Chapter 1 - The Flight Back
With my gaze lost somewhere outside the airplane's small, round window, I finally allowed my mind to relax. Between Caroline -Jackson and I's patient- being awake and talking again, packing our things and all the paperwork we had to fill, I hadn't gotten a moment to myself today – a moment to sit back and force myself to realize that last night was not a dream.
Because frankly, that was exactly what it felt like, but not in the romantic sense necessarily. It was just that it felt like a blur. Like something pulled out of the distant and faint fantasies of a sleeping brain's imagination. It honestly didn't feel real, and I would have sworn I had made it all up if it wasn't for the fact that, blurry and surreal as the whole picture was… it was the details that I remembered, clear and vivid.
Like this very second, for example, I just casually brushed my hand across my forearm- and that plain, small movement brought another detail to the surface. It was the exact same spot, right above my wrist, that he had grabbed and pinned against the mattress with a groan when I wouldn't stop touching him and he was desperately trying to last. The look he'd given me was supposed to be scolding, but with his glazed-over eyes and his frantic breaths coming out quick as I'd ever heard them, his glare had lost some of its strength.
I caught myself half-smiling, the same way I had smiled at him then.
I quickly took control of my expression, remembering I wasn't alone in the plane. In the only other seat, on the opposite side of the corridor, sat him -exactly like he had on our flight to Montana. Which definitely didn't feel like three days ago. More like a lifetime.
I dared a glance at him from the corner of my eyes. He was folding his black jacket at the time, then he made himself comfortable in the beige leather seat for the upcoming hours of stillness. The plane –his plane, even though he wouldn't admit so- had just taken off Bozeman's airport, and we had a few hours ahead of us to make up for the sleepless night we'd just had.
I realized I had been staring at him like a moron for the past minute, and quickly withdrew my gaze. Sex with Jackson had brought back a whole lot of inappropriate thoughts I had so carefully locked in a drawer, but I'd be damned if I started ogling him like a lovesick puppy.
Even though that was pretty much what I had been doing all morning. Sigh.
"Champagne?"
I turned my head to look at the flight attendant -Katie I think was her name- who had just walked in the cabin. For some reason, the sight of the two long glasses filled with the fizzy, transparent drink drew the same reaction from me as it had the first time. With a wide grin on my face, I reached for the one glass excitedly. "Yes, I think the time for champagne has finally come."
I casually glanced towards Jackson again, when his eyes met mine and a brilliant smile made its way to his lips. "It definitely has." He agreed and took the other glass, freeing Katie who turned and walked away.
He raised his glass up the air. "Cheers."
"Cheers." I repeated the motion and then brought the glass to my mouth taking a sip. It tasted amazing. It was youthful and fruity, comprising apple and lemon flavors and a touch of honey. When the fizz finished with a chalky freshness in my mouth, I couldn't help but sigh aloud. "God, this is so good."
I heard a snort then and my eyes snapped open at once to see was watching me carefully, his expression amused. "What?" I questioned.
"God?" he said, quirking an eyebrow. "A few hours ago it was Jackson."
It took me a moment to realize what he was saying. Once I did I was pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a second there. "Hey!" I yelped, grabbing the first thing I could get my hand on – my coat- and throwing it his way. Unfortunately he caught it mid-air before it managed to land on his face like I had planned. His loud chuckles filled the small cabin.
I rolled my eyes and looked down at my drink. With my cheeks gradually filling with color, I bit my lips to hold back a smile.
Well, he was right, of course. It had been Jackson. And baby too, I think, but that one had slipped from my tongue before I had the chance to realize it, and truth was I had been kind of too occupied to check for his reaction. If it had made him feel uncomfortable, though, he hadn't showed it.
A few moments passed before he stopped laughing, and he finally laid back on his seat and stared out his window. My eyes traced over him again; I couldn't help it. It had been forbidden for so long for me to look at him, really look at him. And now that I could…
Could I though? I frowned at myself. I realized I had no idea. I was pretty clueless about a lot of things, in fact, but what I did know was that it had been a long while since there was something in my life so thrilling and electrifying that I just couldn't get it out of my stupid, stupid head.
And then last night happened.
