.
.
He was sitting on the couch, going over a few reports on his tablet, when Veena sat beside him. Automatically she scooted beneath his arm and leaned against his chest, her knees curled up to her chin as she went over her notes and lay sideways against him. Kazuma smiled. She often did this before they were together, but now he could return her affection. He pressed a kiss to her head, then rested his arm across her back, scrolling through the tablet.
He could hold her whenever he wanted; he could kiss her and hug her without fear of rejection. Too long his interactions with her had been colored by close calls and misunderstandings. "Forgive me," Veena had said. "You gave me your heart and I didn't know what to do with it."
Now she curled up next to him, and he has come to realize her feelings never changed for him. She always loved him, she just didn't know how to show it.
"Veena?"
"Yes, Kazuma?" She looked up from her book.
"I love you," he said quietly, and Veena beamed at him.