The Sinner

I closed the book and held it to my heart. In a world of data and downloads, it felt solid and real. Cyrus felt real too in a way I couldn’t explain. As if a piece of my dreams had taken shape and form, at long last…

The little voices in my head tried to talk me out of it.

A man that beautiful and perfect has to be a figment of your imagination. Maybe he’s one of those new dating holograms…

The rest of the day crawled.

At eight o’clock, I stepped into the restaurant. Cyrus was already there at an intimate table for two. Instantly, my heart felt full and warm when it had no business feeling either. He stood up when he saw me, his face breaking into a devastatingly handsome smile of happiness and something like awe. I moved toward him as if drawn by an invisible white line tethering us together.

He took my hand and held it, his dark gaze roaming over me.

“There you are, Lily,” he said softly. “It’s about time.”

But I wasn’t late.

A strange joy—the feeling of something deep inside me falling into place—swept over me. My hand in his tightened and held on.

“I was about to say the same to you.”

The End