Warning: this chapter contains explicit content. Please use discretion.I will give warning before adifficult scene.______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The truth hit them like a ton of bricks. Their ultimate goal had been to reach the castle, the place where they would finally be saved, where pain, hunger, and fear would end. But the reality was different. The tanned woman had told them there was no way out—or, rather, there was, but attempting it would be suicide.
Upon receiving this terrible news, Nephis, Sunny, and Cassie fell into a somber silence. Each of them sat, trying to digest the grim reality of their new situation. Sunny felt completely defeated, as if his batteries had been removed, leaving him with no strength or desire to do anything. The world had gone dark and dull.
'That's hope for you.' He didn't even have the energy to be angry. It was like he had run an exhausting marathon and crossed the finish line, only to discover another race waiting on the other side—a race he would have to run forever.
He would never see Master Jet and Professor Julius again to thank them for the advice that had helped him survive. He would never become an Awakened One to learn the mysteries of his strange Aspect. And, most importantly, his dreams of becoming rich and spending the rest of his life in comfort would never come true.
'Well... if you think about it... I'm still alive. That has to be worth something, right?' His shadow looked at him, unconvinced.
'Besides, I can easily stay alive for the foreseeable future. Yes, the overall picture has worsened, but our current situation has improved greatly. We are safe from the constant threat of drowning or being devoured by the inhabitants of the dark sea. We've also found a strong human community.'
'I could take good care of Cassie, if that's any relief.'
They decided to camp for the night outside the granite tower. The next morning, they set off for the castle, following the huntress Effie. Sunny took Cassie's hand so she could react quickly to any unexpected event.
"Yes, just that."
Effie gave them clear instructions: "Follow me. Listen to everything I say. Don't make any noise. Don't bleed. Don't think too much. Some creatures out there can hear loud thoughts, others can sense strong emotions. So don't be afraid either."
Sunny looked at her grimly. How was he supposed to control what he felt?
The energetic huntress smiled. "And especially you, stop getting distracted by your little friend and focus on your surroundings. Stop staring at her like a pervert!"
When Sunny's cheeks began to turn red, she laughed and turned to Cassie and Nephis: "Correction. You two, try not to feel afraid. And Doofus, you try not to get too excited. If walking behind me proves too much for you, ask your friend to give you a quickie so you can concentrate."
The two blushed at the annoying gorilla's teasing. The trip to the castle was just as torturous as venturing back into the coral maze. Effie's teasing came at every opportunity. Any word Sunny said could be used against him, and he would have remained silent if not for his flaw.
"So, you two hooked up yet? Who wears the pants in the relationship? Can I come to the wedding?"
Sunny managed to come up with answers that didn't make him look too bad. Effie had a great time, more focused on teasing them than on following her own advice.
Soon, as the sun began to set on the horizon, they finally reached the base of the hill on which the magnificent castle stood. Sunny looked up, his heart pounding. A feeling of heaviness and anxiety settled over him.
Depending on what happened next, their destinies would be changed forever… for better or for worse.
At the end of a long journey, Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie reached the top of a hill, revealing a majestic marble castle. The castle was an impressive sight.
However, the idyllic image was marred by human skulls hanging above the doors and a makeshift settlement of shacks. Sunny immediately recognized the misery of the slums and smiled wryly. "Wow. I'm home."
He turned to Effie and asked, "What do we do now?"
The huntress looked around and shrugged. "It will be dark soon, so I advise you to find shelter. Look for an empty hut. With the number of people who die each season, there are always plenty. If not, two of you can pay the tribute and enter the castle, but the third will have to stay behind."
Changing Star looked thoughtful, then asked, "What about you?"
Effie smiled. "What about me? That luxurious one-room cabin over there is mine. Sure, it's built from the best junk you can find around here... but it's still junk. Anyway, I'm going home to cook myself a hearty dinner and then go to sleep. I'm exhausted from the last few days. I don't take guests, sorry."
