Chapter Three: The Nearness
363 Words
The quiet wrapped around them like a secret, as though the world had been left behind the moment they stepped away. She could still hear faint laughter in the distance, but it no longer mattered. All that mattered was him—his presence so close, so steady, so unshakable.
He hadn’t released her hand. His thumb traced slow circles across her skin, each touch deliberate, as if meant to remind her that he was in no rush. He wanted her to feel every second, every spark.
“You’re trembling,” he murmured.
She tried to steady her voice. “Maybe it’s the air.”
His smile was faint, knowing. “It’s not the air.”
The words sank into her like a confession, stirring something deeper than she was ready to admit. She should have stepped back, created space between them, but the pull was stronger than reason. Her body leaned forward, drawn toward the warmth he carried.
He lifted his hand, brushing a strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered along her jaw, not moving lower, not claiming more—just holding her there, suspended between restraint and surrender.
The closeness was unbearable. His breath mingled with hers, their lips almost touching, but he stopped—hovering just shy of giving her what she suddenly ached for.
Her eyes fluttered shut, expecting, wanting. But instead, his lips ghosted near her ear.
“Tell me you feel it,” he whispered.
Her chest rose sharply. She wanted to deny it, to protect herself, but the truth was too heavy on her tongue. “I feel it,” she whispered back, her voice breaking with need.
His grip tightened at her waist, but still he held back, as though savoring the torture of restraint. His control only ignited her more, made her crave the release she knew was coming.
He leaned his forehead against hers, his voice rough, almost strained. “If I kiss you now, I won’t stop.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Every part of her screamed for him to cross that line. And yet, in the silence that followed, she realized the choice was hers to make.
- Writer
