AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As he pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me, the last shreds of apprehension melt away, replaced by a comforting sense of familiarity.This is us, but can we really be us?
ChapterEight
Sanford
I tugAerin close and press my lips against hers with the intensity of a man possessed, searching for a missing fragment of himself that might be concealed within her.There’s desperation in the kiss, a plea for salvation, a raw yearning that can’t be masked.
This kiss feels almost like a revival of a forgotten melody that I haven’t played since I lost her.
Kissing her after so many years is almost like being able to breathe again.
Our mouths meld with an uncanny familiarity.
Our tongues tangle, and our breaths hitch.They’re part of a wordless conversation, a dance to the music only we can play together.
Our rhythm brings new life inside my soul.
Suddenly, we cross the bridge between strangers to lovers in mere seconds, in the span of a heartbeat—of a kiss.
Her taste soothes my fragmented soul, her warmth a healing touch that begins to mend the fissures in my heart.
As our lips continue their intimate dance, I anchor my chaos to her tranquility, to the steady rhythm of her heart.
Our kiss is a perfect contradiction, filled with fervor and yet soothing, intense, and yet serene.It’s a paradox as intriguing as a snowstorm on a sunny winter day.A tumultuous dance of fire and ice.It’s the end of a second act, when everything might look grim, but the third and final act is about to start and might bring us hope.
Hope.
It’s an exquisite dance between our souls, a balancing act of wild passion and soothing calm, creating a symphony.
And, of course, I need more than just this kiss.
I have the need to bury myself so deep that she’ll touch the dark parts of my soul and bring them to life.As our lips reluctantly part, her bewitching, dark eyes hold a spark of hunger that mirrors my own, along with a flicker of something else—something that is unreadable and new.
But at this moment, it doesn’t matter.Only the hunger within.I slip my shirt off, and it lands on the floor.As I reach out to undress her, her voice, as soft as the whispering autumn leaves, halts me, “We can’t do this, San.”
Her words leave me stunned, a medley of frustration and anxiety interlaced within me.I almost shatter at her rejection.Doesn’t she understand what I need from her?I need that piece she took with her back for a few moments—it could infuse light into my darkened existence.
“Ae, you’re finally here.We’re together again,” I murmur, desperate to bridge the gap between us.
Her hand rises, tracing the contour of my face, causing my heart to stutter and my body to yearn for her.I can’t read her expression.It’s as if the woman in front of me is an entirely different person from the Aerin I fell in love with when we were teenagers.
“But San, we’re really not together,” she responds, her voice laced with gentleness and sorrow.“It’d be so easy to lose ourselves in this moment, to pretend that we didn’t lose everything, but we did.It’s over, and there’s no way to go back again.”
“But we can,” I protest, adamant.“I love you.I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Her smile is tinged with melancholy.“And I love you too.But I’m not in love with you, San.”Her arms encircle me, her head nestled against my chest.“I recognize those deep blue eyes of yours.Your scent, your heartbeat, they’re all too familiar, yet you feel like a stranger.We’ve changed, and this, us, it’s over.”
I gently push her away, seeking her gaze.“Are you breaking up with me?Don’t do it.At least allow me to prove that I can mend this for us.I’ll remind you of how good we’re together.”
Aerin chuckles softly, shaking her head.“Sex isn’t going to fix what’s broken inside us.”
Her words are a cold shower, chilling me to my core.If I can’t reconcile things between us, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?
“I can’t bear the thought of losing you again, Aerin.Living without you and Grey ...it’s been a fucking nightmare,” I admit, not caring that I sound vulnerable, desperate, and completely broken.“He doesn’t want to see me again and you ...”
She takes my hand.“Sit with me, big guy.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I glance at her.“We can’t fix much right now—” she starts.
