I cup Yara’s cheek. Her skin is chilled from the December weather. “Stop what-if-ing. Let’s just get inside and go see him. You’ll discover that Malik doesn’t hate you.” I pause before adding lightly, “And that I’m right. As always.”
As I had hoped, Yara snorts softly. “You mean you’re right foronce?”
“Right all the time,” I repeat, hiding my smile. Then I loop my good arm around her shoulders and start heading towards the hospital again. “It’s tough, really, being right all the time. It gets kind of tiring, honestly.”
Yara laughs.
My heart lifts.
“I think you meanI’mright all the time,” she parries back. “And you’re right. It can get tiring, sometimes.”
“Oh, really?” I kiss her cheek as we continue down the sidewalk. “So you’re saying you were right about the best method to throw a bowling ball?”
She laughs as she lightly jabs me with her elbow. “Okay, fine. Maybe my technique isn’t as good as yours. But that’s the only time you were right.”
“I’ll take my wins where I can get them,” I reply cheerfully.
Honestly, I don’t give a shit about being right. It reminds me of something Alec told me after getting together with his fiancée, Hazel. “I never would have thought it before,” he said, “but seeing her smile, and knowing I put it there? It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Before, I didn’t really get it. Now, I do.
When we enter the hospital, Yara tenses a little. She squeezes a little closer to me. Sensing she needs it, I drop my arm from her shoulders and take her hand. Her fingers lace between mine, holding on tightly.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say as we wait for the elevator. “I’m sure of it. He’s going to be thrilled to see you.”
Once we’re inside the elevator, Yara turns to me. “I forgot to ask earlier. Did you hear from Rafe? Are we—” Her cheeks go pink. “Is everything okay?”
I know what she intended to ask. Are we in the clear after our extremely unsanctioned trip to Iran? Tyler, along with Leo and Matt, did their best to erase any sign of our involvement. The Army wouldn’t be too thrilled, after all, to discover that we took it on ourselves to rescue a hostage instead of sending the intel through official channels.
The story, as Malik promised to tell it—we discussed it in depth before leaving Armenia—is that he escaped his captors on his own, hitched a ride with a local to the Armenian border, and found his way to an airport from there.
Even exhausted and in pain, Malik understood why we needed to keep the real story a secret. “I get it,” he said. “And I won’t say anything about you guys. I promise.”
I might not know Malik well, but I believe him. And I know, despite Yara’s worries to the contrary, that Malik doesn’t hate Yara at all. He would never do anything to get her in trouble. Just like I never would with any of my teammates.
Mindful of the camera peering at us from the top corner of the elevator, I respond to Yara’s question in the same, vague way. “Everything’s good,” I tell her. “Rafe stopped by the room while you were showering. He said there’s nothing to worry about.”
Yara releases a heavy breath. “Good.”
A bell dings, signaling we’ve reached our floor, and the elevator stops with a little jerk. As the doors slide open, I squeeze Yara’s hand lightly. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.”
She looks up at me with so much trust in her eyes, it almost brings me to my knees. “As long as I have you, I know it will be.”
My heart catches.
“Tink.” I pull her to my side as we exit the elevator, hugging her against me. “I love you.”
Her lips come to my jaw. “I love you, too.” Then she smiles. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that.”
“I love you?”
“Yeah.” Yara kisses my jaw again. “I love saying it. I love you.”
“I love saying it, too,” I agree. “And hearing it.”
We smile at each other, not needing more words to say how we’re feeling. It’s all there, in the way Yara smiles at me. The way she looks at me. The way she instinctively seeks out my touch, whether it’s out of desire or a need for comfort. It’s knowing that out of everyone in the world, somehow, we both found our perfect match.
Yara’s smile lasts until we reach Malik’s room. Just outside the door, it fades. Her fingers dig into my side. Her shoulders tense. “I’m nervous,” she whispers. “I know you said I shouldn’t be. But…”