“Harder,” I breathed.
He gave it. Skin slapping skin. Sweat slicking between us. One hand braced beside my head. The other on my hip...guiding. Possessive.
“Right there...Cal..fuck...”
He angled up. Hit that spot again. Again.
I clenched. Came around him, hard, pulsing, gasping his name into his shoulder.
He followed right after. Groaned low. Spilled deep inside me. Hips jerking. Body shuddering.
We collapsed. Tangled. Breathing hard.
He didn’t pull out right away. Stayed inside me. Softening slowly. Kissed my temple. Cheek. Mouth.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
I cupped his face. “For what?”
“For this. For letting me.”
I didn’t answer. Just held him tighter.
He finally slipped out. Rolled to his back. Pulled me against his chest. My head on his shoulder. Leg thrown over his. His hand found my bump again. Caressed slow circles.
The room was quiet except for the ocean outside. Steady waves. Like breathing.
I traced the tattoo on his ribs. “You were different today.”
“How?”
“Gentle. Present. You looked at Eli like you actually saw him.”
He exhaled. “He’s… easy to be around. No expectations. Just facts. Patterns. I get that.”
I smiled into his skin. “He likes you. More than he lets on.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Asked me yesterday if you’d teach him guitar chords. Said your fingers move fast.”
Cal laughed, quiet. Real. “I can do that.”
We lay like that a long time. His fingers in my hair. Mine on his chest. Heartbeat steady under my palm.
“You meant it?” I asked softly. “About getting help?”
“Yeah.” No hesitation. “I don’t want to be numb when he’s here. I want to feel it. All of it.”
I swallowed. “Even the scary parts?”
“Especially those.”
I pressed closer. “I’m scared too.”
“Of what?”
“Of hoping. Of believing this could be real.”
