her eyes rolling back into her head. “I could seriously live in this stuff.”
She dips the spoon in the chocolate fluff, grabbing a heaping spoonful, and feeds it to me.
I’ve lost track of how long we’ve been here. Nostalgia washes over me. It feels like everything is as it once was before the breakups, heartaches, new loves, and death. I have my best friend back, and somewhere deep down—beneath all the shitty circumstances and alcohol-induced sentiments—resides some guilt over that fact. But I don’t hear it because for the first time in a long time, I feel light, the heaviness of my existence lifted, allowing me to relish in the joy that this time with Lily brings.
These past two days have been incredible. Tonight, we’ve talked about everything that’s been going on during the past year—our jobs, our families, our hobbies, any news we’ve heard about our friends from high school, how Ben is doing with his new job, and how the two Js are doing in the NFL. We cover anything and everything—with two major exceptions. Neither Trenton nor Stella come up, and I’m grateful for it. It is so refreshing just to talk without the sorrow.
Lily has chocolate on the corner of her lip.
“Here. Let me.” I reach forward and swipe it off with my thumb before bringing it to my mouth and licking it off.
Lily’s blue-eyed gaze burns over me, sending chills through my body.
Like that, the easygoing atmosphere we’ve been holding on to for the last couple of days ends, the air between us changing. It heats up and thickens as our breaths increase in tempo. I push the bowl of chocolate dessert out of the way and scoot forward until my face is inches from Lily’s. The sensation to touch her beats loudly through my veins. It is a desire that I can’t ignore.
I bring both hands to her face, cradling her jaw with my palms. I move my thumbs across her skin. She closes her eyes.
God, how I’ve missed the feel of her skin, so warm and soft.
I run my touch from her face, down her neck, over her shoulder, and down her arms, feeling the goose bumps lying there. Lily’s chest is expanding and retracting with each breath she takes. It mirrors my own as I struggle to get air, my heart pounding wildly.
I gently drag my hands up to her face, her eyes still closed.
“Lily, look at me.”
She bites her lip and shakes her head.
“Lily, please,” I plead.
She shakes her head again as thick teardrops begin to flow down her cheeks.
“Why not?”
“I’m afraid.” Her voice is a broken whisper.
“Of what?”
She is silent as her tears continue to course down her face.
“What are you afraid of?” I ask again. “Please tell me.”
She finally opens her eyes. The desire radiating through them has a direct line to my soul. I have always thought that Lily was the most stunning woman alive, and when she looks at me in the way she is now, my need for her is almost debilitating.
“Of everything,” she chokes out. “I’m afraid that you’ll stop. I’m afraid that you won’t. I’m afraid of having you again, only to lose you once more.”
For the briefest second, I feel some apprehension. My brain is clouded with alcohol and heartache. I know I should take a minute to clear my head and think things through. But the intense need to have Lily outweighs all reason. My Lily is sitting before me, more beautiful than ever. She is here, and the only thought that gains recognition in my mind is that I’m mere seconds away from finally having what I have wanted for so long.
The air is charged with tangible need, our audible breaths cutting through the silence. I ache with a need so intense that it unnerves me.
“I’m afraid, too, Little. I can’t figure it all out now. All I know is that I need you so much that it hurts. Please?” I plead.
She bites her bottom lip. Closing her eyes, she nods.
That small movement is all it takes. I quickly close the distance between us, capturing her lips with mine. Our tongues clash in a desperate dance. Moans resonate loudly, both of us vocalizing our pleasure in our personal symphony of ecstasy.
Releasing her mouth, I kiss her face and work kisses down her neck and up to her ear. I pull her earlobe between my lips as my hands drag across her skin, branding her with my touch. She is panting, her