Faster.
The Bitches were just ahead of us now. The onlooking crowd shouted encouragement as runners dug deep into their last stores of energy to finish strong.
We broke off into twos, parting around the four Bedazzled Bitches. Sophie and Everly passed on their left, Nora and I on their right. And as if we’d planned the perfect choreography for our moment of triumph, we came together in front of them, looked over our shoulders, and waved.
Turning toward the finish, we clasped hands. Without slowing our pace, we sprinted across the finish line.
Volunteers were there to herd us to the side, making room for the runners behind us. We slowed to a walk, but it felt like everything was chaos around us. Someone put a medal around my neck. Everly collapsed into her husband’s arms, surrounded by her family. Sophie hugged me, then squealed when she saw several of her friends from work holding a Go Sophie sign. Peacock Man walked by, flashing me a thumbs up and a big smile. Jensen had indeed come to greet Nora. He had a water bottle in one hand, a silver flask in the other. She happily took both.
My vision blurred. I took off my glasses and lifted my shirt to wipe the sweat out of my eyes. My heart still beat fast and my legs were beginning to feel wobbly.
But I’d done it. I’d finished. And in this moment, I wasn’t Hazel Kiegen, psychology researcher and girl with a genius IQ. I was Hazel Kiegen, half-marathon runner.
I wasn’t even too terribly sad that I was standing at the finish line alone. My sense of accomplishment was enough.
Mostly.
Even if it wasn’t, I didn’t want to ruin the moment.
“Hazel.”
The voice calling my name didn’t make sense. Before I replaced my glasses, I told myself my blood sugar must be low, and I was probably dehydrated. Because there was no way it was him. He couldn’t be here.
Despite all logic, my foolish heart swelled with hope, and I slid my glasses on.
It was him.
Corban stood, surrounded by exhausted runners celebrating with friends and family, holding a sign. His hair was adorably unkempt and one corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile.
The hope in that foolish, stubborn heart of mine exploded like fireworks.
He closed the distance between us, which was good because I wasn’t sure if I could take another step without collapsing. The hard sprint to the finish and the shock of seeing him here had rendered my legs almost useless.
“You did it,” he said. “I knew you would.”
“You’re here.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Do you like the sign I made?”
“Oh.” I adjusted my glasses. I was so surprised to see him, I hadn’t even read it.
I blinked and narrowed my eyes.
Adjusted my glasses again.
Blinked a few more times because the words on the sign brought a rush of tears to my eyes.
The poster board in his hands read I love you, Hazel, in large handwritten letters. In the corner, he’d drawn two penguins facing each other, their heads bowed, beaks touching, the shape of their bodies forming a heart.
And one of the penguins wore a race number, just like me.
39
Corban
“Love is the most powerful form of energy, but science cannot decipher its elements. Yet the best cure for a sick soul is love, but even the most advanced physician cannot prescribe it as medicine.” ~ Suzy Kassem
For a second, it felt like my heart stopped.
I held the sign, watching Hazel’s eyes flit back and forth, as if she were reading it repeatedly. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and the dread of potential rejection nearly took the air out of my lungs.
But I loved her enough to risk it.
“Hazel, I was never with Paisley. I didn’t know she was in my apartment that day, and she didn’t tell me you came over. I’m so sorry you had to see that, and that you thought I’d been with her. But mostly I’m sorry I was such a dick to you. You weren’t a mistake. We weren’t a mistake. Not to me.”
“I wanted to be wrong,” she blurted out, finally meeting my eyes. “It took me too long to admit it, even to myself, but I did. I’d decided your questionnaire wouldn’t work, and I was too stubborn to see beyond that. But you were right, Corban. You were right the whole time. Your questionnaire works. It made me fall in love with you. Although…”
“Although what?”
“It wasn’t just the questionnaire that made me fall in love. It was you.”
I tossed the sign to the ground and scooped her into my arms. Held her tight while she wound her arms around my neck. Her clothes were damp, and her ponytail was falling out, but I didn’t care. I pressed her body against me. The hole in my chest I’d lived with for so long had suddenly been filled.
This meant I wasn’t broken.
“Did you really just say you’re in love with me?” I whispered close to her ear.
“Yes.”
“I love you, too. So much.”
“Yes, I know, it’s what your sign says.”
I laughed and loosened my grip so I could look her in the eyes. Brushed a sweaty tendril of hair off her face. Her cheeks were pink, and her mouth turned up in a smile.
I loved making her smile.
Leaning in, I captured those sweet lips with mine, and kissed her. She tasted salty, and her body was warm in my arms. Her mouth was soft, and when the tip of her tongue brushed mine, I surged in. Kissed her deeply. Because I loved her and she loved me, and no matter what happened, I was never letting her go.
“I’m sorry I told you it was a mistake,” she said. “I don’t regret anything we did.”
“Me neither. I didn’t even mean it when I said it.”
“And I know you’re not a test subject. I didn’t mean to treat you that way. You’re not broken. I don’t see anything that needs fixing. I love you the way you are.”
“Even though I’m weird?”
She smiled again. “You keep saying that but I don’t think you’re the least bit weird.”
I touched my forehead to hers. “Maybe because we both are.”
“That’s a fair point.”
“That reminds me, I brought you something.” I reached into my pocket and drew out a smooth, round stone. “Here.”
She held out her hand and I placed the rock in her palm. “Oh, Corban.”
“Male penguins collect stones to present to the female they want to mate with.”
“And if the female accepts, she uses the stones to build her nest.”
I cupped her cheek. “Hazel, I’m glad we became friends, and I think we can both agree the other stuff was great. But I need you to know something. I don’t want to just date you. You’re brilliant and beautiful and yeah, sometimes you drive me crazy. But you challenge me. You love asking questions and picking things apart as much as I do, and I think we’re perfect for each other. I want you to be my penguin.”
Her hand closed around the rock and she put her arms around my neck. “I am your penguin.”
I kissed her again, feeling like I could fly. The fact that penguins were flightless birds ran through my head, but I pushed that train of thought aside. Someone nearby whistled at us, but I ignored them too, because love was awesome and for the first time in my life, I didn’t care if I made things awkward.