Frankly, I hadn't even seen it coming. The ride home from the surgery had been a rush, the trill of our success too great and impossible to bother restraining. We had grown close over the whole ordeal with his father already, and I was just so happy to have him back, laughing with me like an idiot in the middle of the night. He woke the entire city of Bozeman up, and I did nothing but help him. Even the receptionist of the hotel –such a sweet old lady- asked us, with a kind smile, to quiet down a bit when we passed through the reception.
It was the closest we'd ever come to those crazy kids once upon a time, engaging in bar fights and then running through the hallways while laughing like drunks. And exactly like it had happened back then, the lust hit me out of nowhere. Of course I knew that -putting the last few months aside- I still kind of wanted him… It would be pretentious to suggest otherwise. But I had no idea that I could still want him that much.
We made love all night, dusk till dawn. I couldn't get enough of him. I was tired, and I was sore after all these months of absence but I didn't care. I didn't want to sleep, and I wanted the ache. I wanted him in me, all the time, wanted his weight on top of me. I wanted to watch his face, to feel his hot breath hit my skin and his sweat on my body. Everything was so familiar, his scent, his thrusts, the way his hands held my sides a bit too tight in the most satisfying way and how warm his mouth was, how soft his tongue felt against my skin. How deep and dark his usually bright eyes looked when they bore into mine from such a close distance.
But somehow, everything was brand new at the same time. I couldn't believe it. I thought there wasn't a thing I didn't know about him, about having sex with him, but somehow every once in a while I still managed to invent something new. To shift some movements, to adjust different pressures, to lick and suck and kiss in ways I hadn't yet discovered and draw new sounds from his throat that were worth a thousand heartaches. He pushed down, I bucked. I scratched his back, he bit my lips. I kissed the scar on his forehead and he caressed the one across my stomach, his eyes never leaving mine. I did something and he copied it, then he did something and I did it back. There was no end to it, an endless cycle of actions and reactions.
The entire room rocked and shook until morning when we headed downstairs hand-in-hand, with flashed faces and high-collar sweaters to hide the fresh marks. The kind old lady at the reception flashed us a smile that was too mischievous to be considered sweet anymore.
Abruptly thrown back to the present by a slight shake of the airplane, I realized that while my mind had been running a hundred miles an hour, I'd been gawking at Jackson again.
Oh for the love of…
I took a deep breath, in an almost violent way. I had to pull my crap together. I tried to think of anything else, to engage into a conversation with him to get my mind out of the gutter because honestly I was being pathetic. Lucky for me, there was another burning subject in need of discussion, and it didn't take me too long to recall what it was. We hadn't talked about it since earlier in the morning as we laid tangled on his room's bed, and now I truly was curious… And so I broke the silence that had fallen between us –how long had it been now? Seconds? Hours?
My voice was reluctant when I spoke. "So. Did you talk to him?"
I was expecting his expression to cloud up, just like it did every time I brought up his dad. Instead, though, he just sighed, closed his eyes and rested his head back on the seat. "Yeah." He simply mumbled.
A movement of the clouds had some white, morning sunrays land on his face through the window, doing wonders with the shadows they created. The sight was a masterpiece, a work of art more beautiful than any painting I had ever laid my eyes on. And I found myself wishing he'd open his eyes again, because I just knew how brilliant they would look in the light and I ached to see it.
I gulped. Focus. "And?"
"I told him about Harriet." He mattered. Then he huffed. "The man had the guts to actually call himself a grandpa. I told him he's not one, and that he's not my father. That by having a kid you're making a promise, and… and then I said I was glad I met him and walked away."
I looked down at my glass, processing all that. The yellowish liquid was still slightly fizzing. "And how are you feeling?"
"Honestly? I don't know if this will last or the whole thing will lash on me later, but as of right now…" he trailed off and looked me right in the eyes. "I actually feel pretty amazing."
I knew him well enough to back that up.
And I had been so right about his eyes in the sun.
The sight before me was so beautiful that I felt the sudden urge to get closer, to bring my face an inch from his own and get the clearest view I could. My first instinct was to push the thought away, just like I had been doing for almost two years. And I'd been getting a lot of thoughts about him, thoughts that no woman should be having about her ex-husband. That is, unless he was not such an ex anymore. And now with the urge to go to him so hard to hold back, I suddenly realized that I didn't have to anymore.
I didn't have to hold back. Yes, I didn't know where we stood or if last night meant something, but just a few hours ago we had been in each other's arms, cuddling naked in bed. That gave me the right to at least go sit by him, right?
