21-Boston

Holding El in my arms, I could almost forget that we were on a stage in front of an entire crowd of people. She held my gaze with her beautiful blue eyes and my entire world felt right when I pulled her close, ghosting my lips across hers.

El let out a tiny whimper, and it pulled at every nerve in my body, sending lightning through my veins as I pressed my lips to hers. The kiss was a claim, a decision, and a promise, and it was equal parts tender and desperate. I wanted her, but not just in my arms and hopefully one day in my bed. I wanted her at my side, in my life.

“I love you, El,” I told her, breaking the kiss. “So much I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Just kiss me some more,” she suggested, “and we’ll go from there.”

The crowd around us had broken into wild applause, and I began to be conscious of the fact that we were still in the midst of a very public spectacle. I thought I’d had just about enough of being the center of

attention, but when I finally got to my feet, keeping