Chapter 49: Stolen Moments Between Heartbeats

The rain had just stopped, leaving behind a quiet hush that filled the air between us. The sky outside our window was streaked with silver and soft gold, and the scent of the earth rose like a song only we could hear. You were curled up beside me, your head resting on my shoulder, your fingers gently tracing circles over my wrist.

We weren't saying anything, but everything was being said. In the silence, in the breath you exhaled when I tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, in the way your eyes met mine and held them for a little longer than usual. There was something in that look a recognition, a calm, a love that didn't need to be spoken anymore.

I leaned in, slowly, carefully, as if afraid this moment would vanish if I moved too fast. But you didn't pull away. You tilted your face upward, your lips parting slightly, and in that second, time unraveled around us. The kiss we shared wasn't fiery or rushed. It was deep. Soulful. Like we'd been waiting our whole lives to find this one moment that belonged only to us.

And when we pulled apart, your smile told me everything I ever needed to know.