He grimaced and put his hand over his chest.
‘What is it?’ L’?r? asked, her voice rising with worry.
He sat upright and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a bloodied piece of cloth stuck to his chest right above his heart. L’?r? gasped. ‘In the name of all that burns, Alawani, what happened?’
Alawani stopped her hand from touching the cloth. ‘Wait, I’ll show you.’
Slowly, he peeled it off to reveal a tattoo inked into his skin. L’?r? exhaled slowly, recalling everything he’d taught her about how his agbára worked. She reached into her core and cautiously pulled out a beam of light that glowed through her palm. She would never get used to that. She’d craved this her entire life, and now, she could summon light at a whim. Although different from his powers, she was still awed by her own ability. Her agbára brightened the room, and there it was, etched into his skin. A replica of her tattoo. She looked at his face and back at his chest repeatedly until he said, ‘Say something, please.’
Tears brimmed in her eyes. She couldn’t find the words. She reached for it, and he flinched. ‘Still hurts.’
L’?r? nodded, wiping her tears. ‘I can’t believe you did this.’
‘I should’ve done it when you did. This is you,’ he pointed at one of the blazing circles on his chest, ‘and this is me,’ he said, pointing at the other one that cut through it.
L’?r? choked out a sob. ‘How did you do this?’
Alawani nodded towards the training room. ‘I asked one of the girls to do it for me. All it cost was all my sun coins and cleaning their rooms.’
‘You did that?’ L’?r? chuckled. ‘I’m surprised Ìyá-Idán allowed that.’
‘I waited until she left the house.’
L’?r? laughed. ‘Did it hurt?’
‘Not really,’ Alawani said, smiling.
‘Liar,’ L’?r? said, tapping his arm. He winced and laughed.
‘Mine isn’t complete like yours,’ she said, turning to show him her back. She loosened the wrapper tied across her chest and shifted her hair to reveal her bare skin.
Alawani trailed his finger over her skin, and it felt like a thousand thunderbolts running through her body. ‘It’s perfect.’ His touch sent a wave of pleasure rippling through her body. He moved closer to her and whispered, ‘Hand to flame, we burn the same,’ and as she said the words back to him, he kissed gently on the spot where their bond had been etched into her skin. She felt an overwhelming surge of emotion as her heart swelled with passion.
L’?r? turned off her agbára, and darkness swallowed the room. She pulled Alawani into bed with her, and he spread out to his full length. His legs were longer than hers, and she tucked hers between his, and pushed her body against him, removing every inch of space between them. His chest rose and fell, pushing and pulling her deeper into his embrace. Every hot breath sent waves of pleasure through her. His body temperature rose beneath her touch, and his agbáraglowed softly through all the tattoos on his body, creating a warm glow of light around them. His agbára didn’t burn her. Instead, it was like a gentle hug that enveloped her from the inside out, calming her worries with a passionate fire. She looked up at him, and his beautiful brown eyes shone with sparks of gold within. He softly murmured her name into her ears, and his deep, husky voice sent shivers down her spine.
‘I have so much to say to you, so much I should’ve said before. But now, at this moment, it feels like nothing else matters.’ As he spoke, she could feel herself getting lost in the sound, the way his words flowed together in a powerful and soothing way.
The intensity in his eyes made her flush with heat, and she lowered her gaze.
‘No, don’t look away,’ he said, using his finger to raise her face to his. They were so close to each other now that their noses touched, and their breaths collided. The intensity of their connection was overwhelming, and she could feel herself melting into him.
‘I’ve wanted to do this for a very, very long time,’ he whispered.
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘I was scared. I – I don’t want to mess this up. Our friendship means everything to me.’ He sighed. ‘I thought – it doesn’t matter what I thought. We are here now, and I don’t think I could ever let you go.’
His fingers trailed the length of her body past her waist and back, all the way to her lips. ‘Can I kiss you?’
This was what she’d wanted, what she’d wanted for as long as she could remember. Not a rushed goodbye, I’m dying tomorrow kiss. Not a first and last kiss wrapped up in one fleeting moment. But this. This was hope. A lover’s kiss. Asurvivor’s kiss. She nodded and felt his fingers graze the corners of her lips. She closed her eyes, savouring every moment, and when his lips touched hers, something exploded in her. Their kiss was passionate and urgent, each of them desperately wanting more. As he deepened the kiss, she could feel his hands exploring her body, igniting a fire within her she’d never felt before. She moved to the rhythm of his body, mirroring his every move. They broke to breathe. They’d both forgotten to inhale for a moment, taking in each other, hungry for more with each kiss.
‘I wish we could be together forever. I wish there were nothing and no one in our way. I want to do this with you, explore you, and explore this world with you,’ he said through heavy breathing.
Breathless, she moved to climb on top of him. She laughed as he helped move her into place. ‘Shhh …’ he whispered, placing his hand over her mouth, ‘you’ll wake the house.’
She winked at him and loosened her wrapper’s last grip around her chest. His eyes widened, and he reached for her hand, holding it in place just as the wrapper was about to fall. She slowly removed his hand, and the wrapper dropped to the bed. The corner of her lips curved upwards in a sly grin as his mouth hung open in awe. He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her close, kissing her again, even more passionately. His fingers gently ran through her long, curly hair, creating a gentle sound of rustling. She moved in sync with him, consumed by a passion hotter than the sun.
Alawani flipped her back onto the bed, his hands roaming her body as if trying to find a hidden treasure, and when he got to the place between her thighs, he stopped and pulled away from her. ‘I –’ he said, but she cut him off.
