I reach a tentative hand out and brush my fingers across his collarbone. He glances down at them, then shoots me a questioning look.
“I’ll stay, but you have to promise me one thing,” I say.
“What?”
“You have to wear V-necks every day. Even when it’s cold outside.”
A smile stretches across his face. “Deal.”
“And one more thing.”
He groans dramatically, and I punch his shoulder.
“I want to hear you sing. All the time.”
“What about right now?” he whispers near my ear.
I swallow hard, nodding.
“Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something I think you’ll understand,” he sings in a whisper, repeating the words of his favorite band, the Beatles, and threading our fingers together. “Oh please say to me you’ll let me be your man. And please say to me you’ll let me hold your hand.”
He cuts the lyrics short to press his lips against mine. And I let him kiss me, just because we’re overlooking the lit-up Seoul skyline and he’s a rock star and being with him makes me feel more confident, more comfortable than anything else. I breathe in his familiar scent—he still smells like rain. But now I notice he tastes like hope.
He tastes like a future.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Big Brother,
I think I found it—what I was looking for. And I found it in a boy who’s kind of awkward and wears neon-colored shoes. I just wish you were here so I could tell you about it. I wish you could meet him and the other friends I made here.
I’ve decided not to run anymore. It’s time to face life. It’s time to face my future.
I’m ready for love.
I’m ready to trust.
I’m ready for my new beginning.
But I’ll still give you this last letter,
From Seoul, with lots and lots of love, Grace