"You're asking for a lot."
“Am I?”
“You’re asking me to trust you and stay. You’re asking me to risk everything on something that might fail.”
“Yes, I am,” he admitted.
“That’s terrifying.”
“I know it is.”
"You're supposed to make me feel better about this."
“I'm still emotionally unavailable, remember? I told you I'm terrible at handling feelings.”
I laughed at his self-deprecation. “You really are.”
“But I'm trying for you. I'm truly trying.”
The words settled in my chest, warm and real. We lay in the dim room as the city glowed outside the window.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked quietly.
“I spent three years being sure about nothing. I was sure that being numb was the only safe way to live. I was sure that distance was the only way to survive.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I'm not sure about many things in this world, but I'm absolutely sure about you.”
My eyes burned with unshed tear. “That’s the most romantic thing you have ever said to me.”
"Don't get used to it," he joked.
"Too late."
He kissed the top of my head gently. “What about you? Are you sure?”
“I'm terrified, but yes, I'm sure about us.”
“Even though I'm emotionally unavailable?”
“Yes.”
“Even though I’ll probably make mistakes?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you take that risk?”
I lifted my head to look into his eyes. “Because when I think about leaving you, my chest hurts. When I think about not seeing you or hearing your voice every day, my entire soul rebels against the idea.” I touched his face softly. “I’ve been falling for you for a while, and I'm tired of fighting it.”
Without warning, he caught my lips in a slow, deep kiss that felt like we had all the time in the world. When we finally broke apart, we were breathing hard.
“We should probably try to get some sleep,” he suggested.
“Probably,” I agreed.
“We have a big day tomorrow with conference sessions and networking.”
“Right. We have professional obligations to maintain.”
Neither of us made a move to separate. His hand slid into my hair and cupped the back of my head. “Mireya, I don't want to sleep.”
