calloused fingertips dipped under the fabric of her shirt , trails of warmth left in the wake of his touch , spreading throughout her body and rising to the brims of her cheeks while sinking to the bottom of her heart . it was a back and forth , a push and pull , a lean in every time he pulled back , and with her hand pressed against his chest , she could feel the way his heart was racing just as hers was . in small moments of clarity , she caught her mind wondering if he’d thought about it — the closeness , the gentle brush of skin on skin — like she had . he’d pull away , and she moved closer , only stopped by the sound of her name whispered with a softness that stole the air from her lungs . she hummed in response , lips pursed as the tip of her nose brushed back and forth against his . lashes fluttered as he seemed to stumble over his own words , and a content sigh put her at ease as she pulled back , just enough to look at him . really look at him . wisps of black curled around his eyes , casting the warmest shade of brown and the saddest gaze in shadow . intimacy painted a subtle shade of red across his cheeks , a long the tip of his nose . lips , often pressed into pursed thought or weighed down at the corners in a pout . a face that seemed to separate itself in every crowd , brown eyes that casted downwards on the edge of a classroom , hands that gripped the cover a book or the stem of a pen scrawled across paper , a smile that could stop her heart — … it was the make up of a boy she’d wanted to know for years . her heart skipped , and she knew now the way he seemed separate because he had the innate ability to silence the business of the rest of the world . she knew that his eyes were the same color as his mothers , and that they lit up at the corners of a dimpled smile . she knew that those same hands had spent years reaching out , fingers outstretched , trying to catch his mother’s pain in order to heal , only to watch it slip through empty spaces in between ; gentle hands , delicate hands , capable of the most calming and exciting touches . and that smile — that heart stopping smile — whispered words that slowed down time . i love you , spoken into the quiet of her bedroom , as he held her closer . i love you , and her heart leapt into the back of her throat . i love you , and she loved him back . dear god , she loved him back . gentle fingertips brushed up the height of his cheekbone , before settling under the striking edge of his jaw . “ i know i don’t have to say it back , ” a breathless whisper as blue eyes caught golden flecks reflected back at her , “ but i also feel like i haven’t been subtle with the way i feel about you — … ” it was honest . she wasn’t sure when it’d arrived , couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment she’d fallen in love , but it was there . it was there , in moments when he’d catch her quietly looking , attention seemingly gravitating towards him even when he wasn’t vying for it . it was there , in the way her hand so easily found his as she chose to stand next to him in a room full of vipers , comforting and calm and completely there for him . and it was there , in the way she’d always preferred solitude , until she knew the quiet happiness that came with his company . she leaned forward , resting her forehead against his , as her fingers entangled into dark curls . “ you love me , ” it’s melodic at the level of a whisper , smiled against her lips in subtle triumph as she leaned in . he loved her , and he was holding her against him like a lifeline , and it was everything . he loved her , and she loved him . “ you , ” still quiet , but pressed against his lips , and then at the corner of his mouth , the warmth of his cheek , the corner of his jaw , “ love me . ” and she’s completely wrapped up in him . you don’t have to say it back ; but there was nothing else she wanted to say more . he deserved to know that she had decided , definitively , to love him back , and that she would continue to make that choice . because it was the only one ; there was only him . “ and i love you , ” pressed against his skin , quiet as ever , words meant only for him .
she loves him , and it keeps a broken heart from breaking any more . instead , it mends with the hue of softness , it’s taped back together in the way his name sounds like milk and honey on parted lips . he’s sure , if he could write a hundred novels , there wasn’t an english word capable of expressing just how much ------- he loved her . just how beautiful , just how enthralled he was to have her ; for her to be his , and for him to be hers and for the world to finally feel like he belonged . to not be outcast by the shades of blue , and how they dipped behind a writers fingertips . to not be clouded by his father’s name , and a girl he wasn’t sure even really liked him ; much less loved him , before esme . how lucky he was , to be given the chance to know her , and be loved by her . how lucky he was , to know the memories of her bathed in moonlight , caressed under the sheets of a bed . how lucky he was , to be hers . and how it’s the only thing that mattered , the only thing that threaded that broken heart ; into something worth living again ; something worth beating , if it was beating to love her . and everything he wanted to say , locked away in a clever mind ; touched behind long fluttered eyelashes . he’ll lean forward , and his nuzzle will touch the bridge of her nose , only to kiss her again .
i love you , and it’s whispered on whisked lips , dipped down pale collarbones . i love you , and it’s tugged at the hem of a shirt that’s tilted over her over . i love you , and his hand is slipped under the small of her back , to pull her closer , and up to a cushion of pillows . i love you , and he’s kissing her down the dip of her chest ; sloped by the slender curve of hips ; and hands linger just above the hem of a button . his heart stammers with nerves , but he’ll look up in comparison ; a silent mouthing of permission , before he’s slipped between the denim fabric of a zipper then he’ll raise up to capture her lips again ; his own red and flushed by the explored and uncharted . “if you want me to stop ..” whispered as another precaution , and fluttered lashes are caressed by soft brown eyes . his frame hovers over her , watching in delicate silence as his hand is met with the fabric of lace . and he’ll silently whisper into the crook of her neck , a mantra of compliments . you’re beautiful , he says over and over again , like fluttered butterflies . and he’ll slip between her legs , a racing heart proven that he hadn’t touched anyone in years . he wants to be with her , in every way that someone could . and it’s why the curiousness has touched behind warm irises , watching the way her body reacts to movements ; learning as he goes . what she likes , with the arch of a back . what promotes a gentle sigh , and how her lips parted a few minutes in between . he’ll dip back down again , kissing and pulling at the hem of denim until they’re gone . and he’ll inch closer , lining her inner thigh with an open mouth kiss and feathering upwards . arms looped around her thighs , but he’ll ask her if she’s okay . silence , masked on his end . and he’ll gently move between the lace ; grip tightening only slightly when her back arches , if just to keep her in place .