Nephis stared at her, wanting to say something else, but she just nodded. "I see. Thank you for everything you've done for us. I won't forget it."
Effie smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to Sunny and Cassie. She walked straight up to Cassie and put her hands on her shoulders in a friendly manner.
"Excuse me, I need to talk to you, sweetie."
She led her away just far enough to talk in private. Sunny and Nephis just watched as Effie leaned close to her ear and whispered something. Before they parted, Sunny saw Cassie nod fervently. Effie smiled smugly, let go of the girl, and took one last look at the group.
"Bye, silly. Bye, doll. See you later."
With that, she began to whistle a cheerful tune and walked away.
"What were they talking about?" asked Nephis, anticipating Sunny's curiosity.
Cassie shook her head. "Nothing, just girl stuff, Neph."
Nephis tilted her head. 'Aren't I a girl too?'
Suddenly, the three were left alone, lost and not knowing what to do. The inhabitants of the outer settlement didn't pay them much attention, only occasionally casting indifferent glances at the three unknown young people. Only Cassie's beauty attracted a couple of intense, dark stares.
Of course, Sunny's natural response was to return an even darker stare. If he had had seaweed handy, he would have quickly woven a veil to cover her from the lustful glances. For the first time, Sunny felt jealous.
After a minute or so of bewildered silence, Changing Star hesitantly took out the two soul fragments they had collected from the remains of the Rolling Stone and looked at the sparkling crystals in her hand. They had to make a decision.
Nephis held the sparkling crystals and stared at them with a grave expression. Sunny also contemplated the fragments, his head filled with dark thoughts. In the end, the decision was obvious to Nephis.
"Here. Take Cassie inside."
XXX
The best option was for Sunny, with his ability to manipulate shadows, to infiltrate the castle to gather information, while she would do the same from outside. As he took the soul fragments Nephis handed him, Sunny felt a pang of sadness. It was as if an invisible bond had been broken.
He looked around and saw an opulent wooden desk that seemed completely out of place in the large hall. It must have been brought from another part of the marble citadel. Behind the desk, a gaunt, nervous-looking young man was writing something on a scroll.
Everything seemed strangely similar to the lobby of a luxury hotel... or, rather, to what Sunny imagined a lobby like that would be like. Of course, he had never been to a hotel.
After hesitating for a moment, he approached the desk and addressed the young man: "Hello. Um... we were told that someone would be receiving us inside."
The sickly-looking receptionist introduced himself and spoke unnecessarily. The atmosphere of the castle made Sunny feel tense. After the doors closed, he felt trapped.
"So, what do we have to do now?"
Harper took his pen and opened a large ledger. The reception process was just a formality; they only had to give their names. In the end, they would be given a room in the western part of the castle.
'The Twilight Tower... that probably means it's in the western part of the castle, opposite the Crimson Spire. No wonder no one wants to live there.'
But for Sunny, fewer people meant less danger. He nodded to the gaunt young man. Harper led them through the castle, explaining little details about the rules and customs they had to follow once inside. He was a talkative and friendly guy, so Sunny quickly got the gist of it.
Finally, they reached the westernmost tower of the castle. Sure enough, it was almost empty and silent. Few people seemed to want to stay there, scared away by the disturbing sight of the Crimson Needle rising in the distance.
However, for the two of them, it was perfect. Cassie couldn't see anything, while Sunny was very used to the presence of the Needle due to his sensitivity to shadows. Besides, at that moment, all the windows of the tower were closed, hiding it from view.
Harper stopped suddenly and said with a somewhat embarrassed tone, "Um... I forgot to ask. Do you need a room or two?"
Cassie, who hadn't said a word since talking to Effie, immediately jumped in to answer. "We only need one."
Sunny felt nervous, sensing that something terrible awaited him. Soon they found themselves in front of a sturdy wooden door. Harper handed Sunny two iron keys and smiled. With that, he took one last look at them, smiled shyly, and walked away.
