The Sinner

33

"I love you, Corrine."

There was a soft look in his blue eyes. One that hit me right where I could always feel the desire to sympathize back with him. He tucks some of the loose strands away from my face and lets his hand hover for a second or two.

"I love you more than I've ever loved someone in my entire life."

I was speechless right now. I've never had someone tell me this before, besides my dad when I was younger. So here I stand, with my lips ajar staring at the boy I was falling in love with too.

I just couldn't form the words to say it.

But I think he picked up on that. He was smiling, a laugh following right after. I tilt my head in confusion as he hugs me tightly.

"What are you laughing at?" I ask, into his shoulder. "You find this funny?"

"No," He says with a chuckle. "I can practically see things spinning in your head."

"I'm just processing," I explain.

"You don't have to say it back," He says, the smile disappearing from his lips. "I know where we stand."

"I do, though," I say. I watch him sit over on the other side of the bed. "I do love you."

"I know baby," He says, the grin coming back.

"How?" I ask.

"I just knew," He smiles. I purse my lips as I stare at him, that was quite vague. "I had a feeling, I can read you well, you know."

"How'd you know you loved me?" I ask, joining him on the side of my bed. He pulls me closer so I'm leaning on his shoulder, my head was tucked into his neck. We both stare at the wall in front of us.

"I knew since you yelled at me outside the country club I loved you," He says. "Even though my words said quite the opposite."

"You realized you loved me when I yelled at you?" I ask with a giggle. He nods.

"You put me in my place," He says. "No one's ever done that before."

"You were dumb," I say with an eye roll. "But why did those words come out instead?" It doesn't make sense how he realized he loved me here, but he told me I wasn't his girlfriend.

"Because it was my old ways trying to push you away," He says with a head shake. "I thought for a while I should just push you away because I was becoming too vulnerable."

I stay quiet as I stare at the wall, listening to his breathing. He was warm, and despite the way my neck was crammed, I was comfortable. All because I was with him.

"How'd you know you loved me?" He asks, breaking the silence.

"I know I've always put on this front that I hated you," I say. "But I've always felt, comfortable with you. If that makes sense."

"Like familiarity," He says while nodding. "I've had that too."

"I wonder why I had to be with Tanner before we got together," I say, rambling now. "That was a really bad time."

"I feel like real love meets us at our worst times," He says with a shrug. "That's how I know you're my person."

I nod in agreement, "Yeah."

"And look," He says as he points out the window. The sun was setting, almost as if we timed it perfectly. The sky was filled with pink and orange hues, almost like the universe knew we'd be telling each other this tonight.

"A sunset after a bad couple of days," I say. "It's pretty."

"You know what's prettier?" He asks, I pick my head up off his shoulder with a smile on my face.