We were quiet for a while, and the sounds of crickets and wind blowing through leaves made me think of the years I'd spent living in the woods, way back when I hadn't realized how delightful humans could be.
"Thank you," I murmured after a while, and Zamir blinked up at me through sleepy eyes.
"What for?"
Smiling, I caressed his cheek, and he hummed as he pressed into my touch and his eyes fluttered shut.
"For saying yes to Sofia, for coming here. I—I'd forgotten how fun it was, meeting new people, making friends. Thank you for reminding me."
Zamir was quiet as he listened to me, his eyes soft and sleepy, but attentive. He reached up and cupped my cheek like I held his. "You have the biggest heart, Nolan. I hate that you've lost so much that you felt like you had to board it up to keep yourself safe. But you don't have to worry about that now. I'm here, and I'm gonna protect that heart of yours. I'll keep it warm and safe for you, and I won't let you lose any more pieces of it. I promise."
I blinked as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on my chest, right over my heart, then blinked again as I realized my eyes had filled up. A few tears slipped down my cheek, and Zamir glanced up when they brushed against his hand.
With a soft smile, he wiped the tears away, then placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Okay?"
I hummed, not quite sure I could bring myself to speak without breaking completely.
I'd loved a lot of people, and I'd lost a lot of them too. But in my whole life, in my long, long life, no one had offered to take care of me, of my heart. I was always the strong one, and I didn't mind. I liked taking care of people, liked knowing I kept them safe, made them feel loved. But until now, I hadn't realized how much I'd yearned for someone to do that for me.
"I love you," I said, my voice little more than an exhale, but he heard me.
Zamir smiled, then wiped another tear I hadn't noticed, his own eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I love you too, Nolan."
I swallowed, and Zamir pulled his leg from between mine, then shuffled higher before pulling me close. I sighed as I tucked my head under his chin, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. His scent and warmth surrounded me, drowning me in his love, and I breathed in deep as I relaxed in his hold.
No more words were spoken as we held each other, and our synced heartbeats were the only sound I could hear. The only sound that mattered.
I wasn't sure when I drifted off, but my dreams were hazy and full of warmth and softness. I floated, but I wasn't afraid of getting lost, of not being able to find my way back. I knew that I had an anchor, that he held the most fragile part of me safe and secure in his palms.
In the past, dreams like this had been rare, and when they happened, I woke up feeling even more alone and heartbroken.
But this time, I woke up warm and safe, held close in the arms of the man who'd become my world in mere days.
For how long I'd lived, the time I'd shared with Zamir was nothing but a blip in my lifetime, and yet they were the most precious days of my life. I'd felt more alive since I met Zamir than I had in the hundreds of years before.
"Hmmm..." Zamir groaned as he squeezed me tighter, and I pulled back to gaze up at him so I could watch him wake up.
His eyelids fluttered, and he smacked his lips as his fingers dug into my back, as if he was afraid I would pull away.
Slowly, his eyes opened, the soft brown irises hazy with sleep, and his lips curved into a smile. "Hey."
"Hey," I murmured, just as soft, feeling warm and light andsafe.
