Page 58 of Hearts & Embers

"I don't want to lose you, Aurora," I admitted.

Aurora squeezed my hand.

"I don't want to lose you either."

The response carried none of the uncertainty that had existed a week earlier. Instead, it carried conviction. Honest and unguarded.

I studied her face.

"What happens now?"

Aurora smiled softly.

"Now we stop pretending this is something we have to solve and start living but I'm still going to worry."

I nodded.

Aurora shifted closer.

"So promise me something."

I nodded.

"Always be careful. Promise me you’ll always try to come home."

The request sounded so simple yet I understood exactly what she meant. She wasn’t looking for a guarantee or an impossible promise. Just a promise do everything I could to always come home.

"I promise."

Her eyes searched mine then she nodded.

For the first time since arriving, all the tension that had existed between us finally began to disappear.

The kiss started slowly.

Neither of us rushed.

Neither of us felt the need.

The days apart had stripped away every remaining doubt about how we felt. When Aurora's hand slid up into my hair, I deepened the kiss without hesitation. She moved closer until the distance between us disappeared completely, and I wrapped an arm around her waist while weeks of anticipation finally gave way to certainty. When the kiss eventually ended, neither of us moved very far.

Aurora rested her forehead against mine and I looked down as a smile touched her lips.

"That was a very long week."

I laughed softly.

"It really was."

Her hand remained wrapped around mine.

For several moments we sat together enjoying the simple relief of being together again. The apartment felt warmer than I remembered. Maybe nothing had actually changed. Maybe the difference existed entirely inside me.

“Talk’s over,” Aurora stated, her voice a low murmur.

She stood, offering her hand. I took it, her skin warm against mine, and let her lead me down the short hallway. The door to her bedroom was ajar, darkness beyond.

She pushed it open and turned to me. Her fingers reached for the buttons of my shirt, working them slowly, her eyes locked on mine. Each release felt like a heartbeat. The fabric parted, and she pushed it from my shoulders. It whispered to the floor as her palms slid down my arms.