A beat.
Then—
“Right now,” he says quietly, “I’m trying not to lose it.”
My pulse spikes.
“Why would you?”
His jaw tightens slightly.
“Because you got hurt.”
That simple.
That honest.
And suddenly—
Everything shifts again.
I reach for him before I can stop myself.
My hand finds his shirt, gripping lightly.
“I’m okay,” I whisper.
His hand comes up—mirroring mine from earlier—fingers brushing my jaw.
“Not the point.”
My breath catches.
“Then what is?”
His thumb traces just slightly along my skin, and I feel it everywhere.
“You,” he says.
That’s it.
That’s all it takes.
I lean into him.
He doesn’t hesitate.
This time, the kiss is different.
Slower.
Deeper.
Less about urgency—
More aboutknowing.
Like we’ve already crossed the line and there’s no going back.
