And this is the final chapter of book one of EIB. Chapter 26 and book two will start after a small hiatus. Thank you for reading my little story so far and supporting me!
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And with a faint taste of cigarettes you write hallelujah songs
Ain't it wonderful feeling alright
So I tickle up your backbone
And at the break of day you sink into a dream, you dreamer
And at the break of day you sink into a dream, you dreamer
You dreamer, dreamer
Oh, you dreamer
- Dreamer by Jenn Grant
Kimbra knew she should have been happy, overjoyed . C.O.R.E, her life's work had been completed. The sponsorship with the Sparkling Crystal Pure Flud Water came to an end. She and Bud could finally part ways, never having to see one another ever again.
You dreamer, you dreamer
You dreamer, you dreamer
You dreamer, you dreamer
You dreamer, you dreamer
But Kimbra didn't want it to end. She didn't want to part ways. Maybe it was silly to grow so attached to a person.
On a date by a chocolate lake, down by the rotary
Past town at the edge, looking down at butterflies
So, the canine stood in the middle of the EcoTech lobby, hoping and wishing for something out of her grasp. All the laughter and sounds of the celebration party for the project sounded like someone had turned it way down.
Any sense of achievement felt hollow.
She didn't like parties or all the attention. The scientist wanted to be at home in her bed, sulking like a child. Instead, she had to be here, giving out handshakes and thank-yous.
And at the break of day you sink into a dream, you dreamer
And at the break of day you sink into a dream, you dreamer
You dreamer
You dreamer, you dreamer
On the sidelines were her project team with their families. Drinking far too much and acting like they had found the cure for a stubborn disease. She didn't scold them, they deserved at least one night for all their hard work.
Leslie excitedly explained the project to her girlfriend, Marie? Maria? Kimbra couldn't remember the fox's name. They had only started dating recently. The lab boys were being morons as usual. Craig and Julien were daring each other to see who could fit the most cupcakes in their mouth without choking.
And Neil and his wife were so in love, and it made Kimbra feel bittersweet.
Dammit, she wanted her own happily ever after. She deserved that. Sure, she thought she had that with Derek. And that one guy she met at a bar whose name she can't remember. Or the one fellow that worked over at the St. Canard Library. And then Ross Spector. But she vowed to be done with the journey of finding love. It's a waste of time, she had herself, and that was more than enough.
Kimbra looked over to Bud, who laughed loudly at one of Dr. Ainsley's stories.
She had found him revolting. A disgrace to modern science. A sleazy, selfish, capitalist who cared about no one but himself. A pompous ass who thought he knew everything. A con man. A fool. A self-centered, arrogant man. Just another slimy capitalist.
Bud's eyes met hers, and he smiled.
He was the love of her life.
Everything was in the numbers.
Seven months.
Thirty weeks.
Two hundred and twelve days.
Five thousand one hundred and ten hours.
Three hundred six thousand and six hundred minutes.
Eighteen million and four hundred thousand seconds.
That's how long it took for C.O.R.E to be completed. How long Bud and Kimbra were forced to work together. How long it took for them to go from blindly hating one another, to…whatever this was.
Every hour made it feel more real, more possible. Tonight he would actually admit his feelings for Kimbra. He'd finally say those three words out loud. The threat of her losing her job or a scandal was behind them now. Their partnership had ended.
He could make her happy.
But Bud knew that rejection could happen again. She might reject him. Say she only saw him as a friend. But he had to try.
Anyway, he doubted he would see Kimbra again after today. A shame really since he had gotten used to EcoTech by now. It became part of his routine the last seven months. Drop by several times a week to check in. Chat with Dr. Ainsley. Then go find Kimbra and pester her for the rest of the day. It would take some time to adjust to not going there anymore.
Bud tugged at the sleeves of his suit. He hadn't wanted to come, due to the awkwardness of being around Kimbra due to the other night in the hall. He was expected to come to the party, of course. His sponsorship made the project possible. It'd be silly to skip it.
So, the CEO stood on the sidelines, feeling out of place. Wishing he was anywhere but there. Yet not wanting to leave.
Laughter rippled across the room. Neil once again was the center of attention, telling a story of his first day at EcoTech. Dr. Ainsley added onto the story, causing the group to laugh even harder. And there was Kimbra. Who stood by her boss's side, smiling and speaking with Leslie.
The hound exhaled, a long, slow breath—not quite a sigh.
You have to tell her. Tonight. It has to be tonight.