Inside the room was a bed with a straw mattress, a flimsy chest, a tiny desk, some strips of clean cloth, and an oil lamp. There was also a bathroom, although not very sophisticated. It had a tub with a rudimentary mechanism where water fell from a handmade showerhead; it was basically a bowl of water with holes for it to fall in the shape of a showerhead, connected to a water supply.
Letting Cassie in, he closed the door behind him.
"This isn't bad! It even has a drain."
It felt strange to be in a room after so long. In theory, he was safe here and had privacy. Even so, he couldn't help feeling uneasy; he felt he couldn't completely relax.
Hand in hand, he walked into the small room and sat down on the straw bed next to Cassie.
"From what I saw, there's a shower. I want to wash the dirt off. Do you want to go first?"
Cassie didn't answer, thinking before she spoke. "Of course I'd like to shower, but... don't you think you could help me?" The seductive tone she used to whisper the last part made Sunny tremble.
"Of course you could, but... but..."
Cassie laughed at his nervousness. It was as if the time she had spent with Effie had taught her a few tricks.
'That woman is dangerous for her.'
"Let me go first, don't worry, I used to shower alone at the academy too."
Sunny let Cassie use the bathroom first and accompanied her to the bathroom door.
He waited quietly, lying on the bed. Twelve minutes passed, and Cassie came out of the bathroom with wet hair, but still glowing.
"Your turn."
Yielding his place, Sunny picked Cassie up and helped her sit back down on the straw bed.
He entered the bathroom, took off his armor, and stepped into the shower, being sprayed by cold water.
"I guess hot water was too much to ask for..."
Washing wasn't really anything special, but the act of entering a bathroom and turning on the shower to clean himself was a daily routine he never thought he would miss so much.
To his surprise, the bathroom even had a towel. Of course, it was nothing more than a piece of cloth with poor liquid absorption qualities, but it was either that or stand there and let the water drip off his body and dry.
"The towel's already damp. Cassie must have used it before." He felt a little embarrassed about sharing the cloth to dry their bodies, but it was all there was.
He wasn't completely dry, but the cloth did the job. He summoned his armor again and left the bathroom.
He saw Cassie lying on the bed on the far side, leaving a space for him. He could see a slight blush on her beautiful face.
Sunny moved into the room and sat down in a corner, deciding that this would be his resting place for the night.
"Sunny, what are you doing?" Cassie said in an incredulous tone.
"Getting ready for bed."
Cassie raised her eyebrow and unconsciously opened her mouth. "Are you serious?" Her voice sounded indignant and annoyed; it was the first time Sunny had ever heard her speak like that.
Sunny was startled; he hadn't expected such a reaction.
"Are you supposed to sleep in that corner instead of with me?"
"Yes."
The simple answer only annoyed the girl even more. She sat up, crossing her arms. "Sunless, get up and come here now, we need to talk, you and me." The scariest thing about the order wasn't that she used his real name, but the calm but cold tone in which she said it.
Shaking, he got up and walked slowly toward the bed, sitting down next to her.
"I want you to answer me. Why don't you want to sleep next to me?"
Sunny looked away, avoiding Cassie's hard stare. Despite being blind, her eyes were just as expressive as they had been before.
"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable..."
"But we've slept together for months, what's wrong now?"
"It's different... We're in a room and sharing a bed... It's just different!"
Cassie really understood what he meant, but she was outraged that he was being so overprotective of her. "I'm not so fragile that I'd be uncomfortable over something so silly."
"Now tell me, why haven't you kissed me again?"
Poor Sunny's heart was pounding hard. This was like a police interrogation; the pressure and stress were making him sweat.
"Well... It's just that Nephis was there, and then Effie..."
"I was embarrassed..." Sunny's voice was almost a whisper at that point, but Cassie could still hear him. In an icy tone, she whispered in his ear: "From now on, you're going to kiss me every day, when you wake up, in the afternoon, and before you go to sleep. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes..."
Cassie smiled smugly, almost letting out a laugh. "Perfect. Oh, and one more thing."
