Page 185 of Glass Jawed

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“Okay. Hypothetically—hypothetically—if I did? There’s strap-ons. There’s... ass-play—”

“Oh my God,stop! I get it!”

I gasp, mock-offended. “Such a prude. I may need to rethink my love for you, sweetheart.”

She groans into her hands and mutters something that sounds like, “You’re the worst.” But she’s smiling, and it’severything.

And then—without warning—I say it. No hesitation.

“Christ, I’m so in love with you.”

She freezes. Her eyes widen just slightly, shimmering again.

“I think...” she whispers, “I think I’ve finally let myself actuallyhearit. Say it again?”

Oh, baby.

“I love you,” I repeat, moving closer. “I’min lovewith you, Aarohi Talwar.”

I cup her cheeks gently. “It’s a love that won’t waver. A love that will heal me... right alongside you.”

Her face crumples in my hands. Beautiful. Wrecked. Soft.

“You’re so stupidly, pathetically poetic,” she whimpers, and somehow it sounds likeI love you, too. Andgod, I’ll take it.

I smile through the sudden sting in my eyes. “Can I... kiss you, please?”

She rolls her eyes. “You missed the window. Like, thirty seconds ago.”

Brat.

I kiss her anyway. It’s slow—enticingly, achingly slow.

And she melts. I do too—because this kiss? This kiss is home. It’s everything I’ve been aching for. Not lust. Not longing. Justus.

We slide down slowly, still tangled together, lips never parting as I crush her to me. It’s not about sex. It’s about imprinting every single emotion into her through thisonekiss.

And I try.God, I try.

Eventually, we come up for air. Her nose is a little red, eyes puffy. She looks exhausted.

And still—so fucking happy.

I reach out and pick a dried flake of henna from her cheek. Somehow it transferred from her hands to the bedsheet to her face.

“We need to clean—”

“Let’s clean the bed first,” she says at the exact same time I do.

We burst out laughing.

Fuck. I’ll never forget this night. I’ll tattoo the date onto my soul.

Or maybe just in henna. Like I plan to tomorrow—when I sneak her name onto my hand.

She thinks I didn’t see it. Buried in that intricate, swirling design.

LV

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