Chapter 16 – Ava

The heat between us hasn't fully faded. Riley's arms are still wrapped around me, her body warm and solid beneath mine, her breath slow but uneven. Neither of us has moved much since we collapsed together, tangled in sheets that still smell like sweat and something deeper, something unmistakably us.

I shift slightly, resting my chin against her chest, watching the way her fingers absentmindedly trace circles on my back. She's not speaking, but she's not pulling away either. It's rare to see Riley like this—unguarded, open. I should say something, tease her, lighten the moment.

But I don't want to.

Instead, I let the silence stretch between us, a silence that feels comfortable, intimate.

She sighs softly, her hand trailing up my back, fingers brushing against my shoulder, then slipping into my hair. She combs through the strands absentmindedly, slow, gentle movements that send shivers down my spine.

I swallow hard, burying my face against her chest. "You're still touching me," I murmur, my voice quieter than I expected.

Riley stiffens for half a second before her fingers move again, this time with more intention, more purpose. "Do you want me to stop?"

I shake my head, exhaling against her skin. "No."

She doesn't say anything, just keeps stroking my hair, her other hand rubbing soft, lazy patterns along my lower back. I feel weightless, floating in this moment, wrapped in her warmth, in the afterglow of everything we just did.

Riley shifts beneath me, her lips pressing against my temple, lingering there. The kiss is barely there, so soft it might have been an accident, but I feel it everywhere.

I lift my head slightly, meeting her gaze in the dim light. Her expression is unreadable, but there's something different in her eyes—something vulnerable, something hesitant.

I don't think. I just reach up, my fingers brushing over her jaw, tracing the edge of her lips. She shudders beneath my touch, her breathing uneven.

"You okay?" she murmurs.

I nod. "You?"

She hesitates, then cups my cheek, her thumb brushing just beneath my eye. "Yeah. I am."

I should joke. I should deflect. But instead, the words slip out before I can stop them.

"I like this," I admit softly. "Being here. With you."

Riley's fingers twitch against my skin. For a second, I think she's going to pull away. But she doesn't.

She tilts her head, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to my forehead. "Me too," she whispers.

Something tightens in my chest, something unfamiliar, something terrifying.

But when Riley pulls me even closer, tucking me against her like she doesn't want to let go, I decide not to fight it. Not tonight.

Tonight, I just want to exist in this moment.

With her.

Riley sighs softly, the sound warm and comforting as it rumbles against my skin. The night air is cool against our overheated bodies, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she shifts just enough to tuck me even closer, wrapping her arms around me like she's afraid I'll disappear.

It's strange.

She's always been the one keeping people at arm's length, always acting like she doesn't care. But right now, she's holding onto me like she needs this just as much as I do.

I don't move. I don't want to.

Instead, I let myself melt into her, my fingers trailing across the curve of her hip, feeling the way her breath stutters slightly at the contact.

Her heartbeat is steady beneath my ear, a soothing rhythm that makes me feel like I belong here.

"I don't usually do this." Her voice is quiet, hesitant.

I tilt my head slightly, looking up at her in the dim glow of the moonlight filtering through the window. "What do you mean?"

Riley exhales slowly, her fingers ghosting over my spine, sending a shiver down my back. "This. Lying here after. Holding someone." She swallows, her throat working around the words like they're difficult to say. "It's different."

I study her in the darkness, my fingers tracing the contours of her arm. "Different bad?"

She doesn't answer right away. Instead, she presses a slow, lingering kiss to my forehead, her lips soft, careful.

"No," she murmurs finally. "Different good."

Something tightens in my chest. A warmth that has nothing to do with the sex and everything to do with the way she's looking at me right now.

I don't know what to say to that.

So instead, I shift slightly, pressing a kiss to the hollow of her throat, breathing her in. She smells like sweat and warmth, like something familiar but completely new at the same time.

Riley tenses for a second, then relaxes completely beneath me, her arms tightening around my waist.

For a long time, neither of us speaks. We just exist here, tangled in each other, in the quiet aftermath of something neither of us expected to feel this deep.

Then, she shifts again, her fingers trailing lightly over my lower back. "Ava."

My name sounds different when she says it like that. Soft. Uncertain. Like she's still figuring out how to say it properly.

I lift my head, searching her face. "Yeah?"

She hesitates, then finally meets my eyes. "Stay."

One word.

One simple request.

And it undoes something inside me.

I don't answer. Not with words.

Instead, I slide my fingers into her hair, pulling her down into a slow, deep kiss. A promise. A silent answer.

I'm not going anywhere.

Not tonight.

Maybe not ever.

Riley shifts beneath me, her fingers trailing over the bare skin of my shoulder, down my back, tracing the path of my spine with slow, lazy strokes. There's no urgency now, no heat driving her movements—just something softer, quieter. Something that feels far more dangerous.

I press my cheek against her chest, listening to the way her heartbeat slows, settling into a steady rhythm. She's calm, but not asleep.

Neither of us speaks for a long moment.

It's comfortable, but at the same time, I can feel something humming beneath the surface, something unspoken hanging between us.

I'm the first to break the silence.

"Your bed is really comfortable."

Riley huffs out a quiet laugh, her fingers tightening briefly on my hip before she resumes her absentminded touches. "That's what you're thinking about right now?"

I grin against her skin. "I mean, yeah. You have those fancy pillows that feel like clouds."

She chuckles again, and it's low and raspy, a sound that makes warmth bloom in my chest. "Good to know you weren't just using me for my body," she teases.

I smirk. "Oh, I definitely was." I let my fingers trace the dip of her waist, the muscles there twitching slightly beneath my touch. "But the bed is a nice bonus."

Riley tilts my chin up suddenly, her thumb brushing against my bottom lip. The teasing is gone from her eyes, replaced by something unreadable, something quiet but intense.

"You're still here," she murmurs.

I frown slightly. "Yeah."

She studies me for a long second, like she's trying to figure something out. Then, almost too softly to hear, she says, "I like that."

A small breath escapes me, something unsteady, something I didn't expect.

I shift, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to her collarbone, letting my lips linger there. "I like it too," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.

Riley's fingers slide into my hair, tilting my head up until our mouths are just barely brushing. But she doesn't deepen the kiss—she just stays there, her breath mixing with mine, our lips barely touching.

It feels more intimate than before.

It feels like something I'm not ready to name.

So I just close my eyes, letting her warmth surround me, letting myself forget—for now—that there's a world outside of this bed, outside of us.