"Don't think I've forgotten the things you said a few months ago when we met Neph, so... why were you looking at me and what exactly were you doing when I was asleep?"
Sunny broke out in a cold sweat, felt panic rising, and tried to handle the answer as best he could. One wrong move and he might be sleeping outside the castle.
"...When you were clinging to me, I sometimes woke up at night and looked at you... But that's all, I never tried anything weird!" Sunny said desperately, his nervousness seeping into his voice.
Cassie burst out laughing. She wasn't really upset... well, she was upset, but not that much. She took the opportunity to play with Sunny, inspired by Effie, and decided to tease him a little. It was the most fun she'd had in a long time.
She had him wrapped around her finger. Clutching her stomach, she lay back on the bed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Sunny was stunned by the abrupt change in atmosphere. "Huh?" came out of his mouth in confusion.
After a few seconds, Cassie recovered from her fit of laughter. She sat up, grabbed him, and pulled him toward her, taking his lips.
Sunny immediately returned the kiss, but still nervous, he was careful with every movement. They ran out of air, so they pulled apart.
Cassie confessed, "I love you, I really love you." She regained the tone she usually used with him.
Sunny looked away, embarrassed. "Me too..."
"Too what?"
"I love you too," he said nervously.
"Relax, Sunny, I was just playing with you. Forgive me, okay?"
'That damn Effie, did she teach her that?' He sighed inwardly, looked up, and fixed his gaze on her eyes.
"Yes... I forgive you." Although the girl's prank had been cleared up, Sunny still felt lost.
explicit content warning!!!
"Now seriously," Cassie settled herself in the center of the bed and spread her arms. "Come here."
Sunny crawled across the bed until he reached her. Drawn by the girl's arms, he fell into another kiss. They were still silent kisses; that was all their inexperience allowed them to achieve. Cassie hugged his back while Sunny grabbed the back of her neck to make the kiss deeper.
The shared warmth was special; it wasn't body heat, it was more like they were melting into an intimate warmth. The exchange lasted longer than expected, as did the intensity.
Gasping, they pulled apart. Both of their faces were flushed from the lack of air and a trace of embarrassment. Sunny stared at Cassie, who had a silly smile on her face. He wanted to kiss her again, and he did.
The simple game of kissing soon became more intense than expected. Sunny's biology took over, and his member began to stir, a fact he realized too late. As the kissing session continued, Cassie gently pushed Sunny's shoulder with her hand to let him know she needed them to separate.
They separated, but only by a few inches. Their faces were still just inches away from each other.
"Sunny, do you want to do this?" She closed her eyes in embarrassment.
"What, why..." Only then did he notice that his member was erect and that Cassie had felt it.
Shame hit him and he quickly begged, "I'm sorry, Cassie! I..." He wanted to make excuses, but couldn't find anything to say. Now he felt guilty for ruining the moment. He was about to pull away from the embrace, but Cassie spoke.
"It's okay."
Her left hand moved slowly and caressed his cheek, drawing him into another kiss, but this time it wasn't intense, it was soft, controlled, and much shorter than the previous ones. Both he and she were deeply blushing.
"The truth is, I'd like to thank you for everything, Sunny, so... it's okay."
Sunny shook his head excitedly. "W-Wait, wait! You don't have to do something like that just because you're grateful to me."
"Don't worry, I'm fine with it."
"Even so... you don't have to do it as a favor."
Cassie sighed and shook her head. "Are you really going to make a girl say it straight out? Fine! Sunny, I want to have sex with you."
Although Cassie said it calmly, inside she was a nervous wreck. The embarrassment and shame of what she had just said almost made her tremble. Her blush deepened even more than before.
Sunny tried to say something, but couldn't form a sentence. He was completely inexperienced in the situation he was facing. In reality, he wanted this to happen right now.
Cassie, anticipating any response he might give, said, "Just be gentle, okay?"
"Y-yes."
Without further hesitation, they resumed their round of kisses. Cassie wrapped her arms around his head, while he took her head in his hands, intensifying the kiss, his fingers clinging to her golden hair.
