My lips move to her cheek, kissing firmly, and her hands tighten around my biceps, her nails digging into my flesh.
“Please let me love you again. Freely and hopelessly—just like before.”
She opens her eyes, and I pull back a little.
And to my surprise, she doesn’t let me go.
Instead, she touches my face, her fingers slowly tracing my jaw, and I feel a shiver run down my spine.
“If I ask you to do something, will you do it for me?”
I nod, having lost my ability to speak suddenly.
The way she is looking at me has changed, and I don’t mind it.
“Kiss me, Reyansh. Just like you used to.”
* * *
I don’t know how much time passes as I stand rooted in my spot, my lips almost touching her skin.
Out of all the things I thought she would say, I didn’t think she was going to say this.
My heart feels as if it will leap out of my chest. I have never felt this way; being near her makes me feel like an out-of-body experience.
I have never yearned to be close to someone as I do with her, never felt this ache in my chest to hold someone, or kiss someone as I do with her ever since I saw her for the first time.
It is safe to say that every cell in my body knows it belongs to only and only her.
“Are you sure?” I whisper.
I don’t want her to regret this. I don’t want her to think that this is a one-time thing. I don’t think I can go back to being at a distance if I kiss her right now.
I think if I kissed her today, I would want to do it for the rest of our time.
Divorce be damned.
“Please don’t make me repeat myself, Rey.”
Just one word. Just her calling me Rey is all the confirmation I need.
I smile, knowing this is what I wanted—needed to hear for so long.
But I also don’t want our first kiss to happen in the bathroom of a party.
I want it to be special.
So instead, I kiss her forehead first, and her eyes close, and her breath hitches.
I kiss her left eye, and I see her body tremor in my hold. My hand latches onto the hollow of her throat, and I can feel the way her nerves pulse under my touch.
I kiss her right eye, trailing my lips down to her cheeks.
Her hands tighten around my body, and I wish we could stay like this forever.
Just frozen in this moment in time.
“I love you, Aisha. And I want nothing more than to devour you.”
