More Than A Moment
632 Words
Ava woke to warmth.
For once, it wasn’t the morning sun or a blanket pulled over her shoulders. It was Jace — sitting quietly beside her, holding her hand as she slept on the couch.
His thumb traced her knuckles slowly, almost like he didn’t realize he was doing it.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
She just watched him — his face soft, unguarded. As if in this silence, he wasn’t the cold billionaire. He was just… a man.
“Are you awake?” he whispered, not even looking up.
She hesitated. “Yeah.”
He glanced at her, expression unreadable. “You sleep like someone who’s been holding their breath for years.”
Ava let out a quiet laugh. “Maybe I have.”
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t let go of her hand either.
---
After breakfast, the tension between them didn’t fade. It shifted.
Jace had a call — some emergency at work — and left her in the living room. She didn’t mind. She wandered through the house, ending up in the music room she’d only seen once.
Inside, dust clung to untouched keys of a grand piano.
Ava ran her fingers over them.
One note echoed softly. Then another.
A melody began to form — broken, hesitant.
She didn’t notice him behind her until he spoke.
“You play?”
She turned. “Not well.”
“I didn’t know this room still existed,” he said, stepping closer. “My mother used to play. She said the piano listens better than people.”
“She was right,” Ava whispered.
He came closer. Their bodies were barely inches apart.
His voice was softer now. “Why do I feel like you’re always hiding something?”
“Because I am,” she said. “And you never ask.”
“I’m asking now.”
Ava stared at the piano keys. “I’m scared,” she whispered. “That if I let myself feel too much, I’ll fall… and no one will catch me.”
“I would,” Jace said.
Her heart stilled.
“Then why do you still push me away?” he asked, voice raw.
“Because I don’t know if you’ll still be here when I land.”
---
That night, she stepped into the hallway outside her room — only to find Jace standing there, hand raised like he was about to knock.
They both froze.
“I wasn’t going to bother you,” he said quickly. “Just wanted to check if you were okay.”
“I’m not,” she said. “But I don’t want to be alone either.”
He lowered his hand.
“Do you want me to stay?”
“Yes.”
---
They lay side by side on the bed, not touching. Hearts thudding like confessions waiting to be spoken.
Ava turned on her side, facing him.
“I hate how much I want this,” she whispered.
“What?”
“You. This. Us. Whatever this is.”
Jace reached out — slowly, as if scared of her flinching — and cupped her cheek. His thumb brushed against her skin.
“I hate how much I want you to want this too,” he whispered back.
The silence between them burned.
He leaned in, lips barely inches from hers — the moment holding its breath.
But she didn’t kiss him.
Instead, she closed her eyes and whispered, “Not yet.”
And he understood.
He pulled her close instead, pressing her head to his chest. She let herself be held — for the first time in a long, long time.
---
Somewhere in the dark, Jace whispered:
> “If this is what falling feels like, I hope the ground never comes.”
- Writer
