Nolan
Annabelle's confession hangs in the air between us, making it electric, charged with possibilities I've only allowed myself to imagine in the quietest moments of night. Her eyes shine with vulnerability and certainty all at once, and I'm undone.
When our lips meet, something unravels inside me, all the control I've maintained, all the boundaries I've enforced. Her mouth is soft and warm, opening to mine with a sigh that reverberates through my entire body.
"I love you," I whisper against her lips, the words escaping before I can think them through. But they're true, so true I ache with it. "I've loved you for so long."
Her hands frame my face, eyes searching mine. "How long?"
I laugh softly. "Since the third week you worked here. You were singing some ridiculous song about dinosaurs while making breakfast, and Ashlynn was giggling so hard she snorted orange juice out her nose."
Annabelle's smile is radiant. "That long? And you never said anything?"