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He raised his brows. "I thought Chris-domous matched my personality since I'm such a wise person with accurate predictions of the future. Aren't your two nicknames the complete opposite, Dracula?"
He tightened his hold around her waist as she said, "Maybe, but it's better to have a dichotomous name for a dichotomous personality." She gasped at another revelation, her eyes widening in amusement. "You're Di-Chris-tomous."
He closed his eyes, trying not to laugh, and let out a disappointing breath as he shook his head. "You've lost it."
She laughed, running her hands through his hair. He stared at her with a smile on his face. It was always easy with her. These were the kind of moments that'd made him fall right, left, and upside down in love with her.
Her laughter subsided, and she stared back at him. "Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
She exhaled. "For being you. I think I have a zero chance of surviving in this world without you."
He smiled. "I'm never leaving your side, Elle. But I want you to be able to survive on your own, too. And I don't think you need me at all. You're the strongest person I know."
"One thing at a time," she said, getting closer. "Right now I'm just grateful for your existence. I wish every girl had a man like you in their life, Chris. A man who understands her, a man who knows how to value her deep emotions, a man who supports her in everything she does. You're perfect, Chris. I wish every girl was lucky enough to have a man as perfect as you in her life." She smiled. "A man who makes her feel beautiful, a man who wouldn't try to change or judge her, a man who'd be her hero but kill for her like a villain. A man like you."
He let out a breath. "Giselle?"
She gulped. "I love you."
His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. Not knowing how she meant it, he replied, "Ditto."
She shook her head, leaned down till her lips brushed his as she said, "I love you, Chris."
Chris pulled back painfully, shaking his head. "Y-you don't mean that."
She straightened, her brows merged. "Of course, I do."
"No, you don't!"
She gulped. "I knew it when you kissed me the first time. Then everything went to shit. And when I didn't know who'd survive today, all I thought of was..." She paused, exhaling a shaky breath. "All I thought was that you've loved me your entire life, and I prayed I'd get one chance to let you know that I love you, too. I want you...so much."
He shook his head. "No, I don't want you to say something you'd regret later. Trauma does that. It's okay." She began to protest but he cut her off, "You're emotional right now. You've been through a lot. You don't know what you're saying. I don't want you to say these things only because I love you. I don't need an answer." He squinted at her. "Loving you is not a transaction. I will always be here for you even if you don't love me back, Giselle. Loving you is a part of me. I've loved you for as long as I can remember, and I don't know how to live without that. But, you don't have to say it back, Elle, not because of the trauma you've bee—"
Giselle crushed her lips against his, silencing him the way he'd always wanted to be silenced.
He held the back of her neck with one hand and the other hand wrapped around her waist. Without breaking the kiss, he pulled and flipped her onto his bed and half lay on her. A gasp escaped her lips the same moment he pulled away to wince, the bruises on his abdomen aching.
They looked at each other, tangled and gasping, only a few inches away.
"It's a really bad idea to test me, Giselle," he said, his voice laced with desire. "My patience is running very thin, and I'm closer than you can imagine from taking you right here, right now."
She blushed, biting her lower lip. She looked down at his chest, clearly struggling to keep her lips from stretching into a smile.
He ran his thumb along her lower lip and she looked up at him. "You biting your lip is testing me. You moving, you talking, you existing. Everything you do is a test."
She grinned. "You, my friend, have it bad."
He sighed. "You have no idea."
She held his face. "Chris? Please believe me."
"Gis—"
"No, listen to me. It's not a trauma response. I've known it for a long time, but I didn't have it in me to admit it. I thought you liked Abby since you were dating her. And I wasn't comfortable breaking up with Xavier because I couldn't ignore his sacrifices of leaving everything for me."
Chris shook his head, ready to argue, but she placed her hands on his lips.
