Page 384 of Eternal
He leans in, kisses me softly, and murmurs, “I said, close your eyes.”
So I do.
I hear the slow, careful sound of paper being peeled away. My heart thuds harder in my chest.
“Open them,” he says quietly.
And when I do, I freeze.
Inside the box is a red fox plush.
Sunny.
My lips twitch into a smile before he even speaks.
“You said you had one like this when you were little,” he says. “I found a similar one online. I thought it might make you happy.”
“You’re serious?”
He nods, not even a hint of a joke in his voice. “Dead serious.”
The tears build fast and hot behind my eyes. But I smile anyway, even though it feels stupid.
He presses the plush into my hands. “Happy almost-birthday.”
I hold it gently. It’ssoft. Familiar. Like something from a time when I was just as small and fragile. I don’t say anything. My fingers move over the fabric like I’m afraid it’ll disappear.
Then, without thinking, I wrap my arms around him. The plush squishes between us. He laughs softly into my hair.
“You’re an idiot,” I whisper, my voice trembling as a tear escapes.
“I know.”
His breath is warm against my neck. My heart stumbles. I look up at him and before I can talk myself out of it, I kiss him.
His lips are warm against mine, soft, patient, like he’s afraid to push too far, too fast. I kiss him again, firmer this time, my fingers tightening around the plush still squished between us.
When I finally pull away, I laugh quietly, pressing my forehead to his.
“Thank you,” I whisper, voice thick with emotion. “ForSunny. For everything.”
His hands rest gently on my waist, thumbs brushing the fabric of my shirt. “You’re welcome,” he says, then raises a brow. “You sound really thankful.”
I nod, smiling up at him. “I am.”
“Like... really thankful?” he teases, leaning in until his nose brushes mine.
I give him a playful look. “Mhm. So thankful.”
He hums low in his throat, eyes darkening a little. “Is that so?”
Without waiting for an answer, he tugs the plush away, and then I’m suddenly falling backward onto the couch. My knees hit the cushions and I laugh, like a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. He’s above me now, warm and heavy in a way that somehow grounds the spinning mess inside my head.
“You wanna show me how thankful you are,partner?” His lips skim under my jaw, teasing and rough.
I want to say yes. But instead, I choke on it and say, “Maybe.”
He grins and leans down, kisses tracing a slow fire along my throat, and my fingers twist into his hair without thinking, because when he’s here, the broken parts of me stop screaming for a second.
