Page 253 of Eternal
And she’s staring at me with need, with disappointment, like she’s scared that I’ll abandon her because now I know who she is.
“If I asked you to kiss me,” she says, voice low, seductive, like she knows exactly how to break me, “would you?”
My eyes flicker to hers. “You’d want it?”
She smiles. “Maybe.”
My heart beats harder in my chest, but I hold steady. “And how would you want me to kiss you?”
Her fingers hover near the scar on my chest, the one that’s always been a reminder of the mess we are. She brushes it with soft fingers. “Should’ve aimed for the heart…”
I can’t help it. I laugh, but it’s colder than it should be. “Kinky?” I ask, my tone dry.
She’s unfazed. “I’d want you to take the air out of me with your mouth.”
I take a slow breath, fighting the urge to grab her and pull her into me. But I won’t. Ican’t.
“My drunk partner,” I say. “Flirty things are falling out of that mouth too easily tonight. But I won’t. Not like this.”
Her lips twist, a flicker of something bitter flashing in her eyes. “What? Afraid I’ll hurt you again?”
She stumbles slightly, and I move instinctively to catch her, but she pulls away, almost like she doesn’t want me to.
“You’re not sober for this,” I say, softer now.
But she doesn’t listen. “Why not?” she scoffs, almost disappointed, as if she’s daring me to cross a line I know better than to cross.
I close my eyes for a moment, shaking my head. My jaw clenches. Not this way. “Not when you’re like this, partner.”
“Consent,” she says, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. “Never thought people cared about it. It was never an issue for them.” The words spill out too quickly, too raw, like they’ve been festering for years, and I freeze.
Something inside me tightens, my chest burning with a fury I can’t hide. Them? They… they took her. They used her. I can’t even think of it without feeling the heat of anger rise in my throat.
I don’t even realize it, but I take a step toward her, like I’m about to tear through the world that made her feel like this. My hands ball into fists at my sides, the control slipping from my fingers faster than I can grasp it.
“Azra,” I rasp, “They’ll rot in hell for what they did to you.”
They took something from her that no one has the right to, and if I could make them feel the pain she’s carrying, I would.
Her eyes look lost for a moment, like she wasn’t expecting that kind of anger. Like it’s too much for her to process. But then she looks at me, a kind of rawness in her eyes, and I know she’s not really seeing me. She’s seeing the past.Them.
“I’ll show you,” I say, my voice soft but dark, almost a promise. I reach out, but this time, I take her hand carefully. “I’ll show you what consent feels like, Azra. Not like this… not like what they did.”
She doesn’t pull away. She just looks at me, eyes wide, maybe confused, maybe hopeful, maybe scared.
“Trust me,” I murmur, barely above a whisper. “This... this is different.”
Her gaze flickers with something vulnerable, broken. But she doesn’t argue. She doesn’t pull away.
I don’t give her a chance to change her mind. In one smooth motion, I scoop her into my arms, cradling her against me like I’m the only thing that can keep her together. Her head rests on my chest, and for the first time tonight, I can feel the weight of her body ease a little.
“It’s been so long since I’ve felt safe in someone’s arms,” she whispers, barely audible. “I don’t want you to leave. I lied…”
My heart does something strange, something tight and fragile.
I feel that shift in me, the one that makes me want to protect her, to keep her from whatever hurt is still clawing at her insides. “How could I leave my sad and chaotic partner?” I whisper, my lips just brushing her ear. “Who’s gonna stab me if not you?”
She lets out a soft laugh, but there’s something bittersweet in it. Then, her lips press softly against my chest. It’s light, just a touch. Something inside snaps, and I can’t stop myself from leaning down and kissing her cheek.
