"You saw a future with him. You don't see one with me. Maybe..." My fists curl into tight balls. My jaw clenches. Every muscle in my body is stiff and tense. I can't say that. I can't even consider the possibility that Alyssa should find someone she does see a future with.
"For a smart guy, you can be such an idiot," she says.
I can barely hear her over the sound of the rain pounding the sidewalk.
Her eyes are intense. "Do you know why I agreed to marry Ryan?"
"He convinced you that you'd never survive without him."
"Yes, but there's more to it than that. It wasn't a happy thing. I knew I was giving up any chance of ever being happy, really happy. I knew I was giving up the future I wanted. And I definitely knew I'd never have the kind of love we have. At least, the kind of love I thought we had
." She turns and rushes away again.
"Ally, wait."
She stops but she doesn't turn to face me. "Why are you bringing up Ryan?"
"I hate that you loved him."
"I didn't. Not the way I love you." She finally turns to face me. She's soaking wet, dripping actually, and her expression is anything but happy. "Can't you see that?"
I nod and take a step towards her.
"This isn't going to work unless you see that." She moves towards me. "Do you?"
"Alyssa, you're everything I've ever wanted. You're sweet, sincere, caring, and shy in the most adorable way. I love how pretentious you are. I love that you're tied to your Kindle. I love that you read awful shit like Heart of Darkness and lock yourself in your room to perfect your lines. But none of those are my favorite thing about you."
"Yeah?"
"My favorite thing about you is that you look at me like I'm the only thing in the world better than a perfect cup of coffee."
She laughs. It's a tiny thing, but it fills the whole, dreary park with warmth.
"I love you, Luke. I love you so much," she says.
"If I love you and you love me, why are we failing so horribly at talking to each other?"
She wraps her arms around me, burying her head in my chest. "I don't know. And I don't know why I can't see this future you keep talking about, but I do want to be with you. More than anything."
She rises to her tiptoes and kisses me. Her lips are soft and wet. All her skin, her hair, her clothes are wet from the damn rain that keeps falling on us. Her lips part and she slides her tongue into my mouth. It's equal parts hungry and sweet.
I run my hands over her back and she nearly moans. She's melting in my arms.
There's only one appropriate course of action.
I slide my hands to her ass, pressing my body hard against hers. She feels so good to touch--her perfect breasts, her round hips, her firm ass--but I fight my urge to rip off her clothes and fuck her right here.
Not yet. Not until she wants it as badly as I do.
I squeeze her ass, digging my hands under the edge of her dress. This time she moans into my mouth and slides her fingers around my neck.
Her back arches, her crotch shifting into mine. Blood rushes to my cock. I can feel her against me through the thin, wet fabric of her dress. God, I need to feel her against me, to feel her around me.
I need to be inside her.
When our kiss breaks, she's flushed and panting. She looks so fucking sexy like that, like she needs me more than she's ever needed anything.
"Fuck me," she says. "I don't care if it's here. I don't care if someone sees us. Right now, I don't even care if I get arrested. I need you, Luke. I need you so fucking bad."