Page 94 of Xander
I wanted to jump up into his arms.
I wanted to wrap him tightly.
Never letting go.
But... would things change?
That... I didn’t know.
I went with my gut the first time.
Trusting it.
And look at what happened.
With that single thought on my mind, I shook my head, and then I watched as the love in his eyes still remained, but a new emotion angled upside by side with it, defeat.
Oh. No. My sweet Xander.
That hurt.
That cut.
That killed.
But I stood firm.
“I need time to think. Will you give me that?” I asked.
And then... that defeat... I stood there as I watched it transform into hope.
Hope.
This tattered, scarred-up man held hope in his gaze.
He swallowed, then he nodded, “Told you. Do anything for you. You just let me know your decision. Okay?”
I nodded.
Then he nodded, and I watched as he breathed in deeply.
Then he asked, “Can I ask for one thing?”
I inhaled my own breath and then found myself nodding.
“Can I have a hug?” he asked.
He asked me for a hug.
I didn’t hesitate.
I moved.
His arms were around me in the next breath, pulling me tight against his chest.
His face was buried in the top of my head.
His scent enveloped me.
