Page 385 of Eternal
Then the belt.Hisbelt. The way he pulls it off is slowly. My heart hammers like it’s trying to claw out of my chest.
He doesn’t break eye contact as he lays me back, his hands sure and careful on my back. The leather is cold and soft as it brushes my skin.
He wraps it around my neck.
Not tight. Not yet.
But it’s enough.
Enough to drag up memories I’ve shoved down so far they almost don’t hurt anymore.
The choking. The gasping. The helpless panic that made me want to disappear.
And here I am, letting him do this.
Because maybe this time it’s different.
Because maybe it’shim.
“You’re beautiful like this,” he says softly, like he’s telling me a secret no one else deserves to hear.
I want to laugh, because how fucked up is it that this makes me feel safe?
“With your belt around my neck?” My voice cracks, but I don’t pull away
His breath brushes my skin and I’m drowning in it. “Exactly.”
I reach back, fingers grazing his thigh, trembling because this is stupid and terrifying and addicting all at once.
“Would you die for me, Damir?” The words come out before I can stop them. A sick, desperate test.
Because I’ve lived through so much that screamed‘no one will save you.’
But if he would die for me? Maybe I’m not so alone. He stills, then tightens the belt a little more.
“I would,” he says, like it’s the only truth in the world. “You trust me?” His voice is so close I feel it in my bones.
I close my eyes, and I’m naked with all my fears and scars and twisted hopes. “Yes.”
The belt squeezes a little more.
I should panic.
I should fight.
But instead, I let go.
Because maybe this is how broken people heal.
Because maybe this is love, jagged, dangerous, and raw.
My breath shortens, and my fingers shake.
I tilt my head, because I want to trust him like this. I want to fall apart and be held at the same time.
“Breathe slowly,” he whispers.
I do, and I float, like I’m caught between something dark and something beautiful, like I’m breaking, but for once it’s okay.