Reluctantly, as I was unsure if he still craved my closeness, I got up from my seat and walked the few feet separating us, then stood still to face him. I crossed my arms behind my back and bit my lips, waiting.
He peeked at me through long eyelashes, his stunning eyes half closed in the sunlight. I watched his expression carefully, as a warm and yet amused smile appeared on his lips at the sight of my hesitation.
And that was enough. My body relaxed at once, my hands dropping to my sides as I smiled back at him.
"Move your butt, I wanna sit."
He pursed his lips playfully. "Hm, that's too bad. This seat can't hold us both."
"Yeah, I guess your ego is too big Dr. Avery." I smirked.
"I was talking about your pregnancy weight but fair enough."
"Hey!" I yelped and hit his chest as he shot back his head and laughed. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms against my chest waiting for him to stop, while at the same time putting a great amount of effort into keeping a straight face myself.
Finally, he straightened up on his seat and closed his legs, before patting on his lap slightly. I shook my head in pretend exasperation but sat on top of him anyway, facing the window. I lowered my body on his chest while my head rested on his left shoulder, my forehead nuzzling at the crook of his neck. To my astonishment, he lost no time to wrap his hands around me.
A while passed with the two of us just staring out the window in silence, the only sounds being the low purring of the plane's engine and the soft, breezy sounds of our breaths. The beauty of Montana unfolded before our eyes, underneath the swirling clouds. I allowed my eyes to wonder along the small white hills and valleys and trace the line of the horizon, before pausing on the broad mountains towering above it.
"How beautiful is this place…" I wondered aloud in awe.
"Yeah." he mumbled. "It really is."
"Look at all that snow." I sighed. "It's always just rainy in Seattle no matter how cold it gets. Is it too much to ask for a chance to build a stupid snowman?" I grumbled, my nose wrinkling.
He chuckled, then beamed. "I bet Harriet would love snow too."
My mind briefly flew back to those insane snowball fights we had had that Christmas we'd spent in Moline. I tried imagining a tiny little human joining us. "Aw, can you just picture her, Jackson? With a coat twice her size and a scurf up to her nose, little fluffy gloves and a bunny beanie…" I squealed, gathering my fists to my face in excitement.
"She wouldn't even be able to walk."
I bit my lips and met his gaze. Then we both burst out laughing at the fact that our daughter couldn't walk anyways. It was such a free spirited moment. So when he asked me his next question, I was completely unprepared.
"You don't regret it, do you?"
The tone of his voice made it clear he wasn't talking about Harriet anymore.
I froze for a second in stunned silence, all laughter caught in my throat. It took way too long for me to be able to look at him, and when I did he was looking out the window with unease written all over his characteristics.
Hesitantly, almost skittishly, his eyes met mine.
I felt my heart skip a beat. Was he seriously afraid of my answer? What did this mean? And frankly, I was surprised he actually brought the issue up himself. That was usually my job. In any case, I was sure that me being in his arms with whatever look was on my face right now made my answer more than obvious, but for the sake of clarity I also shook my head.
He let out a breath and nodded. His tense expression softened. "Good. At least for once we're on the same page afterwards."
I sucked in a breath. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, its rhythm rapid and irregular. God forbid I developed heart issues out of the sudden. I mean I wasn't that old…
Oh Lord, this man was going to be the death of me.
"Do you want to talk about that now?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice straight.
"You don't? I mean, we have about one and a half hours ahead of us."
"I know but… I was just thinking we could do this tonight. After we put Harriet to sleep, with maybe a bottle of wine…" I suggested.
He grinned. "That's so adult."
"Don't we need it, though?" I challenged.
He push a small lock of hair behind my ear. "Yeah we do."
I nodded, feeling the blood rising to my cheeks. "Okay then. Tonight."
"Tonight." He agreed.
A few moments of silence followed, and as I marveled at the feeling of his chest rising and falling rhythmically beneath me, the image of us back at his place crossed my mind. I felt my stomach tying into a knot and I bit my lips. This shouldn't make me feel so anxious, we would just sit down and talk about Montana. Casually. No big deal…
My heart skipped a beat again, and I almost glared at my chest.
From the corner of my eye I noticed some movement, and I saw him looking down at my bitten lips. A second went by. He didn't drop his gaze.
