“There’s stuff we’ve been keeping from each other, isn’t there?”

I nod slowly. Oh no, where’s she going with this?

“I’ve known for a while that there was something up with your thing with Dani, but I didn’t want to say anything. I guess it sort of gave us a buffer, a comfort zone. You know what I mean?”

I just nod and look down, afraid to admit any specifics yet. I need to tell her I love her, but it hasn’t felt like the right time. I’m not sure I’m ready for all of this.

“And I know there’s something about your comic book that you don’t want me to see. You’re afraid I’m not going to like something, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “You could say that.”

“And there’s a lot I haven’t told you about my situation with Arnauld. I’ve only told you parts because…well, I guess because I needed a buffer too.”

“Yeah,” I guess so. “So you’re really not going to marry him?”

“No.” She smiles. “I never would’ve married him. Even if I’d never met you. I wouldn’t have married him, I swear.”

I nod, taking a deep breath and letting the relief seep through me.

“This is the deal,” she explains. “I’ve been so stressed, so worried…I mean you have no idea of the hell that it’s been inside my head.”

Her face twists up in pain and she runs her hand across her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly as I inch closer to her. “Can I do anything?”

She lies still for moment thinking, and then her expression fixes somewhere between hope and fear. “You know what I need? I need a week of no worries, just fun, just happy. Yeah that’s what I need…happy twenty-four, seven.”

“Okay,” I stammer, having no idea how I can facilitate that.

“Here’s the thing. Arnauld is leaving for New York tonight. He has meetings there all week that he couldn’t get out of. I told him last night that I wouldn’t marry him, and he insisted that I take the week to think it over. We are meeting the night he gets back.”

“So you’re going to think about it this week?”

“No, like I said, I have no intention of marrying him, but I agreed to talk again because it was the only way he’d get off my back. We rehashed everything last night for hours. He just wore me the fuck out.”

I can see the price she’s paid by the exhaustion in her expression.

“And that’s my point…I don’t want to think about anything for a while. I need a goddamn break from agonizing over how to get out of this mess, the things he’s doing to sabotage my job search, and how to salvage my career. The worst part though is my guilt from pulling you into this disaster, then worrying about how I can protect you from him.”

She looks up at me, the concern and care she feels so evident in her expression as she continues. “It’s just all too much. So I just want to be free from any heavy thoughts for a few days.

“Okay, so what can I do to help?” I ask hopeful.

“I want to have fun….fun with you. I’m always happy when I’m with you. You make me feel special and appreciated.”

I smile widely. “I’m so glad, Brooke.” I guess I’ve done a few things right.

“And I want to make you feel the same,” she says softly.

Wow.

She runs her fingers up my chest and looks up at me. “You know what I really want from you?” She gives me the sweetest smile. “…I want to be wooed.”

My breath catches. She didn’t just say that.

“You want me to woo you?”

“Yes, but for the record, I don’t want to meet any small relatives yet, and I’d like to take the ballroom dancing lesson with you. I don’t want you dancing with some middle aged woman in Lycra.”

I grin. She wants me to woo her. “So a week of woo…I think that can be arranged.”

“Good, and woo week starts now. I want just happy times—no heavy conversations. We can have those talks next week. Just fun for now, okay?”

I nod enthusiastically despite my anxiety of the looming Arnold and B-Girl reveal. This isn’t the time to worry about worst-case scenarios.

I reflect back over all she’s said and I can’t believe it…she wants to be with me.

“So to start, can you read this to me?” She has a coy smile as she reaches into her back pocket and pulls out something folded up. I watch her beautiful fingers pull the folds apart and press it out against the bedspread. When it’s as smooth as possible she hands it to me.

I hold it up in the dim light, and recognize my writing. It’s the note card I wrote and taped on the mirror, just after I called her this morning. It’s written in bold letters, all in caps.

TODAY IS THE DAY I WILL TELL BROOKE THAT I’M IN LOVE WITH HER

Oh, my. Here we go…

Animate Me / Chapter Twenty / A Two-Way Woo

“Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown up things again.” ~Peter Pan ^xix

My fingers are trembling, as though they’re trying to hold up the weight of all of the longing I’ve ever had for Brooke. “You took this off the bathroom mirror.” I observe quietly, full of apprehension.

“Yes, I did,” she admits, not looking the slightest bit guilty.

“I would’ve told you, you know,” I protest. “The day isn’t over yet.”

“Are you going to read it to me or not?” she teases.

“But I thought we weren’t going to talk about anything heavy.”

“This isn’t heavy. If you mean it, it’s full of light and happiness…the most beautiful feeling ever. It’s completely woo-worthy.” She says with her eyes closed and a dreamy smile.

“Oh, I mean it,” I affirm solemnly, trying to work up the courage to look her in the eyes.

“Then tell me; read it,” she encourages. “I want to hear you say it.”

I hold up the note card but I don’t need to read it. The sentiment is etched in my memory. “Today is the day I will tell Brooke that I’m in love with her.” I curl the card in my hand.

She grins happily, taking the note back and pressing it against her chest, right over her heart. “So are you going to tell me? I’m really ready to hear it.”

I look into her eyes and try to be brave. “I’m in love with you, Brooke,” I whisper so softly I’m not sure she’s heard the words.

“Like you mean it,” she pushes playfully.

I can’t help but laugh, she is so infuriatingly demanding. “I’m in love with you, Brooke,” I state with strength and confidence, “completely, utterly, overwhelmingly in love with you.”

She scoots closer and places her hand over my pounding heart.

“You’ve just made me so happy.” She is beaming brightly, all the earlier exhaustion gone.

“Can I ask you something?” I ask carefully.

“Okay, but remember, no heavy questions.”

“Just one…please?”

“Oh, okay.” She bites her lip and watches me.

“Do you think you could ever fall in love with me?”

She smiles, like she is holding a secret in her hands. “Yes, I do. Absolutely.

How do you know I haven’t already, Mr. Woo?”

My huge grin comes from the inside out. I take her hand in mine. Oh wow, is this really happening? I don’t want push to ask for more details. This is already so much more than I could have hoped for.

“Why don’t I show you how I feel about you?” she offers.

“Show not tell?”

She nods as she curves into me. “I want to make love to you.”

Good lord. This woman…what she does to me…

“But I’m supposed to woo you,” I point out. I think I remember the woo list saying I was supposed to take control. But my head’s spinning, so I’m not completely sure.

“It’s a two-way woo,” she whispers right before she settles against me and presses her lips to mine in the sweetest kiss. “You’ll make love to me too.”

Wow…who cares who’s in control…