“Tired?” he echoed, his voice tinged with skepticism. “You’ve barely looked at me since dinner. You’ve been tense all night.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, the guilt twisting in my chest like a knife.
He stood up then, moving closer, his presence overwhelming in the small space. “You’re not fine,” he insisted quietly. “Something’s bothering you, and I want to know what it is.”
“Why do you care so much?” I shot back, the words spilling out before I could stop them.
Wyn blinked, his expression tightening, but he didn’t move away. “Why do I care?” he repeated, his voice calm but firm. “Because I’m here, Yesoh. BecauseI bloody l— care. I care for you. We’re partners. And you’re acting like you really don’t want me here. I could always go to a hotel if me being in your mother’s house all day every day is getting too much.”
“No, it isn’t that, never that,” I pleaded.
The air between us felt thick, heavy with tension and unspoken truths. I could feel the heat of his gaze on me, the steady weight of his concern pressing against the walls I was trying so hard to hold up.
“I need space,” I broke the silence, my voice cracking slightly as I stepped back.
Wyn reached for me, he reached for me.
His hand caught mine before I could pull away. “No,” he said, his tone unyielding but gentle. “You don’t get to push me away because you’re upset. If you need time, fine. But don’t lie to me about what’s going on.”
“Let me go,” I whispered, my throat tightening as tears burned behind my eyes.
“No,” he said again, his grip firm but not harsh. “Not until you talk to me.”
I tried to pull my hand free, but he held on, his calm strength breaking through my defenses. “You’re clearly upset,” he said, his voice softening. “Or hurt. Or annoyed with me. I don’t know which, because you won’t tell me. But I’m not going to let you push me away because of it.”
I clenched my jaw, fighting the storm of emotions threatening to break free. “Why do you have to make everything so hard?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“Becauseyou’re worth it,” he said simply, his gaze steady. “You are the one fight Ichoose, Yesoh Yeo. So what you’re going to do right now is cool down. Go take a bath, get some air, and then come back here and tell me what you really want.”
I stared at him, stunned into silence. He released my hand gently, stepping back to give me space, but his eyes never left mine. “I’m not going anywhere, Soh,” he told me quietly. “But I cannot help you, my darling girl, if you won’t let me in.”
The weight of his words settled over me like a blanket, suffocating and comforting all at once. I turned away, my legs moving on autopilot as I left the room, my heart pounding with every step.
I didn’t know how to face him—how to tell him the truth about what I’d done. But as I stood in the bathroom, staring at myreflection in the mirror, I realized I couldn’t keep running from it. I couldn’t keep running from him.
He deserved the truth. And I owed it to him to face the consequences. But for now I was going to take a bath and contemplate on what exactly I wanted.
A whole lot of foam bath and vanilla shampoo later I got out of the bath, wearing only his shirt and my underwear. I shyly opened the door to my room to find him responding to emails on his laptop, when I walked in he closed it and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Mentally I had made a decision that I would tell him the truth tomorrow, that I accepted my fate, that I knew it’d all come crashing down when the sun came up. But tonight, I would just be with him, in every way I could, because it might just be the last time.
“I know what I want.” I broke my silence.
“And what exactly is that?” he questioned as I hung up my towel. I made my way over to him and stood between his parted legs, looking down at his consuming deep brown eyes.
“Wynter, will you make love to me?” I finally got the courage to ask, and his mouth hung open in shock.
“What?” His eyes widened in surprise.
“Forget it, it’s nothing—” I doubled down, but he immediately placed his hands on the back of my knees.
“I didn’t say no,” he clarified, stroking my skin gently. “I just want to ensure that you are certain. This is a big decision and last I checked you’ve never done this before.”
“I have not.” I nodded, then placed a hand on his cheek. “But I want to, and I want it to be with you.”
“Just to be clear, you want me to fuck you in your childhood bedroom?” he contemplated. “That’s awfully risky, Yesoh, even for you.”
“I don’t care, I just want you in me,” I insisted, “I want to go all the way.”
