“Yes, really. I wonder why now though.”
His gaze darkens as he takes my chin between his fingers and forces me to gaze at him. “And what exactly do you remember?” he asks, slowly closing the gap.
The softness of his lips against mine sends me spiraling in an uncontrollable dream of what used to be and what could become.
My breathing hitches. “Us. Naked and happy.”
His hand detaches from my waist and slides across my arm to reach the glass in my hand. He pulls away from me, lowering the glass on the translucent table before it ends up shattered on the ground.
Like me.
I chuckle as he slides one hand around my waist and the other finds its way at the back of my nape. “It feels like a million years ago. We were so happy. Nothing else mattered but being with you.”
“Aoi…” A low tempestuous growl escapes his parted lips.
My eyes flutter open for an instant, gazing at the hazel forest drowning in my ocean eyes. The elements crash and collapse as our passion and need for each other unravel uncontrollably.
“Can I tell you the truth?”
He nods.
“Sometimes when I think about the past, our years together,” I stifle a breath. “I regret it. All of it.”
When my parents died, I was devastated by grief. My father was Jason’s only brother. Even though they didn’t share the same blood, they were still family. He was the sole adult able to take me in and provide for me as my uncle. We had no grandparents, no cousins, no relatives. Only Jason. My sister was in the hospital, gravely injured and hadn’t woken up yet.
I only hadhim.
He had the choice between becoming me and my sister’s legal guardian or sending me to a foster home. He chose the first option and welcomed me in his home. I went to his place quiteoften in my life, but I never thought it would be due to such tragic circumstances.
I was seventeen and clueless. After their death, I ended things with Jason. It didn’t feel right being happy, much less fucking my uncle.
He understood and didn’t object to my decision, but he kept taking care of me until my sister died weeks later. I lived with Jason until I turned eighteen and needed to move out. Jason wanted me to stay longer and let him provide for me, but it was too hard, and I was overwhelmed, so I refused.
He pestered me about financial support until I gave in. From then on, he paid for the majority of my expenses. He dug a hole in my heart and lodged himself inside with no intention of ever leaving.
“Aoi-”
“Don’t say anything. You already knew. You know how my love for you clashes with pain and rage. You know that I can’t forgive you.”
“What can I do to change that?”
“Nothing. We should have never happened. You should’ve stayed away from me. I was vulnerable and you took advantage of me but it’s too late now to blame you. I should’ve left earlier.”
“You’re not talking about my threat to cut your financial support.”
“No, I’m not,” I say, barely above a whisper.
“Fuck.”
“I should’ve left.”
“But you’re still here. You didn’t leave after everything I’ve done.” He brings his hair back, the air shifting with hisgesture. “You had the opportunity to discard me, but you didn’t.” Suddenly, my feet leave the ground as he picks me up and leads us to his room. “You chose me.”
Did I even have a choice in the first place?
“I can’t stay too long. Visha’s waiting at home.”
My back hits the mattress, and he cages me between the bed and his broad chest. “He can keep waiting for all I care,” he growls, pressing his rough lips to my blazing skin.
