Page 33 of Vintage

I froze again.

I recognized the hard contours of those cold hands without needing to see them.

My lips parted in a breathless whisper as emotions caught in my throat. A single tear escaped my eyes, and I fought back another breakdown, reminding myself that this wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t be.

It couldn’t be a dream when my hands were still in contact with his, feeling the roughness, the slight chill of his fingertips, and the gradual warmth enveloping them.

Ro. His name escaped my lips like a secret, a blessing, or perhaps a curse that I couldn't quite understand.

How was he here?

"Ro... Ro... Ro, it's really you, right? I can't be dreaming. Please tell me this isn't a dream." I could feel myself pleading, that desperate cry spilling out, a raw vulnerability that made me feel ugly. Just as ugly as the way my inner self was falling apart.

"Yes, Mrs. Rowan. It's me." He whispered gently, as if I were a fragile porcelain doll that might shatter with a single touch.

"I need to see you. Please, just let me see you. Just once." I sobbed, my lips trembling with each word that came out, mingling helplessly with my tears.

"I'm sorry, but not today. I don't look like the nice version you remember, Mrs. Rowan." His words wrapped around me like a warm embrace, each breath brushing against my skin.

"I don't care what you look like, Ro. I love you no matter what. Just let me see you, or I won't be able to believe you're not just a figment of my imagination." I didn't want him to be another dream, like the countless ones I had conjured since the last time I saw him, which felt like an eternity ago.

"I promise I'll come to see you again, but not today... Just... Just hold me today. Let me feel you, let me love you, so I can hate myself a little less." His voice was heavy with defeat, and I despised it. Each desperate whisper made my knees weak and my heart ache.

I had a faint sense of his presence, feeling him pressed against me. "Nothing more. Just one last chance... Without you, I'll break, Mrs. Rowan. Save me. Please, love me today, and keep me from falling apart." Another plea escaped him as he tightened his grip. His voice grew thick, as if he were struggling to breathe.

"Ro, listen to me for once." I reached out to him, knowing that if I didn't save this man from breaking today, I might lose him forever, and I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't lose him. Not to him or to them.

“I came rushing to you 'cause you’re my safe place, Amery Shen. I need to rest, please let me. I’m so tired. I’m hurting. I’m hating myself.” The way you said my name, not Mrs. Rowan, made me realize how serious this was.

What could have pushed him to come to me like this? I have no idea what he’s dealing with.

"End my pain. Just for today, take away my punishment." He turned me around, and even though I couldn’t see, I knew exactly what was there. A raw truth behind my blindfold.

He needs me, and he despises himself for it. I don’t know what to do, but his desperation, the ache, the silent plea made me surrender.

"I’m yours, Ro. Do what you want... Love me as much as you need. Find the comfort you seek. I’m here for you, right by your side, where you want me most."

The barrier between us fell apart, crumbling down until it shattered completely, taking the vulnerability and pain with it, swirling around us like debris soaked in the warm blood that hurt us both, burning in our veins.

I held his face, stood on my toes, and met his lips halfway, feeling them against mine.

My tongue brushed over the ridges that felt like a cut, and his hiss confirmed what I thought.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me into his embrace, binding me to him.

Our kiss deepened, tongues dancing together.

Nothing about our touches was gentle or caring. This kiss, the way his body pressed against mine, felt raw, disturbed, ugly, yet it felt safe and peaceful. It felt like all my exhaustion was fading away.

Ro was right; just like he feels with me, in his arms, I finally am home.

This reality brought me joy.

I released myself, dropping into his embrace as he caught me, my hips meeting the cold glass of the table below, sending a shiver up my spine.

I let out a soft sound, his playful fingers gliding over my curves, each touch a sign of his devotion to my body.

"Ro... I-" My eyes shut tight behind the blinds, and his lips found mine again, moving together in perfect harmony. He kissed me with a fierce passion, pouring all his feelings into that moment.

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