A Love Like Ours

Chapter 15

I had been more excited than nervous until that very moment. But there was nothing to be done about it, because there I was standing on her stoop, and I'd already rung the doorbell.

So, I just tried to breathe. Tried to ease the suddenly violent burning in my chest.

But the door opened, and the unconscious decision to hold my breath only exacerbated the burning for a terrifying, stomach-dropping, heart-pounding moment.

Madelyn was already smiling, but when her eyes found mine, that smile grew so wide, became so brilliant, I almost stumbled backwards.

"Hi," she said, digging her hands into the front pocket of the black sweatshirt she was wearing, her shoulders hunched up around her ears.

Before words could even find their way down from my brain to my mouth, a long breath slid past my lips, and I reached up to feel it, to touch my smiling lips as the burning in my chest dissipated completely.

I was near laughing when I said, "Hi yourself."

The excitement was back full throttle, and I was almost bouncing on the balls of my feet as we simply stared, smiling at each other for a long moment that I spent just taking her in, just enjoying the sight of her after nearly a year of not seeing her at all.

Then, Mads blinked and shook her head, looking me up and down quickly as her brows drew down. "Are you cold?" she asked, and before I could tell her that I was fine, that I'd never been more fine, she turned sideways and muttered, "Oh my God," to herself, then said more loudly, "I'm sorry, I - come in. Please."

"It's fine," I said through a breath of laughter as I stepped closer to her—closer since I'd been since that last day at her apartment—and slid by her, into the house where I'd been when I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was in love with her.

My body was near quivering, I was so excited, and there was movement in my chest that hadn't been there in a year—fluttering in a part of my heart that had gone quiet when I'd left her side.

She closed the door behind me, and the two of us looked at each other, smiled again, and I could tell by the way she smiled that she was just as excited as I was.

"Hi," she said again, and laughed a little.

The sound of her laughter relieved something in me that I hadn't known was aching, and I chuckled again. "Hi."

And her face changed, looked more nervous than it had in moments passed, but no less excited either.

"I -" she started to say, splitting her gaze between me and my chest, "I would offer to take your coat, but I was actually sitting out back. I've got the fire going, and the kettle's hot if you feel like a cup of tea."

I smiled, watching the way she fiddled with her fingers in front of her, and sensed it coming before it happened.

"But we don't have to go outside either! It's pretty cold out, as you now know, since I made you stand out there on the stoop longer than necessary, so I'd totally understand if you don't want to sit and freeze, but I..." she stopped abruptly, her cheeks going red as she realized she was rambling. I was trying not to laugh so that she wouldn't be embarrassed, but was unsuccessful. "Sorry, I - well, needless to say I'm a little nervous."

I let myself chuckle then, let myself feel the relief of seeing her and knowing her and loving her more fully. "S'alright. I, uh... I am, too."

I would have been too nervous to admit that, in fact, if she hadn't said it first. But when I did, when the words and the truth were between us, her long, dark hair fell forward like a curtain as she smiled bashfully down at the floor, and my heart thumped hard when she looked up at me through her lashes, giving me a shy smile I forever wanted to be looking my way.