“I’m so sorry about all of this,” I muttered as I reluctantly pulled away from Benjamin’s embrace. My fingers lingered on his shirt for a moment longer than they should have, as if part of me wasn’t ready to let him go.
His hand came up to my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear I hadn’t even realized had fallen. His touch was gentle, deliberate, and his smile—a soft, heart-melting curve of his lips—made me feel like the rest of the world didn’t exist. “Don’t apologize, sunshine. I don’t mind it,” he said, his voice warm and calming.
There it was again. Sunshine. He had called me that before, but hearing it again sent a flutter through my chest, like tiny wings taking flight. Something about the way the word rolled off his tongue, so effortlessly, so naturally, made my heart ache in the
