MALCOLM
___
I don't know how long we stay wrapped in each other, but I feel a lightness in every pore of my being. Gwen is here. In my arms. How many nights have I stayed dreaming of this moment?
She moves in my hold and I lower us to the floor. We lie on our sides, eyes locked. We don't say anything, our eyes expressing ourselves in a way our mouths can't. I reach out tenderly, slowly running a finger down her smooth skin. She lays her palm over mine and her eyes grow dewy. "Malc--"
"Shh," I say softly. "It's okay. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you." The moment will haunt me for the rest of my life.
"No. I understand now. It's just, I spent weeks...hating you. In a way, you were what kept me going, enduring."
Anger expands my chest. "You shouldn't have had to endure. Shouldn't have s
