Edward
And so it was. Years of longing translated into an embrace so tight not even the biting cold could break apart, so true not even the wheels of fate could defy. The thundering of her heart echoed inside his chest, creating the illusion of owning one of his own. Her blushing skin radiated warmth and life, making him crave to posses the ability to express his feelings as clearly as she did. Trembling and afraid, he wondered if such violent feelings were meant to last. Wary of the answer, he pushed away the doubts and got lost in the moment.
His stiff fingers, the same ones that so many times had touched the screen of a computer, dreaming of touching the woman on the other side, finally dared to entwine through her dark locks. The shared sigh of contentment that followed almost had him chuckling, however the moment was too loaded with emotion for him to be able to express one as prosaic as amusement. Eyes closing, lips parting, she abandoned herself to his shy caress, her face a perfect picture of love and trust.
Bursting with memories of unfulfilled needs, he felt the prickle of tears that would never fall. Uttering a silent prayer, he thanked the absurdity of reading the article which led him to her. One day the oddity of living a second life had been trampled by the need for human connection, thus he'd suppressed the inner voice which had whispered the foolishness of his unspoken hopes and dreams. Pulling through piles of pretty pixels devoid of true selves, he'd managed to find her. Years of alienation had come to an abrupt end due to the unlikely meeting of a kindred soul.
In that immaterial world, they'd built a home, a family, a bridge to real life. Darkness had turned into light, the bright promise of a future blinded his unchanging eyes to the unavoidable pain that lay ahead. Surrendering to inevitability, he'd embraced the irrationality of loving one out of his arms reach. Protected by physical distance, his weathered heart had opened up for the first time and in it he'd welcomed a wide array of unknown feelings. Against all odds, he'd allowed his true self to show–he'd finally given himself permission to be loved and give love in return.
Years had passed before they'd flirted with the idea of seeing each other in person. Her optimism had been the fuel to ignite a sparkle of defiance within his chest. Contradicting the restrictions he'd always abided by, he'd freed himself from the constraints keeping them apart. It'd taken him years to overcome all that stood between them, but while he had his arms wrapped around his beloved, Edward knew she was worth the effort. And she would always be.
As her head tilted back, the cadence of her breathing changed. Ravaged by the urge to press his untried lips against hers, he hesitated for a moment before instinct took over. The sweetness of before was replaced by an overwhelming sense of urgency, leading him to aggressively plunder and take as much as he could while offering his whole self to the willing woman who desired nothing more than what he offered.
Eventually they parted, their lungs fighting for air. In the seconds that followed, Edward felt the weight of years of loneliness being lifted from his shoulders. A foreign movement took hold of his facial muscles and, before he knew it, Edward was smiling while lost in the depths of her alluring brown eyes, elated thoughts swirling in his mind.
She was love.
She was there.
She was his.
His forever.
Bella.