"Stay with me tonight," he says.
I pull back slightly. "Bash… "
"I don't expect anything," he says quickly. "I just want to go to sleep with you in my arms, to wake up with you there. I want all your tomorrows from now on. I don't want to wake up without you anymore."
There's no pressure from him, just an honest, raw aching.
"You're sure about that?" I hesitate. "Sure that you want me?"
"I've been sure about you… about us, for a long time."
I look at the necklace, lying warm beneath my palm, then back up at the face I adore.
"I'm tired of being invisible."
"I've always seen you, Amelia."
My breath hitches at his words.
"Stay with me," he whispers.
"M-kay," I answer shyly. "I'll stay."
Happiness flashes across his face, open and unrestrained.
He leans down and kisses me again, running his hands through my hair. My hand presses over his heart, near the necklace he never took off.
For the first time in a long time, I don't feel like I'm standing on thin ice. I feel like I'm stepping into something that's been waiting for me all along.
