Her face brightens, but she looks cautious.
We rush to each other and meet in the middle. She moves her arms to reach for me but holds back remembering where we are, and who we’re supposed to be.
The student and the teacher.
I’ll take pleasure in letting her know we aren’t those people anymore. Or better yet, I’ll show her.
Shock fills her beautiful, beautiful face when I cup my hand behind her head and bring her to my lips.
I kiss her right there in the quad in front of everyone, and she kisses me back with the same reckless abandon. I kiss her the way I’ve always wanted to kiss her in public, and now everybody knows she’s mine.
I pull away and smile down at her.
“I love you,” I tell her and her eyes sparkle. My words are enough to confirm my choice.
“I love you too,” she says.
“Do you want to go out with me, Bellissima?”
She grins. “Yes.”
I slip my arm around her and we walk down the path looking like the happy couple we are.
The game is over now.
We don’t have to play anymore.
We can just be James and Paige in the real world.
I have all kinds of plans in store for us.