Page 30 of Alessia
I lean in, my voice gentle. “You don’t have to keep it hidden from me, Alessia. If we’re really going to make this work, whatever this is, I need to know all of it. Even if it’s hard to hear, or if it hurts.”
She looks at me then, her gaze so intense it feels like it’s reaching into me, testing me. Then, she nods slowly, and for the first time in what feels like forever, she lets herself truly be seen.
“I used to think I was broken,” she begins, her voice low and trembling. “That I could never be whole, because I was always running from something. I tried to fill the empty spaces with distractions, with things that didn’t matter, people who didn’t matter. But in the end, it was just me, alone with all the pieces of myself I didn’t know how to put back together.”
I reach out, my hand stroking hers. The contact is light, but it seems to anchor her, to give her the space she needs to keep going.
“I never thought I’d meet someone who could see me like this,” she continues, her voice thick with emotion, eyes searching mine. “Someone who would want to understand the broken parts, the messy, imperfect parts. I always thought I wasn’t worthy of love, not really, not after everything that happened when I was younger. The way he used me… and the way she let it happen. I thought I’d always carry that with me, that I’d always be too damaged to be loved, to be wanted. That no matter how hard I tried to be good, to be whole, there was always going to be that stain on me.”
Her breath catches, and she wipes away a stray tear. The vulnerability so raw, it feels like she’s handing me pieces of her soul. “But here you are… And for the first time, I’m not afraid to believe that maybe, just maybe, I’m wrong about that.”
Before I can respond, she turns her head, and I catch the glimmer of something in her eyes. A vulnerability so raw, so real, it makes my heart ache. Without thinking, I move closer, my hand gently cupping her face, my thumb brushing her cheek.
She doesn’t pull away. Instead, she closes her eyes, her breath hitching, and I know in that moment that we’re both standing on the edge of something.
Slowly, carefully, I lean in. Her lips are soft, tentative, but when they meet mine, everything else disappears. There’s no hesitation now. No fear. Just the press of our lips, the rush of warmth, the heat of wanting something real. I feel it in every part of me. The way her hands slide to my shoulders, pulling me closer. The way our bodies seem to fit together as though they were made for this.
When we finally pull back, breathless and with hearts pounding in our chests, she doesn’t say a word. But I see it in her eyes, the same thing I feel in mine. This is just the beginning.
“Stay,” she murmurs after a long pause, her voice steady now, but with a hint of uncertainty. “Just… stay tonight. You can sleep in the spare bedroom if you want. It’s… I don’t know.”
I smilesoftly, my fingers brushing the back of her hand. “Yeah. I’ll stay. Just for tonight.”
She exhales quietly, almost as if relieved by my response. “I’ll tell you more, Harper. About my past. About… everything that’s made me who I am. But not tonight. Not all at once. It’s just… too much to say. But soon. I promise.”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze, a silent reassurance. “Whenever you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her lips curve into a small, appreciative smile, and for the first time, I see a flicker of peace behind her eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice soft and vulnerable. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
I nod and she stands, gesturing for me to follow her. We walk together down the hallway, the silence between us comfortable, but thick with unspoken things. When we reach the door of the spare bedroom, she turns to face me.
Without a word, she steps closer. Her breath warm against my skin. And in that moment, her lips find the crook of my neck as she lightly dusts them over my skin, sending goosebumps up and down my body. My breath hitches, the sensation unexpectedly tender yet intoxicating.
I respond instinctively, my hand finding the small of her back, pulling her in closer, feeling the heat of her body against mine. Her fingers graze the side of my jaw, the touch almost reverent, like she’s memorizing the feel of me. Her lips trail softly, teasingly, upward along my neck, brushing my ear before she pulls back slightly, just enough to look me in the eyes.
The intensity in her gaze makes my heart race.
“Harper,” she whispers, her voice rough, almost as though she’s searching for the right words. “I’m… I’m not used to this. To wanting someone like this.”
Her fingers slip up to the back of my neck, gently massaging, as if grounding herself in the sensation of my skin beneath hers. “But you make it feel… easy. Like it’s okay to want more.”
I swallow, unsure if I should say anything at all. I feel that same pull toward her.
“We don’t have to rush anything,” I say softly, my voice steady despite the storm brewing in my chest. “Whatever this is… we take it slow, together.”
She rests her forehead against mine, “I don’t know how to take things slow,” she murmurs. “I’ve never known how.”
I smile gently, cupping her face in my hands. “Then let’s figure it out, one step at a time. No pressure, no expectations.”
Her lips brush against mine again. When we pull back, I see the relief in her eyes, the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.
“Goodnight, Harper,” she whispers once more.
“Goodnight, Alessia,”
Then she leaves me in the quiet of the spare room.
