The First Real Touch
822 Words
The house was silent except for the soft hum of the AC and their synchronized breathing.
Ava blinked into the darkness, unsure what woke her — until she realized her hand was still wrapped in his. Jace was awake, his eyes focused on her face as though he’d been studying her features all night.
"You’re staring," she whispered, voice still heavy with sleep.
"I know," he replied, his voice low, deep, intimate.
"Why?"
"Because I still don’t believe you’re real."
Her breath hitched.
"And if you are… I’m scared you’ll disappear the second I stop looking."
She turned onto her side, their hands still connected, their faces now just inches apart. Her heart thudded painfully loud in her chest.
"Jace…" she began, but the rest of her words got tangled in the emotion swelling in her throat.
He didn’t rush her. He just looked at her — like she was something fragile, beautiful, and dangerous all at once.
Then, softly, she said, “If you kiss me now… I won’t stop you.”
For a second, time stopped.
Then he reached for her, slowly, reverently, like touching her was something sacred. His hand slid up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin with a gentleness that made her shiver.
Their eyes locked.
She gave the smallest nod.
And then… he kissed her.
---
It was slow.
Like the first drop of rain on dry skin — unexpected, soft, electric.
Jace’s lips moved against hers with breathtaking care, as though he was memorizing the shape of her mouth, the way she breathed into the kiss. His other hand slid around her waist, drawing her body flush against his, anchoring her in a moment neither of them wanted to escape.
Ava melted into him, her fingers sliding up into his hair, pulling him closer.
The kiss deepened.
What began as tentative and unsure turned into something fierce, magnetic, desperate. Like years of loneliness had erupted into one spark, and now there was no going back.
Her whole body trembled from how much she felt. From how much he felt.
Because he wasn’t just kissing her.
He was giving her his silence. His secrets. His truth.
And she was kissing him back like she wanted to take all of it and hold it safe in her chest forever.
---
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads pressed together, Jace’s breathing was ragged.
“I think I’ve been waiting to do that since the moment you threw that cup of coffee at me,” he whispered.
Ava let out a shaky laugh, cheeks flushed, heart racing.
“That was iced coffee, thank you.”
He grinned, and her chest ached at how beautiful he looked when he smiled — like a boy finally allowed to feel again.
---
They didn’t say much after that.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she let herself curl into his chest. Their legs tangled beneath the blanket, their hands still clasped like they were afraid of letting go.
And for the first time since she stepped into his cold house, she felt like she belonged.
Like maybe… this was the beginning of something she didn’t need to run from.
---
But the morning didn’t let them stay in that dream for long.
A sharp knock at the front door echoed through the house.
Jace sat up, blinking. “Probably the driver. I’ll get it.”
Ava stretched, still wearing his hoodie, her lips tingling from the memory of the night before.
Then she heard it.
A voice. Feminine. Confident. Too familiar.
“Miss me?”
Ava stiffened.
She tiptoed to the hallway and peeked around the corner.
Jace was standing frozen, staring at the woman in front of him.
Tall. Stylish. Red lips. High heels that clicked with power. The kind of woman who knew how to break hearts — and liked doing it.
Ava stepped into view, and the woman turned to face her.
“Oh,” she said, a sweet but sharp smile playing on her lips. “And here I thought I was early.”
“Vanessa,” Jace said tightly.
Vanessa.
The ex.
Ava’s stomach sank.
Vanessa stepped inside like she belonged there, eyes scanning Ava from head to toe before settling on Jace again. “I came back,” she said. “And this time, I’m not leaving empty-handed.”
Ava crossed her arms. “You’re definitely leaving without him.”
Vanessa’s gaze sharpened. “We’ll see about that.”
She turned to Jace. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”
He glanced back at Ava — his eyes pleading, soft.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
But Ava had already started walking away, her heart hammering like it was made of glass.
---
Because last night, he kissed her like she was the only one.
But this morning, she felt like second place all over again.
- Writer
