“I love… being your Marco,” I tell him.
Almost said it.
Almost.
He answers with a lingering kiss.
Smoothing a thumb across the art, he makes sure it has set.
“Now they’re yours,” he smiles.
I drown in those eyes.
Willingly, without hesitation.
“I love… them,” I reply.
His lips are tender and unyielding, eyes glassy with emotion.
“Can I tell you the most obvious thing in the world?” he whispers between kisses.
“Mmm?”
“I love you, Marco. I'm completely toast. Sometimes I say it when you’re asleep, but...”
Something inside me breaks open.
A joy that floods me entirely.
“Beautiful man, I love you too.” My voice crumbles on the last word. “More than you know.”
He closes his eyes, a look of pure ecstasy on his face.
“It's been killing me,” he sighs.
“Me too, baby. I’ve lost count of how many times I tried to… I just got scared.”
“Don’t be scared,” he whispers. “Not with me.”
Then he murmurs something that I can’t quite decipher.
It almost sounds like…
“Be my forever.”
He says it with confidence now.
“I’m yours,” I vow.
And we let our love story unfold without fear.
I melt into him, listening to the rhythm beneath his ribs.
With the tip of my finger, I draw a heart above his heartbeat.
I will never outgrow this ritual.
Even when we’re both as ancient as the moon.
