Wes: I’m coming over. Can I come over?

Cora: Yeah I’m in my dorm.

A knock on the door came just two minutes later. Cora minimized the paper she was working on and opened the door. Wes stared at her and Cora gestured for him to come in.

“Corey or Cora?”

A little flutter of glee lit her up inside and she smiled at him. “Cora.”

“Cora. Ok.” Anger was evident in his tone now. Wes paced agitatedly. “I thought you weren’t doing shit with my brother anymore? Fifteen years. That’s not nothing. I thought you were done. It was a one time thing. How could you keep doing this and not at least tell me?”

Cora stepped back. Wes came to a stop in the middle of the room and stared at her. Despite the anger in his voice, his face was impassive. “I… James didn’t want me to tell you.”

Fury took over his facial features, but Wes took a deep breath and the impassivity returned. His voice was carefully controlled as he said, “If someone is only interested in being with you in secret then they are not worth your time.”

“I agree. That’s why I ended things. Last night was… Nothing happened. We just slept together.” A scowl twisted Wes’ lips and Cora hurried to fix her phrasing. “Not sex. Literal sleeping next to each other. How did you find out anyway?”

“James told me.” Wes collapsed on her bed. Cora didn’t hear what he was saying though as he continued talking. James told Wes. James told Wes. Wes was the only person James didn’t want to find out. Wes was… He was the only reason they were staying a secret. Hope burst to life in a violent swooping sensation in her chest.

“For fucks sake, just go,” Wes said from her bed. “I wish you two the best. Bang like bunnies or whatever.”

Cora laughed at him, and after hesitating only a second, snatched up her keys and left Wes to wallow alone. Cora hoped the door would open as she approached, the same as the night before, but it didn’t. She hammered on the door, too impatient to knock once and wait.

James opened it and after a beat, stepped back silently so she could enter.

“Can we do this again? Start over?” Cora’s heart was in her throat as she hoped she hadn’t read this wrong.

“No,” James said, but he didn’t give her time to be embarrassed about the situation. “No. We’re doing things right this time. I don’t want to start over, I want everything that we’ve done, but no more hiding. No more secrets.” He shook his head with a smile. “I want to show you off. All I want to do is be with you and take you out so everyone else can see you too.”

Cora was speechless. It felt too perfect. For a moment she wondered if she was actually dreaming, if it was just overly vivid from drinking too much. “This is real?”

“It’s been real for me since the moment I saw you.”

James stepped closer. Cora leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her. It might not have been the fairytale beginning that she’d dreamed of, but it was real. It was real and that made it so much better than any fantasy relationship she could have ever dreamed up. Cora cleared her throat. “I love you. I love you and I couldn’t be with you how we were and love you at the same time.”

James’ laugh rumbled from his chest where her head was pressed. “I love you too. I should’ve said so sooner, but I still thought you should be with someone your age.”

“I don’t want someone my age. I want you.”

“I know.” She felt his lips brush against the top of her head. “I love you,” James said again. His arms tightened around her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”