Aria POVHis thumb gently stroked my cheek, wiping away the last of my tears. The simple, grounding touch was a lifeline, a warm, steady anchor in the vast, overwhelming storm of my emotions. I leaned into his palm, my eyes closing as I soaked in the feeling of him. The feeling of being seen. The feeling of being home.“Can I…” he began, his voice a low, hesitant sound, full of a vulnerability that was so raw and so real it made my heart ache. “Can I hold you?”I didn’t answer with words. I just shifted on the blanket, closing the small, careful distance between us. He opened his arms, and I collapsed into them, my body fitting into his as if it had been made to be there. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent, the scent of pine and lake water and the boy I loved. It was a scent I had dreamed of, a scent I had mourned, a scent that
Read more