Chapter 88
“Come with me.” Kylan withdrew from her suddenly, raking hold of only her hand.
It was nearly midnight with only
ly fifteen minutes remaining and she stared at him curiously.
“Come
with you where?” she asked suspicioudy.
Kylan ignored her altogether, instead guiding her back to the lobby. He didn’t stop there, walking toward the elevator next. She followed behind him diligently, her mind racing to a milhon different conclusions and scenarios
“Kylan, where are we going?” she were nearly breathless by the time they reached the elevator and Kylan pressed the button to call it.
Agam, he ignored her and only pulled her along into the elevator as soon as the doors drew open. She rolled her eyes but allowed him to move her where he needed her. She watched him press the button for the topmost floor of the hotel that read “roof access“, and her confusion only grew.
By the time the doors opened once more, she was sufficiently on guard. She noticed at the last moment, how on edge Rylan also seemed. He was fidgeting where he stood, looking at his watch periodically, his jaw clenched tightly.
What was making him nervous?
She stepped out of the elevator with him, not bothering to ask him what he had planned anymore. He stopped near a door with the singular word “roof” written in bright red paint across it.
With a quick glance her way, Kylan grasped the handle of the door, turning it and pushing it open. He held it open for her, letting go of her hand and allowing her to step through first.
Her voice cut off nearly instantly, her jaw falling slack and her breath catching in her throat.
Because Kylan Kylan-
She was in shock. Dumbfounded. Floored in the best way.
Petals of red and pink littered the concrete rooftop. Candles on placeholders almost taller than her, lined the way and a loveseat with several pillow and blankets, sat near the high lip of the roof. Next to that she took in a bootle of wine sitting in a metal container, two glasses nearby. A plate of chocolate covered strawberries sat neatly next to the wine and she couldn’t hold back the gasp that fought to escape her lips any longer.
“I don’t. For me!” She was wholly incapable of forming a complete sentence
“Ryan helped” Kylan meekly admitted behind she.
She whirled around, surprised to see how near he was standing to her. She made to say something else, but her eyes caught sight of the small bouquet of white roses he now held in his hands, and her mind went blank.
“Doy
you know what white roses symbolize?” he spoke quietly, his fingers playing with a few petals on one of the roses.
“N–no.” she replied just as quietly.
She watched as a small smile graced the corner of Kylan’s lip, and her heart began to race at an alarming rate within the walls of her chest. Kylan rarely smiled, and it was truly a shame. She always thought so, because his smile was wonderful.
“White roses symbolize new beginnings,” Kylan told her, his tone almost reverent now I’m shit with words. I’m shit with people. I’m f*cked up and it’ll take a lot of trial and error before I’m in a place that I can be proud of.” He took a deep breath, and she watched as he licked his lips. “I don’t know how to do any of this, but I want to. I want to. To be with you, Kate. I want to show you how much L.. Care about you. How. Thankful I am that you see me.” He took a step toward her, and she stayed rooted in place, her eyes never leaving his face.
“You’ve never cared about my money. You’ve never given a shit about my status, or what my name means. You’ve only ever encouraged me to feel things. To step outside of my My comfort zone and… You’ve made me feel things. Real things. Things I.. I’ll never be able to say out loud, and I’m sorry for that.” He took another step toward her. “But I want to. To show you what I mean. I want to. To try and just.. Will you be mine, Kate? Will you be my God, I feel like a f*cking teenager. Will you be my-”
She couldn’t stop her arms from flinging around has neck, knocking the air out of his lungs and effectively silencing him. “Kylan, you’re good. You always have been. You’re trying, and I want to be here while you do that I want to watch you grow. I want to be by your side while I grow, too” She turned her head and placed a kiss along his neck. “Will you be mine, Kylan?” She turned his question around on him. “For real?”
Kylan scoffed and pulled her away from him gently. “I’ve been yours for months, Kate. I’ve always been yours” He stated it like it should be obvious, and she laughed. “I paid off the rest of you student loans. I abso.” He seemed to hesitate then, and she waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. “I called your dad. I explained the situation to him briefly, omning some of the more. Difficult details, though. Then I asked him if I had his blessing to… you know, date she properly. For real. Like a true gentleman worthy of her, though I’m anything but that.” He was embarrassed, it was obvious with the way he wasn’t quite looking at her again.
Her heart only softened all the more and her eyes filled with warmth she didn’t try and stille. “You. You called any father?” Her voice was a shaky mess, but she didn’t try and change that, rither.
Kylan nodded and moved to press his forehead to hers. “I did. I apologized to him. Spoke to him in French so he could fully understand my feelings. I told him. I told him exactly how I feel for you” She shivered at his low tone of voice, and he held her to him. “Maybe one day 111 be able to properly tell you, too,” he murmured.
“We have a lot to talk about. Kylan. But right now, I want you to know how much this means to me. This is. More than I could have ever imagined. You didn’t need to pay off my student loans. I–I never expected that She bit her lip nervously until she felt Rylan’s fingers gently pry her teeth away
from her skin
“That’s precisely why I did it.” Kylan softly in
softly informed her.
She rolled her eyes, but she hugged him to her all the same. “Thank you, Kylan. For all of it she whispered into the fold of his neck.
“C’mon, it’s about to be midnight.” He rubbed her lower back and then took hold of her hand, walking her over to the love seat.
She sat down side by side and she watched as Kylan draped a blanket over the pair of her. He then placed an arm around her shoulders, and she nestled into his side.
She allowed herself to enjoy the moment, her mind swirling with the confessions Kylan gave to her. Neither of her bothered to pull out her phones to countdown to midnight, and so when fireworks erupted all around her moments later, she grinned up at the colorful night sky.
“Happy New Year. Kylan Ross. She looked at her boss. Her friend. Her real lover.
“Happy New Year, Katrina Morgan.” Kylan echoed back to her, his grey eyes alight with colors so profound, they took her breath away. “Will you kiss me?” he asked her nearly silently, his voice washed out by the loud fireworks waking the world around her
She was certain she would never get used to him asking her to kiss him, and she didn’t want to. It was special. So meaningful. “To new beginnings. Kylan” She brought her face closer to his and he held the base of her neck, his fingers tangling in the curls of her hair.
“New beginnings.” Kylan spoke against her lips.
She smiled for a beat, and then her lips were on his, her entire body forming to his
She stayed like that for an obscene amount of time as fireworks popped around her and the wine and strawberries sat all but fo
forgotten entirely.
