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"On account of attempted murder, physical abuse to a minor, and the suspected involvement in his late wife, Linda Jamison's death from heroin overdose, the court hereby sentences ex-police officer, Mr. Gregory Jamison to fifteen years behind bars without parole, as well as a $10,000 fine to be paid to the victim. Since the victim, Xavier Hunt is not a minor forthwith, he is declared fit to manage his financial affairs, including the property at 22-D Hampton Street, Texas, which initially belonged to his biological father and will be transferred to his name by the order of the court. The court is hereby adjourned."

Smiling so wide I can barely contain my joy, I glance to my right to see my dad beaming at me. His happiness radiates off him, and I don't know how to tell him how lucky I am to have a father like him. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him.

Tearing my gaze away from him, I look to my left, at the boy sitting next to me and staring right at me with his mesmerizing, grey eyes. His fingers are still trapped in mine, exactly as they have been since we entered the court for this hearing.

I give him a wide smile, and he smiles back, looking over my shoulder at his stepfather being handcuffed and taken out of the court again, dressed in an orange jumpsuit that is definitely fit for him.

"Let's go, kids," my dad says, probably seeing the hurt flashing behind Xavier's eyes. Regardless of what his stepdad did, Xavier had always considered him nothing but a father.

Neither of us resists obeying my dad, rising to our feet as one and following him out of the courtroom.

The day outside is bright and hot, but the clouds that thankfully decided to grace us with their presence are more than appreciated.

Keeping my fingers woven through Xavier's, I lead him and my dad out into the open air, the place bustling with strangers.

Xavier suddenly stops, his fingers slipping out of mine. I have been overly paranoid since everything happened, so the acceleration of my heartbeat doesn't surprise me, neither does the fact that I spin around to look at Xavier without really meaning to.

I'm just about to open my mouth to ask him what's wrong, when Xavier glances towards my dad -- who nods and walks away. Xavier, on the other hand, reaches towards one of the flower-beds around the court entrance. Before I can say a word, he is on his knees, holding a flower out to me.

My heart pretty much dies and comes back to life again.

Xavier takes a deep breath, his eyes fixed on me as sun rays dance across his pale skin.

"Remember how I tried to say something to you last month?" he begins, and my breath catches in my throat at the mention of that horrifying day. "You told me that wasn't how you'd have me say it. That you'd rather hear me say it like this."

"I didn't mean ..." I try to speak but fail. I'm such a dweeb.

Xavier smiles. "Haley Marie-Ann Rosamond," he says, his voice especially beautiful. "I swear to God, I love you."

I could freaking die right now and be happy.

No, wait, scratch that; I don't want to die. Not now.

"I have loved you since that day when you held out a pen to me in that Classics quiz I didn't know what to write --"

I mean ... I'm sure that's a lie but ...

Holy pajamas, he remembers!

"-- since that night when you offered a broken stranger to come into your house because it was too wet and cold out --"

Pretty sure I would never have done that if I was smarter.

"-- since that evening when you snuck into that warehouse so you could give me my phone back --"

Yeah, that was a stupid thing to do.

"-- or when you hugged me when you barely knew me --"

Okay, now he's just teasing me.

" -- the truth is Haley Rosamond ..." Xavier's smile widens. "I fell in love with your kindness. With your compassion. With your innocent blunders when you tried to play it cool but obviously had a huge crush on me."

I'm so red, my face is about to explode. Take cover, people!

"I fell in love with the way you invited a bruised and hurt boy into your house, your life, and your heart," he adds. "With no strings attached, no questions asked, no judgments, no assumptions. You and your father --"

HAH! He has a crush on my dad too.

"-- and the way you're looking at me right now because your mind is overworking and overanalyzing every word I say --"

This boy knows me too well.

"I love everything about you, Haley," Xavier confesses. "So, here I am, doing it right. On my knees, holding out a flower to give you, in front of all these strangers, telling you ... that I love you, and I want to ask you if ... you'll be my girlfriend?"

Why did my brain think he was proposing? Duh, Haley, get a grip, you're teenagers.

Still, it feels so strange that we never even talked about what we really were even though we went through so much together. We didn't even go on one single date. The prom date we had was a mess, a statement to the school but a genuine joke.

So my reaction to him asking me to be his girlfriend is, first and foremost, of shock. I mean, if this is how he's asking me to date him, I can't even imagine how he'll propose to me when the time comes. If that ever happens.

