Smiles Softly Novels & Stories

She looked real. And she was smiling. Axel’s breath caught in his throat. A soft, easy smile. The kind he hadn’t seen in weeks. Maybe longer. It wasn’t the smile she gave him when she was trying to keep the peace. Or the tight-lipped one when she was afraid. This one… this was lighter. Brighter. Healing. For someone else.

“Not just talking. You were smiling.” I paused for half a second. Damn Marcus and his semi functioning memory. Tariq dropped his fork like it was breaking news. “Smiling? Like actually smiling? Not the polite one or the fake public one, but the real kind?” “I smile all the time,” I muttered. “False,” Rafeal said. “You smirk, you glower, you look vaguely constipated sometimes, but smiling? That’s rare, my guy.” Tariq barked a laugh. “So who was she?”

I laughed softly. "What?” Still nothing. Instead, he leaned closer, gently brushing a loose strand of hair away from my face before tucking it carefully behind my ear. His fingertips lingered against my cheek for just a second longer than necessary. "I like seeing you happy," he murmured. The warmth in his voice melted something inside me. My smile softened. "You've smiled more during this trip than you have in months." His eyes searched mine. "Real smiles." Not the polite ones. Not the brave ones I'd worn to convince everyone I was okay. These were genuine. The teasing disappeared from his expression, replaced by something quieter. Something vulnerable.

After a few seconds… I place my hand in his. Grudgingly. My hand looks so small in his. He helps me out of the car. Then he looks at me. Really looks at me. “Smile,” he says softly. “You look beautiful tonight.” And just like that— My brain stops working again. Why does he keep doing that? God. He is dangerously handsome when he smiles like that. His fingers lift slightly. And brush against my cheek. Soft. Gentle. Unexpected. My breath catches. Then he takes my hand again.

he said softly, the same gentle smile resting on his lips. Diana’s eyebrows drew together slowly. Her lips parted.

And though she is almost drifting, a sweet and triumphant smile carves her lips. ****😊****

“Ok, well, have a good day.” She smiled softly. It didn’t reach her eyes. Honestly, it wasn’t her normal smile. It was a fake smile. I recognized that smile. It was the one she would put on when people she disliked would talk to her, but she still had to be diplomatic. It hurt. My chest throbbed in agony. “You too.”

In the picture, she was laughing with her head tilted slightly back. Sunlight touched her face and she looked happy. For four years every version of Cecilia in his mind had been frightened. Running away and hiding from him. This woman looked alive. She looked healthy and happy. His eyes traced every detail. The curve of her smile. The softness in her expression. The way her hair fell around her shoulders. The little laugh frozen forever inside the photograph. His chest ached. A deep painful ache he hadn’t felt in years. Because he remembered that smile.

I touched his cheek, and he just stared at me; I had just handled his cheek in this manner. "Your hand was soft," Ace said to me, and I was taken aback by his sudden smile. I notice a different smile now; Ace appears to be at ease with me, and this smile suits him perfectly. He's still attractive. **