her fingertips rested on his jaw, not quite cupping his cheek, just enough to keep herself close without crowding him, she wasnât the kind to be all over someone. he was being so gentle it made her want to stay right there, she felt⊠safe. when he rested his forehead against hers, her eyes fluttered closed, trying to steady her breathing. "you want to know a lot of things," she chuckled nervously, unsure if she was that interesting. "you make me feel safe in this moment," she admitted, "i guess i can tell you one fact a day so you donât get overwhelmed with me," she added with a soft laugh, opening her eyes again to meet his. as he said he didnât want to rush things, she let out a quiet sigh. "thatâs okay," she nodded, "iâve never liked rushing, the one time i did, it didnât end well," she confessed. as he listed the little things he wanted to know about her, her gaze dropped to his lips for a second, taking in every word. his hand rested on her waist, and for a moment she simply enjoyed the closeness. then he closed the distance, catching her lower lip between his teeth, and her eyes widened briefly, heart racing as she looked at him. for a second, she was speechless. but instead of saying anything, she leaned in again, pressing a deeper kiss to his lips this time, her fingers still resting along his jaw as she moved just a little closer, letting that slow, charged moment he had started settle between them.
Soren stayed close enough to feel her warmth, but not so close that it became overwhelming, measured, deliberate, like everything he did. His eyes tracked the smallest shifts in her expression: the nervous laugh, the way her gaze dropped to his mouth, the quiet honesty when she admitted she felt safe. It didnât escape him. Nothing really did. At her fingertips resting lightly against his jaw, his gaze flicked there for a brief moment, softening just slightly, before returning to her eyes. He didnât move away. He never seemed in a rush to break contact, only to understand it better. Sorenâs mouth tilted faintly, almost amused. âOne a day sounds like a limitation youâre placing on yourself, not me,â he said quietly, voice steady. âIâm not in a hurry to know you. Iâm in it to actually understand you.â At her confession about rushing things, his expression didnât change much, but his attention sharpened, like he was filing it away carefully. âThen we donât rush,â he replied simply. âRushing ends in heartbreak. I'm down to see how things go slowly." His hand settled at her waist with a calm certainty, grounding rather than claiming, his thumb stilling there as he listened to her breathing even out. He noticed everything: the way she looked at his lips, the pause in her focus, the tension that built in the space between them. When he closed the distance and caught her lower lip between his teeth, it was controlled, intentional, just enough to shift the air between them. His eyes stayed on hers immediately after, watching the reaction flicker across her face. For a moment, Soren didnât speak. He just observed. Then she moved in first. As she deepened the kiss, his composure didnât break; it simply adjusted. His hand at her waist tightened slightly, not pulling her in abruptly, but anchoring her there as he met her properly this time. He responded with the same slow, deliberate intensity he carried in everything else. Soren broke the kiss only just enough to breathe, his focus never really leaving her. His hands shifted with quiet intent, sliding from her waist to her wrists in a slow, unhurried motion, guiding, not grabbing. He turned her hands gently in his hold, as if studying them for a second longer than necessary, eyes flicking over her fingers with that same attentive precision. Then, without breaking eye contact for long, he lifted her hands slightly and pressed a calm, deliberate kiss to her fingertips, one, then another, measured and unshowy, like it was the most natural thing in the world. âYouâre dangerous, you know that?â he said quietly, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth. His eyes flicked over her face, lingering like he was memorising her reactions. âNot in a loud way. In an I stop paying attention to anything else kind of way.â A pause, just long enough to let it land. Then, softer, almost like it slipped out before he could overthink it: âI think I like that more than I should do I could write so much poetry about you."

