But I digress.

Now, if I was a normal girl, I would probably cover my mouth with my trembling hands and smile through the happy-tears, nodding and telling Xavier something like 'I thought you'd never ask', since that would be the cool thing to do.

But! ...

My voice decides to abandon me right when I need it most.

This leaves me utterly dumb, opening and closing my mouth like a dying fish.

Apparently, though, Xavier is used to my weirdness, because he stays on his knees, waiting for me to regain my microscopic sanity. It doesn't, so to save us both the embarrassment, I decide to do something even more embarrassing. I drop to my knees in front of Xavier and pull him into a bone-crushing koala-bear hug, forgetting that he's still healing from his gun-wound.

Xavier gasps, inhaling a sharp breath through his teeth and letting out a breathless laugh.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm --" I lean back quickly, freezing when I see the beautiful smile on Xavier's face.

"You know you have to give me an answer, right?" he says. He teases.

I swallow, wishing I was anything but myself right now. I so wish I was cooler.

"I love ... yogurt?" I blurt out.

Xavier isn't fooled, rolling his eyes and staring intently at me.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Haley?" he repeats in a lower voice.

"Yeah?" I grumble, pretty sure no sound leaves my lips. I lean in to kiss Xavier, hoping he'll let it go.

"I'm waiting," he leans an inch back and says instead.

"Just kiss me."

Oh, how bold!

"But you're not even my girlfriend and you don't love me so --"

"Xavier, stop talking and --"

"Nope, just started," he teases, biting his lower lip.

I'm vaguely aware that we're both on our knees outside the regional court, with dozens of people probably staring at the crazy couple on the ground.

"Xavier," I breathe, keeping my hands around his neck.

He knows me. He knows what a wreck I am when it comes to saying things I should be able to say. This is why I'm a hugger. This is why I would rather kiss him than tell him how much I love him.

"Shut up and kiss me," I whisper, closing my eyes tight.

"Sounds like a song."

"Xavier, you're annoying me," I whine.

"You mean, making you nervous? I know."

I open my eyes, giving him the coldest glare I can muster.

"I hate you," I say, pouting.

"Oh, so you can say you hate me but you can't say you love me?" Xavier raises his eyebrows.

"You already know ..."

"Know what?"

"That I love ..." my voice trails away.

"Yogurt?"

"You!" I finally snap. "You, idiot, I love ... you."

Xavier beams so bright, it literally sets my entire being aflame. His smile is beautiful, heartwarming, and just ... perfect. Xavier is perfect. We are perfect.

His lips melt with mine, and the world around us begins to evaporate. Nothing else matters in this moment, not where we are, not who is watching, not everything we have been through. It doesn't matter that less than two months ago Xavier was lying in my lap, bleeding out a river. It doesn't matter that we both had to put our university classes on hold because he was in the hospital and I didn't want to leave him there alone.

Isn't it strange how things change?

Not too long ago, he was the boy who refused to look my way or answer my questions, and I the clingy girl who didn't know how to take no for an answer.

Not too long ago, people were telling me Xavier Hunt is a mess that I should avoid at all costs, that he's a mystery I was better off not unraveling.

Not too long ago, I found him sitting in the cold and asked him to give me the chance of being the girl who would offer him a place to stay and a few kind words.

He loves me, not because I'm pretty or smooth, or that I'm that girl who knows what to say and when. Like Xavier said, he didn't fall for my looks, or my clumsiness, or anything remotely cliché. He fell for the kindness I offered, for the comfort he felt in my house, for the compassion in my dad's smile and in my silent company.

Xavier Hunt fell for the girl I have become, not for the girl I tried to be.

And as for me ... I don't know what I fell for.

I didn't fall for his smile, or his silence, or his charm. I feel for the boy who was stronger than anything life threw at him. I fell for his endurance, and the promise of flawed beauty. He didn't ask me to change, he didn't push me to do things I didn't want to do. He respected my father, and most importantly, me.

My dad was right; some things are more important than love. Such as kindness, and respect, being valued and being cherished.

And I have learned this on this journey.

The journey of growing up from a clumsy girl into an awkward woman.

The journey of realizing the worth of my father and forgiving my mother.

The journey of seeing behind the veils and reading between the lines.

The journey ... of knowing Xavier.

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