The Night He Chose Me

Chapter Thirteen: The Night He Finally Kissed Me

After the fight, everything between Ethan and me changed again.

But this time—

It became honest.

No more pretending the tension wasn’t there.

No more acting like lingering looks meant nothing.

And definitely no more pretending our hearts weren’t already involved.

The terrifying part?

Neither of us knew what to do about it.

Rain continued pouring over Manhattan that evening, turning the skyline outside into blurred silver lights.

The penthouse felt unusually quiet after our argument earlier.

Not cold quiet.

Careful quiet.

Like both of us were thinking too much.

I stood near the kitchen making tea mostly for emotional support while Ethan stayed by the windows behind me.

Neither of us had spoken properly in almost twenty minutes.

Which honestly felt illegal considering I normally talked every thirty seconds.

“You’re being suspiciously silent,” Ethan finally murmured.

I glanced back at him. “I’m giving you space.”

“I don’t like it.”

The answer came immediately.

Softly.

And somehow that simple sentence wrapped around my chest painfully tight.

I looked away quickly before my feelings embarrassed me.

Because Ethan Blackwood saying he didn’t like distance between us?

Dangerous information.

Very dangerous information.

I handed him a cup carefully when I walked back toward the living room.

Our fingers brushed slightly.

Tiny contact.

Still enough to make my pulse stumble.

Again.

Honestly, my heartbeat deserved therapy at this point.

Ethan noticed my reaction immediately.

Of course he did.

His blue eyes lifted slowly to mine.

“You still get nervous around me.”

“That sounds like your fault somehow.”

A quiet laugh escaped him.

God.

That laugh still ruined me emotionally.

The storm outside rumbled softly while warm light filled the penthouse around us.

Everything felt intimate tonight.

Heavy.

Like something inevitable was getting closer.

I sat beside him near the windows again, though not too close this time.

Mostly because sitting too close to Ethan lately felt medically unsafe.

For a while, we just watched the rain silently.

Cars moved slowly below.

New York glowing beneath the storm.

Beautiful.

Lonely.

Endless.

Then Ethan spoke quietly.

“When you said you stayed because you cared about me…”

My breath caught instantly.

Oh no.

Dangerous conversation.

I looked toward him slowly.

“What about it?”

His jaw tightened slightly.

Like honesty physically hurt him sometimes.

“Nobody’s said something like that to me in a long time.”

Pain tugged unexpectedly inside my chest.

Because suddenly I imagined how lonely Ethan’s world must’ve become after the accident.

People being careful around him.

Leaving him.

Pitying him.

Until eventually he stopped believing anyone would stay willingly.

Without thinking, I moved a little closer.

“You deserve people who stay.”

His eyes lifted to mine immediately.

Intense.

Careful.

“And what if they eventually realize I’m too much work?”

The vulnerability hidden inside the question nearly broke me.

Because there it was again.

The fear.

Not of being alone.

Of being abandoned.

I shook my head softly.

“You really don’t see yourself properly.”

Silence.

Heavy silence.

The kind that made emotions feel too visible.

Ethan stared at me for a long moment before speaking again.

“You make me feel… different.”

The softness in his voice made my heartbeat turn uneven.

“How?”

His gaze dropped briefly toward my mouth before returning to my eyes.

“Like maybe my life isn’t over.”

Oh.

Oh God.

Emotion tightened painfully in my chest.

Because no one had ever looked at me like I was saving them before.

And honestly?

Part of me wanted to.

That terrified me.

“You scare me sometimes,” I admitted quietly.

A faint crease appeared between his brows. “Me?”

“Not intentionally.”

“Then how?”

I swallowed carefully.

“Because I think I’m starting to need you too much.”

There.

Honesty.

Raw terrifying honesty.

The room went completely still.

Rain hammered softly against the windows while the city lights blurred behind us.

And suddenly Ethan looked at me like I’d said something important.

Something dangerous.

“Lily.”

The way he whispered my name made my stomach flip.

“What?”

For a second, he just stared at me.

Like he was fighting with himself.

Then slowly—

Very slowly—

He reached toward me.

His fingers brushed softly against my cheek.

Warm.

Careful.

My entire body froze instantly.

Because Ethan had never touched me like this before.

Not casually.

Not intentionally.

The tenderness in that tiny gesture nearly destroyed me.

My breathing turned uneven immediately.

And judging by the look in his eyes—

So did his.

The space between us suddenly felt impossibly small.

Every nerve in my body woke up.

His thumb brushed lightly across my cheekbone once.

Then softly:

“You have no idea what you’ve done to me.”

The confession hit me like a heartbeat.

Strong.

Sudden.

Real.

My pulse raced painfully fast now.

Because Ethan was looking at me like he wanted to kiss me.

Not almost.

Not maybe.

Actually.

And for the first time—

He wasn’t pulling away.

I should’ve said something.

Done something.

Instead, I just looked at him.

At the vulnerability in his eyes.

At the fear.

At the warmth growing there every time he looked at me lately.

Then his gaze dropped toward my lips again.

My breath caught sharply.

And suddenly—

He moved closer.

Slowly.

Giving me time to stop him.

I didn’t.

God, I didn’t even think about it.

Because deep down, I’d wanted this for weeks.

The tension.

The longing.

The almost moments.

All of it leading here.

Ethan’s forehead rested lightly against mine first.

A tiny pause.

One last moment to change our minds.

Then quietly—

“Tell me to stop.”

His voice sounded rough.

Careful.

Like this mattered too much already.

I looked into his eyes and whispered honestly:

“I don’t want you to.”

That was all it took.

Ethan kissed me like he’d been holding himself back for far too long.

Soft at first.

Careful.

Like he was afraid I might disappear.

Then deeper when I kissed him back immediately.

Warmth exploded through my chest so fast it almost hurt.

My fingers tightened instinctively against his shirt while his hand moved gently into my hair.

And God—

Every lonely, aching, unfinished thing between us suddenly collided at once.

The kiss felt emotional.

Not perfect.

Not polished.

Real.

Like two people finally admitting they belonged somewhere with each other.

When we finally pulled apart, both of us were breathing unevenly.

Foreheads still touching.

The storm outside faded into nothing.

There was only Ethan.

Only the way he was looking at me now.

Completely undone.

“You kissed me,” I whispered breathlessly.

A small disbelieving laugh escaped him.

“Yeah,” he murmured softly. “I really did.”