Maria.

I kept wondering if he regretted kissing me.

The thought wouldn’t leave.

It lingered stubbornly at the back of my mind, whispering doubts I didn’t want to hear. The way he had pulled away earlier... the apology... the tension in his shoulders now as he stood with his back partly turned to me.

I thought he...Never mind.

I shook the thought away before it could fully form.

I slowly stood up from the bed, watching him as he dragged his fingers through his hair again. The gesture wasn’t casual. It was restless. Frustrated. Like he was fighting something inside himself.

And suddenly, another thought struck me.

Maybe what Anabel did to him still had an effect on him.

Maybe that was why he was acting like this, conflicted, distant one moment and overwhelming the next.

Without thinking too much about it, I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind.

His body felt warm beneath my touch, solid and tense.

"Are you okay, Noah?" I asked quietly, resting my cheek lightly against his back as I held onto him.

He didn’t respond, not even a word.

His silence made my chest tighten slightly.

"You seem lost," I added softly.

That seemed to be the only word that fit.

Lost.

He was definitely thinking about something. I could feel it in the way his muscles were rigid beneath my arms. In the way he wasn’t fully present in the room with me.

He was somewhere else.

Trapped in his thoughts.

I didn’t care whether he was listening to me or not. I just needed him to know I was here.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

The question left my lips before I could stop it, and this time, it reached him.

I felt it in the slight shift of his posture.

He slowly turned toward me.

My arms loosened automatically as he faced me fully. I stepped back just enough to look up at him properly. My eyes searched his face again, just like earlier when I had checked him for injuries.

But this time, I wasn’t looking for bruises.

I was looking for answers.

For regret.

For doubt.

For anything that would explain the storm in his expression.

I was still searching when he lifted his hand and gently cupped my chin between his fingers.

The touch was careful and deliberate.

"You didn’t do anything wrong, Maria," he said.

His voice was lower now. Steadier. But it carried a weight beneath it, something unspoken.

He leaned slightly closer as he spoke. "It’s just that I... I..."

His words faltered.

He couldn’t finish.

The hesitation made my heart beat faster.

Maybe he just needed help.

Slowly, I lifted my hands and placed them against his chest. I could feel his heartbeat beneath my palms, strong, uneven.

I began to move my hands gently, almost absentmindedly, tracing small circles over the fabric of his shirt.

"You what, Noah?" I asked softly.

My fingers continued their slow caress against his chest, and my eyes remained locked onto his.

I wanted him to see that I wasn’t afraid, that I wasn’t pulling away.

I opened my mouth to speak again, to tell him something, anything that might ease the tension between us.

But I never got the chance.

He claimed my lips.

Suddenly.

Hungrily.

There was no warning this time.

No pause.

His mouth crashed against mine with an intensity that stole my breath. His hands slid firmly to my waist, gripping me as if anchoring himself.

The kiss deepened instantly. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

His lips moved against mine with urgency, and I felt the heat build between us all over again. My hands slid up his chest, instinctively holding onto him as he pulled me closer.

Each passing second only intensified the kiss.

He devoured my mouth like he had been starving for it.

My thoughts blurred.

The earlier doubt faded beneath the sensation of him, his warmth, his strength, the way he held me like he needed me just as much as I needed him.

I responded without hesitation, parting my lips further, letting myself sink into the kiss.

But then...just like before...he pulled back suddenly.

The warmth disappeared too quickly.

The closeness vanished.

I blinked up at him, breath uneven, lips still tingling.

And this time, irritation flickered inside me.

Why was he doing this?

Why did he keep pulling away?

Why was he teasing me with his lips only to step back like he regretted it?

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I stared at him, confused and slightly frustrated.

If he didn’t want this, why kiss me like that?

And if he did...then why stop?

None of us spoke.

The air between us felt thick, heavy with everything that had just happened. My breathing was still uneven, and I could feel the warmth of his hands lingering at my waist. I stared into his eyes, searching for clarity, for something that would explain the push and pull of his actions.

His gaze held mine firmly this time. There was no hesitation in it. No retreat.

And then he spoke.

"I love you, Maria," he said, the words were steady, certain. "And I don’t want to hurt you."

For a moment, the world seemed to go silent.

It wasn’t the first time I had heard him say those words. He had said them before, confidently, stubbornly, even desperately. But this time... this time it felt different.

More vulnerable.

Like he wasn’t trying to convince me.

Like he was confessing something fragile.

Something real.

My heart melted instantly.

The irritation I had felt seconds ago dissolved completely, replaced by something warm and overwhelming that spread slowly through my chest. I couldn’t explain why it felt different this time. Maybe it was the way his voice had trembled slightly. Maybe it was the way he looked at me, as if he was afraid of losing me even while standing inches away.

I really couldn’t tell what was wrong with me.

Why my chest felt so tight.

Why my heart was beating so loudly I could hear it in my ears.

Why his words seemed to settle somewhere deep inside me, refusing to move.

I was still trying to process the feeling, still trying to understand what it meant for me, when he leaned in again.

His lips found mine without hesitation.

The kiss wasn’t rushed this time.

It wasn’t frantic.

It was intentional.

Full of everything he had just said.

And with the overwhelming emotions surging inside me, I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I kissed him back.

Not cautiously.

Not shyly.

But with the same intensity he gave me.

My hands slid up around his neck, my fingers tangling lightly in his hair as I pulled him closer. I felt the softness of his strands between my fingers, the warmth of his skin beneath my touch.

My lips moved against his with equal passion, matching every shift, every tilt of his head. I surprised myself with how naturally it came, how easily I melted into him, as if this was something my body had been waiting to do all along.

The kiss deepened.

Not in desperation.

But in connection.

In mutual surrender.

I felt him tense for a brief second beneath my hands, like he hadn’t expected me to respond that way. Like he was startled by the certainty in my kiss.

But then he relaxed.

His grip on my waist softened just slightly, not in distance but in trust, and he allowed himself to get lost in it.

With me.

There was no hesitation now.

No pulling away.

No apologies.

Just us.

The warmth between us grew steady, comforting, electric all at once. My fingers tightened slightly in his hair, and I felt his breath mix with mine. The world outside the room ceased to matter. There were no doubts, no outside voices, just the quiet confession of our lips speaking what words couldn’t fully capture.

We were still kissing intimately, completely unaware of anything beyond the moment...When the door opened.

I froze.

Noah stilled too.

I pulled away from Noah instantly, my hands dropping from his neck as reality rushed back in. My cheeks burned, heat flooding my face as I lowered my head.

I could feel it.

The stare.

Burning into my back.

Into my skin.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?"

The voice cut through the room, harsh and accusing.

My heart pounded wildly, embarrassment crashing over me in waves. I didn’t dare look up immediately. My breath was still uneven from the kiss, my lips still tingling.

And suddenly, the moment that had felt so private....So ours....Was no longer just between us.