Oh, so I wasn't the only one ogling here. Good.
"You know…" he trailed off, and I waited for him to finish the sentence but never did.
"Yes?" I urged him on.
"Well, we still have a lot of time to kill until we land."
"Do we?" I knew what he was getting at, and I couldn't help but glance down at his lips as well.
"Yeah… Fortunately." he murmured and he shifted a bit beneath me so that his face neared mine. His eyes met mine with a question hidden inside them.
It seemed almost comical to be asking for my permission for a kiss after everything that had just happened, but I sure understood his hesitation at this point. Instead of nodding I just leaned closer, my eyes flattering closed just as my lips found his.
The warmth of his spread throughout my entire body. My lips were firm against his, but the kiss remained soft, gentle, slow. We held it for a few seconds, before our lips began to move in perfect sync, slowly, cautiously. I exhaled through my nose, not wanting to let go.
The sensations were overwhelming even though the kiss was gentle and slow. Or maybe because of that. I had some room to experience this fully for the first time, room to process my inner world and I realized that…
Shit, I had missed him. I had missed him so much. Damn it.
A frustrated sound left my mouth, and my hands flew to his shirt. I pulled him to me, pressed myself harder against him. I tried to get enough. I couldn't. Attempting to conquer as much of him as I could, I pulled away from his mouth and kissed his jaw, his cheekbone, the hollow behind his ear, all the way to his throat – and when all that wasn't enough, I just wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. I ended up hugging him. It wasn't what I was going for, but there I was; pressing myself against him, holding him as tight as humanly possible. Surprisingly, the odd gesture didn't weird him out. I felt him on my shoulder, burying his head in my hair and I did the same at the crook of his neck. I held him, and he held me.
And it was everything.
Being embraced by Jackson like this, after the army, after the divorce, and all those endless fights since… I couldn't believe it. The warmth, the tenderness… the feeling of being somehow wanted by him again, how could this even be? I thought he hated me, I honestly thought I had made him resend me for good and he had been tolerating me since, and now he… now I just…
It was faint, but I felt him squeeze me slightly, holding me tighter.
I couldn't believe it.
In this moment, in this tiny yet luxurious plane, it honestly felt like he had missed me too. Like this was the scene when two lovers, separated by the cruelty of life, were falling back into each other's arms. The affection, the devotion, the passion... I felt it all fighting inside me, demanding to be released, to conquer me whole.
Impossible. Inconceivable.
Could it really be?
With a sigh, I let my hands fall from his neck. Perhaps, was my answer. But I shouldn't just jump to conclusions like that. I would wait, until tonight. I would hold back until I knew for sure if…
I unburied my head from his throat, turning to rest my cheek on his shoulder instead. The morning sun was still shining, warm rays landing on my face. He raised his head as well, leaning back to his seat. But his hands remained on me, caressing my back. The urgency dissolved as fast as it had appeared, but tenderness took its place.
Still, I just… couldn't believe it. I stayed there, stunned, breathing him in and cherishing his touches. As if not a single hardship had been our way, and we were still those carefree dorks in wedding-wear, devouring fries in a getaway car.
Eventually he sighed, loudly and overly-dramatically, in a classic Avery fashion. "I wanted to do this all morning." He declared, and I felt a small grin form on my face.
He was probably talking about the kissing. "But you were doing this all morning." I reminded him.
"I mean after. At the hospital. When Caroline spoke and you gave me that look…" he sucked in a sharp breath that made an almost hissing sound as it passed through his shut teeth. "I wanted to grab you and kiss you right there -Corridan and the moms be damned- I mean, the way you looked at me…"
I felt him shake his head, and sat up, my head leaving its cozy and warm place on his shoulder to face him. I searched his eyes, and they were honest; clear like the crystalline waters of the lake where we once vowed ourselves to each other. In them I saw only openness, trust, warmth…
I couldn't freaking believe it!
I burst out laughing out of the sudden; the jingly sound mingling with the roaring of the plane's engine, fading softly.
"What?" he asked amused.
I giggled. "This isn't what is supposed to happen when you get divorced!"
He broke into a brilliant grin and nodded, his eyes widening in emphasis. "I know, what the hell?"
"We're crazy! Insane!"
"Absolute lunatics!" he agreed with a chuckle.
