Page 32 of Only ever you-Ana & Byron
"Ana," he said softly, voice barely above a breath. "You sure?"
He kissed her like a whisper. His fingers felt her skin under her T-shirt. He peeled her jumper over her head with careful hands, pausing when her fingers trembled slightly as they fumbled with his buttons. He kissed her palms and then let her move at her own pace.
The room was cold, but his touch was warm, his hands skimming over her ribs, her waist, her hips. He undressed her slowly, like unwrapping something fragile.
He kissed the curve of her shoulder. Her collarbone. The space just below her breast. Then he paused, forehead resting against hers.
"Tell me if you want to stop," he murmured. "At any point. Doesn't matter when."
Ana only nodded again and pulled him closer.
When he entered her, he moved with tenderness, like he was afraid she would change her mind. His hand found hers and held it tightly between the pillows. He whispered her name more than once, told her she was beautiful, the only one he had ever wanted. His body never rushed hers, never demanded more than she could give.
She closed her eyes and let him move inside her like waves lapping a shoreline, unhurried and endlessly tender.
When it ended, he didn't let go. He stayed wrapped around her, skin to skin, his lips pressing soft, uneven kisses into her hair, like he was trying to reassure her
She closed her eyes.
Tears were already spilling down her cheeks, quiet and unchecked, soaking into the pillow beneath her.
Harvey didn't see them. He just held her closer.
And Ana lay there, barely breathing, letting herself grieve everything she'd never said to someone else.
***
Chapter fifteen
Chapter 15
Byron
He watched from behind the fence, hidden by the overgrown hedge.
Ana was laughing, her shining hair swinging as her dad pulled a lock and said something that made her mum scold him. She was radiant, alive in a way he hadn't seen in days.
The candescence of her beloved voice burned more than he expected.
It hit him all at once-how final it was. She was leaving, and he wasn't part of it.
A pain like no other roared through his chest. He felt like he couldn't breathe.
She was gone before he could work up the courage to say goodbye.
Gray had insisted on driving him to Newcastle. Byron tried to protest, but Gray had just said, "Don't be a stupid git. Get in."
As he was loading up his bags, Ana's dad had come down the drive. He handed Byron a pair of new rugby boots. Byron couldn't look him in the eye.
"Ana had been saving up to buy that for ya. She says you go through them like they were a packet of crisps. Me and her mum," he said quietly, "We'll keep an eye on Sylvia and your dad."
Byron had only nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Sylvia had refused to come. "Someone has to take care of Dad," she'd said with resignation in her voice. The day before, she had broken up with her boyfriend and she was beginning to look like the old Sylvia again.
Byron didn't argue. There was no choice but to go. He just gave her a silent hug.
The drive to Newcastle was quiet. Gray wasn't much for words, and Byron didn't ask for any.
