Page 388 of Eternal
We stay locked like that for a moment, hips still, breath staggered, hearts pounding and then, slowly, gently, he loosens the belt.
Air rushes back in.
I gasp like the first breath after a long dive.
His arms slide under me.
He pulls me up, into his lap, into his chest. One hand still loosely holding the belt, the other pressed flat against my back like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.
His forehead leans against mine.
And he kisses me.
Soft this time. Kiss after kiss, mouth to mouth, nose to cheek, like he’s giving me my oxygen back in pieces.
When he finally pulls back, there’s that look again, the one he only gives me.
“Did you like it?” he asks quietly, thumb brushing my jaw.
I tilt my head. Smile, hazy.Spent. “Mmm,” I hum, resting against him. “I did.”
Then he leaned back a little, brushing my thigh with his knuckles. “I wanna take you somewhere tonight.”
I blinked. “Yeah?”
He nodded once. “Your birthday’s soon.”
My chest tightened. I didn’t say anything. I smiled, softer now.
“Okay,” I whispered.
106
DAMIR
“Here With Me” by D4vd
Present
Islipped my hands over her eyes from behind.
“Guess,” I said near her ear.
She smiled instantly, playful. “Paris.”
I sighed, still smiling. She’d been watchingCasablancaway too much lately, it was getting out of hand.
“Right. Because I’ve mastered teleportation now.”
“You should learn,” she said, arms crossing over mine, not trying to pull away. “Would be useful.”
“Sure. First I’ll learn to fold time, then I’ll take you to Paris for real. But for now…”
I slowly took my hands away.
“It’s not Paris,” I said, “but it’s something I think you might like.”
She blinked as her eyes adjusted, the park was quiet, lit only by old lampposts and the wide-open sky. There was a singleswing set at the edge of a hill, and past it, the city lights blinked low and far away. We could see the stars from here so clearly.