My lips landed on his with fierceness, and I surprised him for a second. I kissed him in delight, fits of laughter escaping my mouth between pecks. I felt his arms travel up my back until his fingers buried in my hair, and he tug at them slightly.
It took me embarrassingly little time to lose every sense of control I had over my body. My brain lit on fire, and without breaking our kiss I held onto his shoulders for support and straddled him. That allowed me better access to him; soon my hands were all over him, his face, his neck, his chest. Eventually he let go of my hair to let his hands drop to my butt, cupping my cheeks with both is palms and squeezing. I squealed against his mouth and I felt him smile before his lips left mine, letting me breathe.
However, his mouth never left my skin. His lips traced the outline of my jaw and made their way to the base of my neck, finding just the right spot to make my eyes roll back on my skull, sounds of pleasure emerging from deep within my throat. And then I felt his fingers grab my shirt, pulling it out of my pants for his hands to roam up my bare back.
My eyes shot open and I pulled back, taking hold of his wrists and stopping his hands. "What are you doing?" I hissed between my teeth, my breaths coming out panting.
He looked at me, mischief in his eyes. "I'm being a lunatic." he whispered.
"Are you serious? We're on a plane!"
"Yeah. My private plane."
"Oh, so now it's yours. That's great." I huffed and he freed his right arm from my grip to return it to my hip. I slapped it. "Cut it off! Katie could walk in on us any minute, we're not doing this here!"
He removed his hand only to look at me questioningly with narrowed eyes. "Is she really the problem or do you not want to have sex with me again until we've talked? Cause if that's the case then I'm stopping right now." he assured me. "But if it isn't…"
I felt the color rise on my cheeks at his words, my heart racing inside my chest. I knew that only if we cleared things out I would be able to give myself to him one hundred percent. Also I wasn't really fond of public displays of affection and he knew it. But on the other hand, even if things seemed pretty hopeful at this point there was still a chance that our talk wouldn't be for good. Right now he was an inch away from me. It was really Jackson. My Jackson. I could kiss him all I wanted, forgetting all consequences or misunderstandings… At this very moment, he was mine to be close to and kiss and love, and the idea was just… beyond surreal. Beyond anything.
But I had no idea if this was going to last. Maybe we wouldn't be able to make ends meet. It wasn't like he hadn't thought through the divorce, it was obviously a very conscious decision. What if we just weren't supposed to end up together? What if we were toxic for each other? Maybe this was nothing but casual sex after all, and we would end up staying just friends after.
I felt a sting at my stomach. This could be my last chance to ever make love to Jackson.
"It isn't." My reply sounded as breathless as I felt.
He smirked.
Not a heartbeat later his hand moved to my hip to support my weight as I felt him move beneath me. "What are you-" I began asking but I cut myself off with a yelp as he stood up on his feet, picking me up with him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let out a squeal as he began walking towards the room right next to ours, with the baize leather couch across the left wall.
He didn't go for the couch as I expected him to, though. Instead he moved us across the room until I felt my back hit the wall. I looked up at him amused as he began leaning towards me. "Jackson, what-" I tried again but he rose his one hand to place a finger on my lips, shushing me, and continued leaning closer. I thought he was going for my neck again, when his hand left my lips to touch something on the wall next to my head instead.
"Katie?" he then said to my ear and I blinked confused. Only when I turned my head did I notice that there was, in fact, an intercom device on the wall right next to me.
"Yes, Dr. Avery?" I heard a female voice reply.
"Dr. Kepner and I were operating all night and therefor are extremely tired." He exclaimed and glanced towards me, a smirk on his lips. "Could you please turn the sleep mode on and give us some privacy until we reach the airport? We could really use a nap."
"The sleep mode?" I mouthed at him but he just smiled.
"Of course, Dr. Avery. Right away. Do you want me to bring you pillows as well?"
"No, no, we're fine, thank you."
"Alright. Have a good nap, Dr. Avery." The voice came again, followed by a beeping noise. His hand fell from the button he had been pressing at once, stopping the sound, and then he reached to lock the door.
"You want to take a nap, Dr. Avery?" I asked, my voice high pitched as I mimicked the flight attendant's tone and he chuckled in response.
Just when I was about to pull his mouth to mine, though, all the shatters of the windows began closing automatically, and as darkness filled the small cabin, hundreds of tiny white lights appeared on the roof of the plane, resembling the beauty of the starry night sky.
