His thumb brushed my lower lip, his gaze darkening. “I want more of you... so much more. But I need to know it didn’t bring anything painful back. That you felt safe. That you’re truly okay with everything we did.”
My breath caught sharply at his words, eyes widening in surprise.
For a moment I could only stare at him, heat flooding my cheeks as his raw honesty sank in.
He wasn’t just teasing or chasing pleasure — he was seeing me. Checking. Caring.
I wrapped my hands around his neck, steadying myself there, feeling the faint pulse beneath his skin.
“I...” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.
I searched his face, heart squeezing at the quiet intensity in his eyes. “I didn’t expect you to say that.”
A shy, breathless smile tugged at my lips. “Yes. I loved it. God, I loved it so much it scared me a little.”
I leaned in closer, our foreheads nearly touching.
“Nothing from my past came back. I felt... safe. Wanted. Cherished in a way I’ve never felt before. So yes... I’m more than okay with it.”
My voice dropped, turning soft and intimate. “I want more too. I want you.”
His eyes sharpened at that.
He studied me for a long moment—long enough that I felt the weight of everything unsaid between us pressing into that silence.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.
“You deserve to know what bound me so deeply to Zara,” he said quietly.
“I need to tell you... but I’m afraid it will break you. You may not be able to hear it and still see me the same way afterward.”
His gaze looked hollow—like the weight of it had already begun to consume him.
My heart sank.
This was it. The secret I had been desperate to uncover.
And yet, hearing him say it so casually—like it was something that could fracture everything between us—made me suddenly feel unprepared to receive it.
My pulse spiked, sharp and unsteady.
I took my hand away from him and stepped back twice, still staring at him as if distance could somehow soften whatever was coming.
“Zara and I...”
“Wait.”
The word left me before I could stop it.
My breath shook as I shook my head. “I don’t think I’m ready to know. I... I can’t.”
I exhaled unevenly, something unraveling inside me even without the truth being spoken.
Turning abruptly, I walked fast toward my room, my steps uneven.
Why was I suddenly afraid of the very truth I had been chasing for so long?
Why did knowing feel more dangerous than wondering?
