Chapter 2: Again
The quiet stretched, filled only with the rhythm of our breathing and the distant fury of the wind. I traced idle patterns on her arm, the wool of her sweater soft under my fingertips, my mind circling a single, burning thought. The memory of her kiss was a live wire in my veins.
“Nari?” I whispered, my voice barely disturbing the stillness.
“Hmm?”
I swallowed, the familiar confidence that ruled my professional life completely gone. “Can I… kiss you again?” The question hung between us, fragile and loaded. “Not like before.” I paused, gathering the courage to be specific, to want more. “A real one. The kind that…changes the air in the room.”
She shifted to look at me, her green eyes searching my face. A slow, understanding smile touched her lips. She didn’t answer with words. Instead, she leaned in, closing the gap, and her mouth met mine with a new, deliberate heat.
This kiss was not a question. It was a confirmation. It was deeper, slower, an exploration that set my nerves alight. Her hands came up to frame my face, her thumbs stroking my cheeks as our breaths tangled. I could feel the careful control we’d both clung to beginning to fray at the edges, a delicious, terrifying unravelling.
When we parted, both of us were breathing harder. The warmth between us had intensified, a tangible force. I brushed my lips against her temple, the scent of her hair dizzying. “The sofa is… inefficient for this,” I murmured, the words brushing her skin. My heart hammered against my ribs. “My bedroom is… just down the hall.”
I felt her go still against me. Then, a slight tremor ran through her. She leaned back, her expression a vulnerable mix of desire and sudden, endearing shyness. The confident woman from moments ago had peeled back to reveal the one who hid behind orderly files and quiet smiles. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, her gaze dropping to her hands in her lap.
After a long moment, she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, her eyes finally meeting mine again. “Okay,” she breathed, the single word a whisper of trust that unraveled the last of my restraint.