chapter 16

I pulled back, led her to the bed and sat us down. For a second there I stared at thin air thinking, she slouched a little while asking about what I was thinking. I had my hands fidgeting with the edge of a bunny doll ear, my words carefully measured but brimming with unspoken truths.

"It's... it's been strange, these past two weeks," I began, my gaze flickering between her eyes and the doll, as if afraid of what she might see if I held her gaze too long. "I've been thinking a lot-about everything, about us. I mean, not us, but..."I dragged trailing off,

My voice faltering under the weight of what I wasn't saying. A nervous chuckle escaped me as I rubbed the back of my neck, heart pounding against the walls of restraint. "I just-look Nadia, I don't know how to say this without sounding more ridiculous, but you've been on my mind more than I'd like to admit." My voice softened.

"I don't want to make things harder for you... or for me. But I had to see you again." I stopped, biting back the rest of my words, before I could go any deeper, hoping she might hear the truth I couldn't bring himself to say.

"You can't do this to me, Aidan." she paused. "You clearly know that you are putting me into temptation, yet you still take it deeper." she complained sitting straight.

"Come on baby girl, how do you expect me to keep it cool when every molecule in my body is telling me she's the one." I slightly raised my voice becoming a little on edge.

"Am with Douglas. I love him..." she spoke in a low tone while turning her head away from me.

My jaw tightened as Nadia's words hung in the air, each syllable cutting deeper than I expected. "You're in love with him," I repeated in mockery, my voice low but trembling with restrained anger. I came on top, pinned her in bed abruptly, took her by her lips at first before going down her neck. I paused aligning my eyes with hers. "Then what are we doing here, Nadia? Why did you let me be this way with you? Why-" my voice broke for a moment, and I exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "Why do you keep looking at me like that, like I'm the one you're thinking about when you're supposed to be with him?"

Nadia opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, my frustration boiling over. "You say you love him, but then you come to me, and you... you feel something. Don't deny it-I see it in your eyes, every time." my voice softening but no less intense. I pulled her legs wide apart. The little shorts she wore made it way easier for me to dig my hard member closer to her heat."You can't have it both ways, Nadia. You can't tell me you're in love with him while you let me touch you in the most inappropriate way, making me feel like I'm the only one who sees the real you."

My eyes burned into hers, a mixture of hurt and anger swirling in my depths. "If you love him, fine. But don't come to me with this... this half-truth. Because I can't keep pretending this doesn't mean something to me." Taking deep breaths, I loosened up. One more look at her and I finally decided to let it be the past and forget everything I ever felt for her.

" Don't go. " There it was. So feeble, so light, so low. Her voice saying that while her arm pulled me back to her gently.

"Say that again?" I asked for clarity.

"Stay with me." she pleaded.

Her eyes looking straight into mine. Her arms around my neck, fingers digging at the back of my hair. Getting so excited, I slightly closed the space between us waiting for her to take charge.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" she asked her voice low indicating how shy she was at the moment.

"Waiting for you to take charge." I teased.

Didn't think she was up for it. The next thing I felt was a whirlwind of emotions crashing all at once. It's electric, a shockwave that starts at my lips and spreads through my entire body, leaving me breathless and dizzy. There's a mix of disbelief-Is this really happening?-and an overwhelming rush of excitement that make my heart race uncontrollably. Her lips touch felt both thrillingly familiar and achingly perfect, as if I've been waiting for this moment without even realizing it. Time seems to pause, and in that fleeting instant, the world faded away, leaving only the warmth of her lips presence and the lingering taste of something I've secretly craved for so long. It's intoxicating, confusing, and utterly unforgettable.

"Seven days,” I murmured against her lips, my hands roaming down her back. “You have no idea how crazy I’ve been.”

She let out a breathless laugh, tugging me closer. “Then make up for it.”

My control snapped, heat building between us like a fire that had been waiting to ignite. My lips traced the curve of her neck, relishing the way she shivered beneath me.

“I missed you,” she whispered, her fingers tracing over my skin.

All I could focus on was the way she melted into me, like she had missed me just as much as I did.

My response was a deep, lingering kiss, one that told her everything words couldn’t. There had been too much distance, too much time apart—but now, in this moment, I wasn’t going anywhere.

And neither was she.

"Hurry up guys the movie is starting." we both heard Sam's voice then a knock or two followed.

"Let's stay here." I pleaded.

"You know her, she will make all this personal if we don't watch that movie."

A slight peck wasn't enough for me from her. I promised to get back at her when we settled in for the movie.