They both let themselves be carried away by their instincts, by what their bodies were telling them. Sunny moved down to her neck, kissing her pure white skin.
The girl shivered beneath him, which gave him a clue that he was doing things right. Despite the nervousness, things escalated naturally. Sunny paused for a moment and asked, "Can I continue?"
The blind girl nodded shyly. He distanced himself from her to create the space he would need.
Both hands rested on her chest hidden by the fabric, and he began to knead the soft flesh, making Cassie jump.
"Wait!"
"Did I go too far too fast?" Sunny worried that he had overstepped the mark. He prepared to apologize, but familiar sparks lit up his vision. The sparks disappeared, offering him a divine view.
Cassie stored her armor in her soul sea, leaving her completely naked. "Now, it's okay... can you also... take yours off?"
"Yes..."
Sparks flew from his body; it was his turn to show how he came into the world.
But for him it was less embarrassing, as he wouldn't be seen by Cassie. She was lying on the bed, her hair sprinkled across the surface making her look like a beautiful flower, reminding him of a sunflower. Her arms were over her breasts, covering herself in response to the embarrassment she felt.
Taking the initiative, Sunny took one of her arms and carefully moved it away from her chest. There was no resistance, but he could see her face turning redder and her expression becoming more complicated.
He felt the softness of her breasts; they were large. Thinking that her body still had a couple of years to mature made him fantasize about what kind of beauty the girl he was sharing this moment with would become.
He squeezed her breasts, his fingers sinking into them; they were incomparably soft. Cassie let out a small, shy moan in response.
Sunny's erection only grew, and he swallowed hard, trying to calm his nerves. He slowly moved his other hand toward Cassie's crotch, enjoying the path his fingers took across her skin, from her stomach to her belly, where he stopped and looked at Cassie.
She hesitated for a moment, but nodded. Receiving the confirmation he needed, his hand finished its descent, finding the slit of her vagina. He saw Cassie's lip tremble and turn even redder, but he saw no refusal, so he continued.
He rubbed his fingers against the wet surface. She trembled and let out a soft moan.
Sunny was improvising as he went along; he had no idea what he was doing, he was just replicating what he had seen once when watching pornography. He was kneeling next to the girl. One of his hands was caressing her breasts and the other was rubbing her clitoris.
Cassie moaned and breathed heavily, her eyes closed, arching her back when Sunny touched the right spot.
He worked diligently to prepare the girl, so he didn't expect her to grab his penis without warning. Now it was his turn to jump and tremble. Cassie's hand carefully grasped his girth; soon her hand was caressing Sunny's member with curiosity and caution. The hand slowly grabbed and began to stretch the skin of his member.
They were both panting from the pleasure they were getting from each other. This continued until Cassie suggested, "Sunny... I'm ready."
"Me too."
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage. She was afraid she might make her lover uncomfortable, cause her pain, but she pushed those thoughts aside; she was inviting him.
Sunny slowly positioned himself near Cassie's legs, slowly spread them, and moved closer.
Cassie had her hands pressed against her chest. He could see how her hands were trembling, as if she was always anticipating his next move. She nodded, giving him the confirmation to continue.
He was trembling too, but he continued. He grabbed his member and aligned it. The tip against the entrance, he pushed gently.
The heat immediately enveloped him. His member was wrapped in warm softness as Cassie moaned in pain from the stretching. Her face contorted slightly as he slid in carefully, and she let out a moan of pain when she felt something tear, a trace of blood coming from her vagina.
"Are you okay?"
"Just give me a moment."
She needed a moment to get used to the invasive entity inside her. After a couple of breaths, the movement resumed. Slowly, she got used to the strange sensation. The stinging pain slowly turned into deep pleasure.
They were both panting; the heat they shared felt more and more penetrating on their skin, but contrary to expectations, this heat was not oppressive, but rather like a caress on their hearts. You could hear the clash of their bodies, the slap of their skin generating a sound that sounded more like splashing.
