
Stella could have just stayed with me in Canada instead of running the entire way back to California. This is the situation we’re in now and I need her to give me a chance to explain myself. I need to find a way to get her to forgive me for the shit I said.
And I’m going to make sure she knows the truth behind some of my words.
Even though I was drunk, I meant what I said about being in love with her. I tried as hard as I could to prevent it from happening and I failed miserably. This might be my last chance to shoot my shot with her and I’m not about to fuck it up.
I send Olivia a message back, thanking her and telling her that I’ll let her know how it goes. Opening up my Uber app, I put in the address that Olivia gave me and select the car. The driver who picks it up is only five minutes away so I lengthen my strides before I’m standing outside of the airport, waiting for my ride in the parking lot.
Opening up my messages, I tap on Stella’s name and begin to type her a message.
SIMON
I’m coming for you, angel.
The Uber pulls up and I lock my screen before hopping into the back seat. It’s only an eight-minute car ride to where the hotel is. I realistically could have walked, but I have no idea where the hell I am. Taking an Uber just made a lot more sense in the moment.
But right now, I just want to get to Stella as fast as I can.
I stare at the black screen on my phone, waiting for it to light up from a message coming through, but it doesn’t. I don’t even know if she read my message. None of that matters, though. I’m already on my way to her and I’m not so sure she’s going to be happy to see me after the way I acted last night.
Before I know it, we’re pulling up to the hotel and I’m throwing the driver a cash tip before making my way through the front doors. My phone vibrates, catching me off guard as I wait for the elevator to make its way down to the lobby.
STELLA
I’ve been waiting for you.
SIMON
You never should have left, Stella.
STELLA
Where are you? We’ll talk when you get here.
The elevator dings as it reaches the lobby and the doors slide open. I step inside and press the button for her floor. As the doors slide shut, I type out my last message to Stella.
SIMON
On my way up the elevator now.
When I reach Stella’s floor, my feet carry me down the hall until I’m standing outside of her door. Lifting my hand, I lightly knock on it, and she must be waiting on the other side for me because I hear the lock turning and Stella pulls the door open.
She’s standing there, no makeup on, her hair in a messy bun… and she’s wearing one of my t-shirts. My heart clenches as I take in the sight of her and I swear it crawls into my fucking throat, restricting my airflow. I didn’t even notice that it was missing when I was packing in a frenzy earlier today.
She took it for a reason and I’m a mess of emotions, dying to know what the reasoning behind it truly was.
“Did you want to come in?” Stella asks me, her voice quiet as she shifts her weight nervously on her feet.
“Absolutely.”
Stella steps out of the way, pulling the door open farther as she makes room for me to walk in. As I step past her, I catch the smell of her perfume and it invades my senses, tapping deep into my memory. The way she smells is something I’ll never be able to eradicate from my mind.
I just want to feel her body close to mine. I just want things to go back to how they were before.
After walking through the doorway, I stop short in the small hallway, waiting as she shuts the door and locks it behind me. She gives me a small smile, walking past me. I stalk after her, following her lead as we walk into the hotel room. It’s not anything extravagant and I’m a little surprised she’s in a hotel instead of staying with someone here.
Stella walks over to her bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Across from where she’s sitting is a small table with two chairs. I walk over, taking my backpack off and set it down on the floor as I take a seat on one of the chairs. As much as I would love to sit closer to her, I feel like this is where I belong.
I don’t want to overstep any boundaries or make her feel like I’m coming on too strong.
She folds her hands in her lap, her eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry that I left. I should have stayed and waited to talk to you this morning. It was irrational and impulsive.”
“You’re not the one who should be apologizing, Stella,” I tell her, my voice soft as I desperately search her eyes. “I’m the one who fucked up. I said some fucked-up things that I didn’t mean while I was drunk.”
She swallows hard and nods. “I know. That’s why I should have waited to talk to you about it after you sobered up.”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Stella stares at me, her eyes widening slightly. She looks like she doesn’t know what to expect and that makes my stomach do a somersault. “Okay,” she says quietly, a hesitancy in her voice.
Leaning forward, I rest my forearms on my knees as I stare up at Stella. “There were some things I said that I didn’t mean, but there were also some that held truth behind them.” I let out a deep breath, my eyes desperately searching hers. “I’m in love with you, Stella. I’ve been in love with you for a long fucking time now, I was just trying so hard to ignore it. I can’t ignore it any longer and I can’t keep lying to myself and you. I’m hopelessly in love with you, and I can’t imagine my life without you.”
There’s a moment of silence and it feels like time is suspended as I watch the realization dawn over her. There’s a flash of relief in her eyes, one of hope and another of absolute fright.
“You’re not supposed to fall in love with me, Simon,” she reminds me, her voice barely above a whisper. “This was just supposed to be a summer thing while I was on my journey to figure out who I am and what I want in life.”
“Fuck that,” I tell her, abruptly rising to my feet as I close the distance between us. “I’ve given you space and I’ve given you time. I know what I want, Stella, and that’s you. I want to do life with you. I don’t give a shit what sacrifices I have to make in order for that to happen. Let yourself fall. Experience life. Experience love. Experience it all with me.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows, then she stands up, her frame much smaller than mine. She tilts her head backward to look up at me. “I’m in love with you too, Simon,” she admits, tilting her head to the side. “You are what I want. I was afraid because the thought of the future hurts my stomach. There’s no guarantee and I don’t know what it looks like between us, but I don’t care anymore. We can figure that all out. And if things don’t work out in the end, at least I had the chance to be loved by you.”
“We will figure it out and we will make it work, angel,” I tell her as I step into her space and cup the sides of her face. “Whatever has to happen, I will make it happen. As long as you’re in my life, the rest of it doesn’t matter.”
“What about hockey? What about when you make it pro?”
I raise an eyebrow. “What about it? I thought that was my life, but I was wrong. I didn’t realize what was the most important thing to me until you became such a focal point of my life.”
“And what’s that?” she questions me, her voice soft.
The corners of my lips lift upward. “You.” My face dips down to hers, my lips brushing against hers. “None of my accomplishments with hockey matter if I don’t have you to celebrate them with.”
“You shouldn’t even be here right now,” she reminds me, pulling back enough to look up at me. “You’re supposed to be back at camp. The tournament starts on Monday…”
“None of that matters without you,” I tell her with nothing but love and honesty in my voice. “I had to come find you. I needed to know we still had a chance.”
“If I tell you that we do, will you stop being stupid and go back to Canada so you can play what you’ve worked all summer for?”
I stare down at her as she stares directly into my soul. “If you come back with me.”
“To Canada?”
I nod. “Come finish the summer there with me and then come home, back to Vermont. Come be where you belong—with me.”
Stella smiles up at me. “Okay.”
My eyebrows tug together. “Wait, seriously?”
“Yes, seriously,” Stella giggles. “I’ll figure out transferring to Wyncote University on Monday. I’ll come back with you, Simon. If this summer and flying back to California has taught me anything, it’s that you are my home and I don’t want to be apart from you.”
Tugging on her, I pull her flush against my body. “I love you, Stella Barrett. Tell me that you’ll be mine.”
She lifts up onto her tiptoes, her lips brushing against mine. “I’ve always been yours, Simon. And I always will be.”
