Alec tells her they need to stop. Those are his exact words. We need to stop. Filing her nails into points, she takes great pleasure in knowing his words are we need to stop and not I want to stop.
Why? She asks him, not looking up from her nails. He flounders like a fish out of water.
We... I... you... we... He throws his hands up, at a loss for words. Isabelle holds her hand up in front of her, tilting her head this way and that way. Are these even? She asks. Alec crosses the room and grabs her hand, throwing it into her lap.
Pay attention! He stage whispers. Isabelle looks down at their intertwined fingers. Alec drops her hand like she's burned him.
Isabelle, he starts out. Her name floats out of his mouth and curls around his tongue and his lips form the letters and she reaches for his hand again. He lets her wind their fingers together.
Isabelle, he repeats, his voice choked, it's wrong.
She shakes her head because he's wrong, he's so very wrong.
There are a lot of things wrong in the world, but this isn't one of them.
Alec looks down at their fingers. He pulls away, but Isabelle holds tight and stands, grabbing his other hand.
This isn't wrong, she assures him, taking one step closer. He gazes at her through electric blue eyes.
Isabelle, he breathes, and she presses her lips to his, capturing her name between their mouths, swirling it with her tongue and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Alec, she breathes into his mouth, and their names collide and burst into fireworks and the taste in Isabelle's mouth makes everything right, just like it always does.