Page 119 - It Ends with Us

He smiled an d sho ok hi s he ad, then he ld out a fist. I lifted my han d an d he

dropped somethi ng har d in the pal m of my han d. It was a smal l, flat outline of
a he ar t, ab out two inche s long, car ved out of wood.
I rubbed my thu mb over it, tr ying not to smile too big. It was n’t an
an at omical ly cor rect he ar t, but it al so di dn ’t look like the han d- dr aw n he ar ts.
It was uneven an d ho llow in the middl e.
“You made thi s?” I as ked, looking up at hi m.

He nodde d. “I car ved it with an old whi ttling knife I found at the ho use.”
The ends of the he ar t weren’t connected. The y just cur ved in a little, leav ing
a little spac e at the top of the he ar t. I di dn ’t even know what to say. I felt hi m
sit bac k do wn on the bed but I couldn ’t stop looking at it long enough to even
than k hi m.
“I car ved it out of a bran ch, ” he sai d, whi spering. “From the oak tree in
your bac kyard. ”

I swear, Ellen. I never tho ught I could love somethi ng so much. Or may be
what I was feeling was n’t for the gift, but for hi m. I closed my fist around the
he ar t an d the n lean ed over an d kissed hi m so har d, he fell bac k onto the bed. I
threw my leg over hi m an d straddl ed hi m an d he grab bed my wai st an d
grinned ag ai nst my mouth.
“I’m gonna car ve you a dam n ho use out of that oak tree if thi s is the reward

I get,” he whi spered.
I lau ghe d. “You hav e to stop being so per fect,” I told hi m. “You’re al ready
my fav orite person but now you’re mak ing it real ly unfai r to al l the othe r
hu man s becau se no one will ever be ab le to cat ch up to you.”
He brought hi s han d to the bac k of my he ad an d rolled me until I was on
my bac k an d he was the one on top. “The n my plan is working,” he sai d, right
before kissing me ag ai n.

I he ld on to the hear t whi le we kissed, wan ting to believe it was a gift for no
reas on at al l. Bu t par t of me was scared it was a gift to remember hi m by whe n
he leav es for Bo ston.
I di dn ’t wan t to remember hi m. If I had to remember hi m, it would mean he
was n’t a par t of my life an ymore.
I do n’t wan t hi m to move to Bo ston, Ellen. I know that ’s selfish of me

becau se he can ’t keep living in that ho use. I do n’t know what I’m more af rai d
might hap pen. Wat chi ng hi m leav e or selfishl y begging hi m not to go.
I know we need to tal k ab out it. I’ll as k hi m ab out Bo ston tonight whe n he
comes over. I just di dn ’t wan t to as k hi m las t night becau se it was a real ly