“Meena,” he whispered. His voice was full of longing, but she could feel the tenseness in his jaw below her hand.
“I’m not asking for forever,” she said, before he could deny her. “I just want to share this moment with you. Right here. Right now. Whatever tomorrow may bring. No ties.” She moved her face back and forth, gently rubbing the end of his nose with her own.
“I would like nothing more.” He opened his eyes as he spoke.
She smiled and slowly closed her eyes as he slipped his face even closer to hers.
His lips brushed against hers and gently remained.
She tilted her head back to meet his face better and inhaled through her nose.
He slipped one hand around her waist, holding her steady but not possessively.
His lips were soft, featherlight, dry, and warm.
Her whole body relaxed into his touch. Her mind relaxed, losing track of every other worry. All of her was exactly where she wanted to be.
The pressure in her toes brought her back to reality, and she inhaled shakily as she dropped back down to her heels, breaking off the softest of kisses.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Sol nodded. As he slowly slid his hand from her waist, he pressed her side gently, turning her around toward their destination.
As she turned away, her eyes filled with unbidden tears.
She wanted forever.
She could not ask him for what he couldn’t give.
But he had given her this one moment, and she would cherish it in her heart forever.
Sol watchedthe woman in front of him deftly climb her way back up to their window.
Even if he could think of the words he wanted to say, he was too afraid to move his mouth. His lips remembered the feeling of her so perfectly, and he didn’t want to lose that memory.
He wanted to grab her waist, twist her back to face him, and kiss her properly. Kiss her with the promise of tomorrow, not the regret of yesterday.
He reminded himself that he couldn’t afford to love her. Loving her meant losing her. The ironclad excuse, which had always protected him, felt like a sheet of parchment in a storm. But as excited as he was about the discovery they had just made, his doubts about completing the mission successfully were higher.
With every step toward the manse, his body grew more tense. Something was bound to go wrong when they put the plan into action.
But all looked well as they approached their window. Everything was dark and quiet. Meena climbed through the window first, soundlessly landing on her feet on the other side.
Sol followed her just as silently.
“We made progress, Sol, we can celebrate that.” The tone of her voice sounded like she needed something to celebrate.
Sol, still unable to speak, nodded as he quietly closed the window covering, locking it in place.
The sun had not yet started to rise, but it would make its appearance soon.
When he turned around, Meena was stifling a yawn.
“Go to bed, princess,” he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. “We did make progress.”
She nodded. “Goodnight, Sol.” She turned away from him, making her way toward the bed.
He knew it would be useless to try to sleep. “I’m going to light a candle in the corner and draw out a map of the interior of the fort, at least what I remember of the cellars. Will that bother you?” he asked.
