“I love you, Zeek.”
Four simple words had my entire world screeching to a halt.
“Jude––”
Before I could say anything else, he gently pressed his lips against mine with the barest hint of pressure. I sat there, frozen in shock, as he pressed a bit harder. Finally able to command my tired mind and body to cooperate, my hands weaved their way into his hair, pulling him closer as our tongues tangled.
My love, my hatred for the world, my hopes and desires––I poured it all into the kiss in hopes that he could feel just how much he meant to me.
Clinging to him tightly, I whined when Judah pulled away and pressed one last lingering kiss to my lips. “I love you, Zeek,” he panted, out of breath. “You’re the one I want––the one I want to be with.” I couldn’t explain it, but something inside me relaxed.
Blinking at the man that had been my every thought since the day he’d been taken from our cell, I searched his eyes. For what, I couldn’t be sure. What I did know, without a doubt, was that I wanted this man as much as he wanted me. The only question that remained was if we would survive one another’s demons before the darkness consumed us.
“I’m a fucked-up mess.”
“So am I.”
We stared at one another for several minutes, breathing and waiting. For what, I couldn’t possibly say. My mind was still slow, but I knew what I was feeling. I’d been feeling it for weeks. However, it took Judah leaving for me to put a name to it.
And it scared the shit out of me.
“You don’t have to say it back. But––” Judah gasped as I pressed my lips to his, halting whatever it was he was about to say. Deeper than the last, this kiss was claiming.
When the kiss broke, I spoke the words I never thought I’d speak to anyone, let alone another man. “I love you, too.”
Judah beamed so brightly that you’d have thought I just bought him the entire world. I guess, in a way, I had. Without a word, he pressed a tender kiss to my lips before laying his head on my shoulder, content to never move again.
Judah
“I
can call in sick,” I hedged, hoping Zeek would agree.
He’d been doing better since the night I found him on the bridge. Sure, he was still probably sad, but I was grateful he wasn’t going to try to end his life again. Of that, I was certain.
He shook his head and leaned against the counter with a mug of coffee in one hand, his eyes watchful, never diverting from my own. “No. I need to go talk to Theo and run a few errands today. Not to mention, you once said you never called in sick if you could help it. I refuse to be the reason for you calling in today.”
My shoulders sagged. “I don’t want to go to work,” I whined.
The last few days, we hadn’t left each other’s side, other than to take a bathroom break or a quick shower. I hadn’t even stepped foot outside. I was so drunk on everything Zeek. Not that we’d done anything more than kiss and cuddle. Truth is neither of us were ready for more. Which worked out for the both of us.
What we did do a lot of was talk.
We talked about what we both wanted and needed. We chatted about everything, big or small. Nothing was off the table. Much like when we were held captive together, there were no secrets between us. And there never would be again.
During one of our many talks, Zeek confessed that his feelings for me had tipped him over the edge. They scared him. And rightfully so. By his own admission, he never loved another person as much as he did me. Except family. Although I felt pleased to know that he loved me, I worried about what might happen if we didn’t work out. The last thing I wanted to do was push him over the edge again, even though I didn’t knowingly do it in the first place.
“I’ll be here,” he promised.
Setting his coffee on the counter, he sauntered over to stand in front of me, pressing his lips to mine. Like always, I melted into him. The kiss didn’t last as long as I’d have liked, but he still poured his feelings into it all the same.
When he pulled back, his walls were down for only me to see and he looked stronger than he had in previous days. “I’ll be fine. I won’t do anything stupid. Promise.”
And I knew he wouldn’t.
“We still need to figure out whatever this,” I motioned between us with my finger, “is between us.” Friends didn’t quite fit the bill anymore, even though that’s how he’d once referred to us.
“We’re just us, Kid. What more needs to be added?”