Bud paused and met her gaze.
You're my best friend, I love you.
Something in her eyes flickered. Something that Bud swore was a sign of relief that he came to the party.
I want her to know.
They met in the middle. A dark red dress hung elegantly off her body. Her purple hair curled and rested over her shoulders.
He spoke first. "I hear congratulations are in order."
Her eyebrows raised. "For what?"
"The project?"
A small laugh and she gestured towards a group, who Bud recognized as the guys from the below ground lab. "Oh, I thought you noticed me taking shots earlier with them."
"Please tell me you weren't trying to out drink one of the lab boys again."
The smile refused to leave her face. "I did, and I won." She wrapped her arm around his, leading him across the room, so they could talk privately.
Once the two of them were out of earshot, Kimbra heaved a sigh. "I'm really bad at this."
"I think you're doing fantastic." A thin smile curled across his face.
She made a face, knowing she wasn't really great at socializing. "Thanks, I think."
Bud knew there was something more he must say to her. For the first time, it felt right. The project had ended. They were at a party, celebrating it. They weren't working together anymore. The timing was all right, finally.
"Can we talk somewhere private?" He asked, looking at her with a hint of pleading in his eyes.
Kimbra's puzzled expression told him that she had no clue what he wanted. "Uh, sure? We can go to the rooftop if you don't mind the cold."
Bud did mind, but he wanted to avoid starting an argument. It'd distract him from the plan. From what he wanted to say. So, he nodded in response and followed her up the staircase to the elevator. They rode in silence, Kimbra passing a glance his way occasionally with a worried expression.
This could make things worse.
But he knew there was no way back now.
By the time they made it to the rooftop, Bud was a wreck. Kimbra stood against the large EcoTech sign, waiting for him to say something. Anything. She could see a slight blush move over his features. He looked as if he were struggling with an internal conflict. Silently arguing with himself on whether or not to speak.
Finally, he blurted out his words in a hurry.
"I've never felt like this before."
Kimbra raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"I… I don't know. I can't explain it." Bud didn't expect his voice to come out so shaky.
Stop beating around the bush.
"You'll freeze your ass off up here if you don't just spit it out, Flud."
"I love you." The words came out in a rush yet again.
This was a bad idea.
Kimbra slowly blinked, taking a moment to process what Bud had just said. She felt something cold hit her head, and looked up.
It was snowing.
"You love me?" She slowly repeated back, looking back at him.
Part of her couldn't believe this was happening. She figured he wouldn't attempt this again, not after last time.
Bud nodded, taking Kimbra's hands in his. "I don't know how long I have, but I realized it the other night on this roof, when you kissed me." He took a moment to plan out what to say next. Then he spoke. "I found myself wanting to be around you all the time. You cross my mind so many times throughout the day."
He'd try to make her happy. By god, he'd try. He wanted—no, he needed the chance to make her happy.
He had finally found love and happiness. Something he had searched for his entire life. Something his parents have never offered him. He found it and it could finally be his.
If it finds you worthy.
A slight panic ran through the bottled water salesman when she didn't reply.
Bud sounded desperate. "Kimbra, please say something, anything . I can't endure much more of this torture.
All logic and reason left her as she spoke. "I love you too."
It felt as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It had taken them so long to get to this point. She never had the guts to say it to his face until now.
At that moment, Bud felt something he wasn't used to feeling.
Joy.
"You do?"
She nodded tearfully. "Yeah, I do. I have since… before November."
"Why didn't you say anything?" His hands slipped around her waist to pull her close.
"Because I was so awful to you in the beginning," her hands rested on his shoulders. "I didn't think you liked me."
Bud took a deep breath, almost a laugh. "Fair enough." He hugged her close and nuzzled into her hair. It smelled of vanilla, warm vanilla.
It felt like the start of something new.
She lifted her face up for a kiss, and he brought his lips down to hers. For the first time in years, Kimbra wasn't at all ashamed of herself. After all, she'd pictured this, embarrassingly enough, hundreds of times. When she tried to fill out paperwork in her office as Bud lingered in the halls. Whenever she'd drive past one of his billboards or see one of his commercials on television. It turned out how she wanted. Better than she ever thought it would.
It was scary, but it was also exhilarating.
It felt like a dream.
"I love you," she breathed once they broke apart. She pressed her body against his before kissing him again.
His laugh blew warm against her cheek. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that."
"I'll keep saying it then," she kissed him once more. "I love you."
"I love you too."
And all was right in the world again.