Amara's POV
"Give us a minute?" I said to Ethan, leaving him no room to say anything.
He hesitated, glancing between Julian and me; an unreadable expression moved across his face. "I'll be at the car."
"Thank you."
He walked off slowly, and I turned back to Julian, who looked a bit disheveled.
"What's going on?" I asked. "You look terrible."
"I've been sitting in my car outside this restaurant for forty minutes."
"Forty minutes? Julian, why didn't you just come in?"
"Because I kept losing my nerve." He laughed, short and humorless. "Which is stupid, considering I've had years to practice."
"Practice what?"
He looked at me for a long moment, and something in his expression made my stomach drop before he'd said a single word.
"I'm in love with you," he said. "I have been for years
