Autumn gets out of the car and walks toward the water before I can say anything else.
I follow a few seconds later, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket as the cool night air settles around us.
The moon is high above the ocean tonight, turning the waves silver as they roll toward the shore.
Autumn stops near the waterline, her bare feet sinking slightly into the sand.
"You could've told me," she says quietly without turning around.
"I was going to."
"When?"
"Eventually." Not actually sure if that's true or not.
She crosses her arms, finally looking back at me.
"You need to start trusting me."
I almost laugh at the irony of that.
"You trust me?" I ask.
"Yes."
"Why?"
She studies me for a long moment before answering.
"Because underneath all the chaos…"
Her voice softens slightly.
"You're a good person."
Those words hit harder than any punch I've ever taken.
I look away toward the ocean for a second, trying to process them.
"You might be the only person who thinks that," I say.
"I doubt that."
"You shouldn't."
She steps closer now, closing the space between us until we're only a few feet apart.
"You're not the mistakes you've made," she says firmly.
"That's easy for you to say."
"Maybe."
"But it's still true."
The wind moves her hair across her face, and without thinking I reach out and brush it back behind her ear.
My fingers linger there slightly longer than they should.
"You make things complicated," I murmur.
She smiles faintly.
"You warned me about that."
"Yeah."
"And yet here you are."
She looks up at me then.
Really looks.
And for the first time I realize something terrifying.
Autumn isn't just curious about me.
She's choosing me.