Page 139 of Under the Waves

Jasper tilted his head to the side as he smirked down at me. “You want to keep me, Wellsy?”

I nodded, sinking into his embrace.

Every muscle in my body felt at ease in his presence.

“You’ve always had me,” he whispered, his hands trailing down my body until he wrapped them around my waist. Leaning forward, Jasper pressed a feather-light kiss to my forehead before rested his forehead against mine. “You just didn’t notice.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you,” I rushed to say, needing the words to escape my head and stop haunting my thoughts.

With one hand, Jasper tucked my head into the crook of his neck as he began stroking the back of my hair in gentle strokes.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Wellsy.”

I wrapped my hands around his waist, falling into the safety of his touch.

“I see you now, Jasper Ridge,” I breathed. “You’re important to me, you know?”

He chuckled, the sound kissing every inch of my heart as it pounded against my rib cage. “Are you saying you care about me, Wellsy?”

I pulled backwards a fraction of an inch to look up at him. This need to make him see just how special he was nagged at every corner of my mind.

There was a brokenness to his smile; a little crack that he was trying so desperately to stop him from crumbling.

“I’m saying, Jasper Ridge, that you make me feel safe,” I whispered, bringing my thumb up to gently stroke his cheek. The rain had thoroughly soaked us both, but neither of us made any move to seek cover from it. “I’m saying that you make me feel wanted and appreciated andloved,” I continued. “And I’m saying, my Spiderman, that I see you—every part of you, and I am so proud of you.”

Jasper gaped at me, blinking rapidly at a complete loss for words.

After a moment, he regained his composure, and a smile formed across his lips. Bright and blinding.

“You care about me, Poppy Wells,” he grinned, knocking his shoulder up against mine as his eyebrows waggled suggestively at me.

I immediately rolled my eyes, stepping out of his embrace as I folded my arms across my chest. “Keep dreaming, Ridge.”

I do care about you,I thought.I care about you so much it makes my heart hurt.

Except, I kept those words locked up inside my thoughts, resorting back to the comfort of our old and familiar rhythm.

I began walking away, and when I noticed he wasn’t by my side, I turned around. Jasper Ridge was still standing there, smiling like a madman at me.

Making a foghorn shape around his mouth with his hands, Jasper turned to face towards the mountains and the vast forest surrounding them and yelled, “POPPY WELLS CARES ABOUT ME!”

I’d found a boy who’d shout about me to for all the mountains to hear.

Shaking my head, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You are so lame, Jasper Ridge.”

Despite my words,

he was still smiling at me.

I forced my lips to remain tight and unreadable. But as I turned my back to him, continuing to follow the forest trail back towards the main path, I let myself free. A laugh tumbled out of me as I shook my head at the complete lovesick madness I just witnessed.

My stupid boy.

My Spiderman.

And as he ran up to me, picking me up and swirling us around in the pouring rain as our laughter echoed between the trees, I knew that I was home

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