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68 - ily

Palmer

"Hold still!" I exclaim, a smile on my face.

Lexa giggles. "I'm trying."

Her cheeks and the tip of her nose are rosy from the cold, snowflakes decorating her hair. I'm trying to blow a clump of snow out of her eyelashes, but she won't stand still. Frustrated (but not really), I cup her face in my hands and hold her steady. I blow gently until the snowflakes flutter to the ground. Lexa gives me a sheepish smile.

I pretend to roll my eyes but Lexa knows it's a false gesture. I lean closer, kissing the chilly tip of her nose.

The festival will be drawing to a close soon. We've been out for hours, taking a break in the evening for dinner at a local restaurant. Now, the band plays slower songs for the adults to dance to. We stand off to the side of the crowd, enjoying some time to ourselves.

Lexa stands on her tiptoes to give my lips a peck. "When are we going back to your parents' house? It's cold."

I laugh. "Do you miss LA that badly?"

She laughs with me. "No way." Her hands find their way into the pockets of my coat. "I miss your body, though."

I feign hurt. "Is that all I am to you? A side piece?"

She smiles. "Maybe I also want to cuddle and watch Christmas movies and drink hot cocoa and complain about how cliché the plot line is."

"That's oddly specific."

"No it isn't. I didn't even say which network, Hallmark or Netflix."

I laugh, squeezing her hands in my pockets. "We'll be going soon, I promise. But there's something I want to show you first."

She gives me a curious look. I kiss her cheek before taking her hand and pulling her further from the crowd. I lead her through a narrow walkway between buildings. We trudge through the snow, using each other for balance.

"Babe, where are we going?" Lexa asks.

I shoot her a smile. "Trust me."

We make it to the back of the buildings and I lead her to a fire escape. She raises her eyebrows. "Is this safe?"

I shrug. "Sure! Let's go." I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her the few feet to the beginning of the stairs. We climb up, our footsteps clanging on the metal frame.

When we make it to the roof, I run a few steps ahead to the edge. Lexa appears at my side, her eyes wide.

"It's beautiful," she breathes.

I smile. Town square is laid before us, the bandstand and buildings glowing with Christmas lights. People dance below, and even from here I can see my parents swaying back and forth to the music. The snow on the ground reflects the lights, making the streets glow. Sounds of laughter and cheery voices drift up to us. When I glance at Lexa, she wears a soft smile.

The band moves on to another song-a slow, romantic version of Silver Bells. I turn to Lexa and offer my hand.

"May I have this dance?" I ask, bowing my head.

She laughs and takes my hand. "You may."

Our hands clasp together and we circle each other. I step towards her and pull her towards me, my free hand catching her waist. We sway in a small circle, gazing into each other's eyes as the rest of the world slips away.

When the song ends, we finish our dance with a deep kiss. Her hands hold the back of my neck, and I don't complain as her frozen fingertips touch my skin.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you more."

I smile. "Prove it."

She looks down, and then meets my eyes again. She takes a deep breath.

"Your name is Palmer Anne Drake. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You have a huge family, and I forget the names of half of them, but I know every single one of them adores you. Especially Will. You grew up here, and you love that you can see the stars at night. You know how to skateboard and someday you're going to teach me. You have an unhealthy obsession with Taylor Swift. And Star Wars. You love Thai food, and you've gotten it on Christmas every year since college. Your favorite color is orange, like the sunset. Not like a traffic cone, because according to you and only you, they look like carrots. You wear five thousand rings-hot by the way-and your favorite Christmas song is Sleigh Ride. You are the most talented actress I've ever worked with. You're loyal to a fault. You were there for me when no one else was, and you have no idea how much you've changed my life. You are the most important person in my life, Palmer. I've been falling for you since the day I met you. Oh, and you have a girlfriend that loves you more than you love her."

I'm too stunned to do anything but smile like a fool. Lexa gives me a proud grin, as if she just proved her point.

I bite my bottom lip. "That's cool. I still love you more."

She gasps and hits me in the arm. "Palmer!"

I can't respond through my giggles, and soon enough she's laughing with me. I pull her into me, my arms wrapping around her waist. I brush my lips against her neck.

"That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," I whisper. "Thank you."

She kisses my neck, my jaw, both sides of my face and finally, my lips. I hold her there, our mouths meshing together. Despite the freezing temperatures, my chest glows with a beautiful warmth.

We separate, our lips brushing each others. We both smile.

"I love you," we say at the same time.

She giggles. I press my lips to her forehead. "Let's go home," I whisper.

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a/n
heyo
so um this book now has over 20k reads!!??!? tysm for all the love <3<3<3
i'm gonna be honest, this is the last chapter i have prewritten for this book so updates may not be as regular in the future (i'll try, but school is killing me slowly)
i'm having some trouble figuring out how i wanna end this cause it's kinda long already... but we'll see how much more drama i manage to stir up ;)
:)