Page 151 - It Ends with Us

R yle slides int o bed and pulls the covers over us. He sha kes hi s

hea d. “No, I don’t thi nk soda actually hel ps any thi ng . My mom just
used to give me a soda after I’d ha d a bad day and it always made me
feel a little bet ter.”
I smile. “Wel l, it worked .”
He brushes hi s ha nd down my cheek and I can see in hi s ey es and
in the way he touches me tha t he des er ves at lea st one cha nc e at

forgivenes s. I feel if I don’t fin d a way to forgive hi m, I’ll somew ha t be
placing blame on hi m for the res ent ment I still ho ld for my father.
He’s not like my fat he r.
R yle loves me. He’s nev er come out and said it bef ore, but I kno w
he does . And I love hi m. Wha t ha ppened in the kitchen toni ght is
somet hi ng I’m confid ent won’t ha ppen again. Not after seei ng ho w
upset he is tha t he hu rt me.

All hu mans make mistakes . Wha t det erm ines a pers on’s cha racter
aren’ t the mistakes we make. It’s ho w we take tho se mistakes and turn
them int o les sons rather tha n ex cuses .
R yle’s ey es someho w grow ev en more sinc ere and he lea ns over and
kisses my ha nd . He set tles his hea d int o the pillow and we just lie
there, staring at ea ch other, sha ring thi s uns poken energ y tha t fil ls all

the ho les the ni ght ha s lef t in us.
After a few minutes , he squeez es my ha nd . “Lily,” he says, brushi ng
hi s thu mb over mine. “I’m in love with you.”
I fee l hi s words in ev er y part of me. And when I whi sper, “I love you,
too,” it’s the most na ked truth I’ve ev er spoken to hi m.