Page 156 of Let Me In

Just lets the firelight flicker over our skin while the night gathers at the windows.

And even though I don’t know what’s coming—

I know this.

This is real.

And it’s mine.

It happens gradually.

As the fire crackles low and my breathing steadies against his chest, I start to come back.

Fully.

Out of the haze.

Out of the softness that had me floating.

And I feel it.

Not in his arms.

They’re still strong. Still steady. Still holding me like I’m the most important thing he’s ever carried.

But in his gaze.

The way it lingers on me longer than usual.

The way he sees me, yes—but also… soaks me in.

I tilt my head, just enough to look up at him.

He doesn’t glance away.

Doesn’t pretend.

Just watches.

Soft, but unshakable.

Like he’s holding something heavy behind his eyes.

Something that isn’t for me to carry—but that touches me all the same.

My voice is small when it comes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He doesn’t answer right away.

His thumb strokes along my hip, beneath the quilt. Not suggestive. Just grounding.

“You’re being so gentle,” I say, quieter now. “Like you’re… memorizing me.”

And then—

His voice.

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