"Why can't I just touch you?"
"No one's stopping you but yourself." He clasped his hands around hers and guided them to his face to cup his cheeks.
Her mouth fell open, a slow breath swelling her chest.
"Why didn't you ever touch me?" She looked to the carpet.
"Because I wanted it more," he whispered.
"And now?"
He released her hands, resting warm on his skin and combed fingers through her hair until he could pull her to him.
Now, he could really say he was home when they beamed to HQ for the last debrief the next day.