He knows something. Maybe not everything, but enough. And instead of warning me off, he told me to keep going.
I make it around two corners before a hand closes around my wrist and pulls me into a hidden nook.
Louis.
He looks like hell with dark circles under his eyes and tension carved into every line of his face. His hair is messy, but he’s here, holding me. Before I can say anything, he’s pressing me against the cool stone wall and kissing me hard.
I grab fistfuls of his shirt and pull him closer, breathing him in. Cedar and sandalwood, mixed with the freshness of his soap. His hands are everywhere, cupping my face, sliding down my sides, gripping my hips like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much.” He breathes against my mouth.
“Five days.” I pull back just enough to look at him. “It felt like five years.”
“I know. I’ve been counting every hour until I get to see you again.”
“I didn’t know if you were okay. I didn’t know what was happening.”
“I’m okay.” He cups my face, making me look at him. “I’m here.”
“Are we okay?”
“Yes.” He kisses my forehead, my cheeks, the tip of my nose. “We’re perfect. We’re going to survive this. As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
“I thought maybe—” I stop myself.
“Maybe what? Tell me.” He studies me, waiting patiently.
“Maybe you’d changed your mind. Maybe you’d realized this was too complicated.”
“Not fucking possible.” He presses his forehead against mine. “I’ve thought about you every night. Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, knowing you were a five-minute walk away and I couldn’t get to you.”
“Why?”
“Guards. Schedules. Eyes everywhere.” His jaw tightens. “I tried twice. Got intercepted both times.”
“So, you’re a prisoner.”
“Temporarily.” A ghost of a smile appears on his face. “But I’ve never been good at following rules.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“It’s one of my best qualities.”
Despite it all, I almost smile. “That’s debatable.”
“You love it.”
“It’s what got us into this mess,” I say, stealing another kiss.
“I’ll take the blame for us.” He laughs, and the sound makes me relax.
This is us. This is what I’ve been missing.
“I have a plan,” he says. “Tatiana and I?—”
“I don’t want to talk about her yet.”
He stops. “Okay.”
