Chapter 407:
Lorelei
I am not the only one who was hurting.
She was too.
I can feel it in the way she holds me...too tight, too desperate, as if she is afraid I will disappear. I can hear it in the way she breathes that are shallow, shaking, broken. I can see it in the way she looks at me, like I am something precious and fragile and lost.
I can understand the pain in her touch.
Because it mirrors my own.
I hold her face in my palms. I make her look at me. Those dark eyes that are so familiar, so aching—meet mine.
"I am here," I say.
She blinks.
"I know."
"No." I shake my head. "I mean... I am here. I am not going anywhere. I am not leaving. I am not disappearing. I am here."
She closes her eyes.
She relaxes into my touch.
Then she turns her head and presses her lips to my palm.
"Still curious about kissing?" she asks.
I nod.
She smiles. Then she leans up and presses her lips against mine.
It feels soft.
Her lips are soft.
She pulls away slightly.
