His brow furrowed.“No?”
“We don’t put promises and pressure between us,” I explained.“Not now.Not like that.”
He straightened slightly, searching my face.“I’m not trying to cage you.”
“I know,” I admitted.“And I’m not trying to keep you at arm’s length.I’m saying we let this be what it is.”
He waited.
“What this is,” I continued, “will stand on its own.It’ll work if it works.And if it crumbles, then it was supposed to.Building a life with someone has challenges, but it’s not something you force into shape with pressure or obligation.”
His jaw flexed.“So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I won’t see other people,” I stated plainly.“And I expect the same respect from you.”
That got his full attention.
“We seem to enjoy each other’s bodies,” I added dryly, “without using protection.We’re adults.Old enough to know better.”
His mouth twitched despite himself.
“I’m clean,” I went on.“I get regular checkups because as a female this is important.”
He nodded immediately.“Same.I always use condoms, except with you, and I was tested not long ago.Everything’s fine.”
There was a pause.Then, quieter, more personal, he added, “After having you, my dick couldn’t get hard for anyone else anyway.”
I laughed softly, shaking my head.“You’re ridiculous.”
“But honest,” he countered.
I smiled, warmth spreading even as uncertainty lingered.“Still.I don’t know that this will work.”
He stepped closer again, hands resting on my hips, steady and sure.“Neither do I.”
He kissed me then, not desperate, not hurried.Just deep and grounding, like a promise without words.When he pulled back, his eyes were dark but calm.
“What I do know,” he added, “is I’m not walking away from this just because it’s complicated.”
“I wouldn’t respect you if you did,” I replied.
He smiled at that.We stood there for a long moment, neither of us in a rush now.When he finally turned toward the door, I felt the absence already forming, a hollow space where he had been all week.
At the threshold, he looked back at me.“You gonna be okay?”
“Yes,” I responded honestly.“I always am.”
He nodded, accepting that answer even if he didn’t love it.“I’ll call.”
“I know.”
The door closed behind him with a soft click.I stood there, listening to his footsteps fade, to the distant sound of the building returning to its usual rhythm.My chest ached, but it wasn’t regret.It was hope, cautious and unguarded.I didn’t know if this would work.But for the first time in a long time, I was willing to let something unfold without trying to control the ending.
And that felt like its own kind of strength.
Chapter17
Loco