I gasped. "Oh my God…"
Out of the corner of my eyes I caught him smile at me. "Pretty cool, huh?"
I shook my head, awestruck. "It's beautiful." I murmured.
"Something told me you'd enjoy it." He muttered and then moved us again, carrying me across the room before placing me on the couch and getting on top of me.
I was extremely aware of everything. Every part of him that came in contact with my skin, every inch of my body where his gaze lingered. Like my veins had turned into electric wires, and every sensation was enhanced exceptionally, as if the feeling of him conjuring my senses wasn't already too much. When he leaned in and his lips found my neck, placing a wet and delicious kiss right on that spot that made my knees weak, it was a sensation overload.
I inhaled sharply and took hold of his shoulders, my fingernails digging on his back hard enough so I knew that even through his shirt I was probably scratching his skin. I sighed and removed my hands as to not hurt him, but pulled my legs from underneath his and wrapped them around his body, sealing him in their hold so tightly that my ass was off the couch and I was pressing up against him.
That took him by surprise. He let out a breath against my neck and his lower half collapsed, me falling back against the couch and his weight pinning me down, pressing the growing bulge of his jeans right between my legs. We made matching sounds at that, and my nails were digging at his back again. I groaned. I managed to pull them away and place them on his neck instead, then on the back of his ears. I pulled him to me with force and kissed him with all my might.
And then I moaned in pain.
He caught how off the sound was and pulled away quickly.
I merely stood completely still, immobilized. My eyes were wide, staring at the ceiling, my mouth half open and breaths sharp. Another agonizing sound escaped my lips.
"What? What is it?" he asked in midst panic.
"Foot cramp, foot cramp." I spat out struggling, my face twisting to a wince.
His head fell at the crook of my neck and he burst out laughing. I groaned and wined, gripping onto him. It was a real bad one, it seriously hurt. "Quit laughing!" I cried between my own chuckles when he wouldn't.
He gave my neck a quick peck and untangled my legs from around him. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" I yelped when that only had the pain grow in intensity, as he sat on the couch and pulled my legs on his lap.
"Which one?" he asked, semi-worried but amused to no end. His Adam's apple kept bouncing in silent and restrained laughter.
I raised my left leg slightly, wincing all the way.
He pulled off my left boot, took ahold of my foot and began massaging it, while he kept shooting some looks like I had just cracked the best joke in the universe. Of course, eventually he lost it. "Way to kill the mood, kid."
"Shut up!"
Fits of his loud laughter filled the cabin and I groaned, burying my face in my hands and laughing as well. We laughed and laughed lightheartedly until laughing got exhausting, and even then when we quieted down one look was enough for a whole new round to start back up.
And just like that, another fun, impossible memory was added to the pile. Amongst the snow-fights and the sleepless nights, the boards and the eloping. We kept adding to the pile, somehow, sundown. And the past three days, last night, this moment right here were the impossible proof that despite the hell the two of us had been through, we somehow had found a way to move forward. To make new memories, add to the pile. To love each other through it all.
The word in my head found me unprepared, and my eyes widened involuntarily. Hadn't I just said I wouldn't jump to any conclusions until we talked tonight? What if I started believing things now only to end up getting hurt again? What if… But no. No these were just my insecurities talking. I knew the way he had looked at me yesterday, the way he had been looking at me ever since. I knew that look, I felt it clothing my bones. And his touches, his behavior towards me, I knew well enough what it meant. Besides, we had had sex last night. And if there was one thing I knew it was that when it came to Jackson and I, it was never just sex. It might be confusing sometimes, maybe complicated, but it always, always meant something.
Last night meant something.
And when I finally allowed myself to think that phrase, I realized I had known it all along. The relief that knowledge brought was beyond imagination.
Jackson caressed my calf, bringing my attention back to him. He saw my eyes glisten, the extra wetness of my relief evident, and his playful demeanor changed. A crease formed between his eyebrows, a faint frowning that I knew by heart. "What is it?" he asked, his voice dripping honey.
I love you, came a faint thought, and the truth of it had my stomach twist, leaving my brain frozen – yet at the same time warmed my chest in a way long forgotten.
I said nothing, of course.
Instead I pushed myself up and crushed my lips against his own, and we picked up from where we had left off this morning.