Sunny was not immune to the pleasure; he clenched his teeth trying to control the deep pleasure caused by intercourse with the beautiful girl beneath him.
Cassie pulled him toward her, kissing him passionately. The soft, careful thrusts continued for several more minutes in beautiful harmony, completely unworthy of the place where they found themselves.
Sunny felt a familiar warmth, and now he recognized it. He broke away from the kiss and looked at Cassie's face. She was smiling, the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. It expressed affection, joy, passion, trust, pleasure, and a host of other emotions that he was also feeling right now. Connected, he felt love, but not only that.
He hadn't felt this way since he was a child, when his mother put him to sleep, when she made him a special meal for his birthday, even if it was something simple, within her means, when his father, whose face he no longer remembered, carried him when he fell and scraped his knee, or when he slept next to his loving parents on cold nights.
Without knowing it, he longed for this feeling to return along with his happiness, a warm hug full of security and joy, nothing behind it, just deep feelings and others that he had forgotten or stopped feeling over time.
At that moment, his soul remembered something he had always needed. For the first time in painful years of loneliness, he felt loved.
Cassie felt drops falling on her face and immediately understood what was happening. "Sunny, why are you crying?"
"Huh...?"
Sunny watched the tears fall from his eyes without stopping, but he didn't feel sad. On the contrary, he had never been as happy as he was now.
"Then why?"
The hands he was using for support trembled, and his lip trembled too.
'Stop crying, stupid, you're going to ruin everything, stop, stop, now, stop!'
Cassie pulled him into an embrace, holding him from behind and stroking his head, running her fingers through his black hair. Her smile never faltered.
"It's okay, it's okay, I love you, I'm here."
Sunny clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the tears he was holding back, quickly failing, grunting as best he could to keep the sounds from escaping his mouth, but he couldn't take it anymore and cried openly, clinging to Cassie.
She comforted him, was there for him, didn't judge him or stop loving him. When Sunny finally stopped crying, they separated.
"I'm sorry... I... you, it was your first time and I ruined it, forgive me, I promise I'll make it up to you." Sunny said, deeply regretful.
She shook her head, still smiling warmly. "Nothing is ruined, Sunny, nothing went wrong. I'm here, and you're here with me. That's all that matters to me."
Cassie crawled across the bed to hug him from behind. "You don't know how happy it was for me too. I would never regret sharing this moment with you."
She brought her lips close to his neck from behind and kissed him softly. "It doesn't have to end like this, let me do it."
Sunny, still recovering from his tearful outburst, nodded. Now he was on his back, switching positions with her. Soon she moved closer to his crotch and gently grabbed his semi-erect member.
He felt her breath against his penis. She stimulated its length by caressing it until the blood began to flow again. When she felt that his erection was close to its peak, she opened her mouth.
The heat and wetness of her mouth made him shudder. Cassie slowly moved her head, adjusting the length to fit her mouth. Soon Cassie was moving her head up and down, sliding the member in and out, licking and lubricating the entire surface.
Sunny was beginning to melt from the performance of her mouth, but he was abruptly cut off. He released his member from her mouth in a fully erect state.
She sat on his waist, preparing to move on to the next phase.
"Here I go."
Cassie, after hesitating for a moment, stood up and aligned Sunny's erect penis against her intimacy. She maintained stability with her hands clasped to his chest.
Sunny grabbed the girl's hips, both of them getting ready. Cassie lowered her hips and Sunny guided her slowly.
Her face contorted slightly as she carefully slid his penis inside. The pain of her first time had already passed. Now, while the stretching still hurt a little, it wasn't as bad; she felt safe now.
Her hips slowly lowered until she was all the way down, her whole body trembling. She leaned back on him, panting and moaning with pleasure and slight pain.
Sunny grabbed her waist and back, pulling her toward him as he adjusted himself. He sat up, leaving the girl on top of his legs, still connected.
She wrapped her arms around him and they began to kiss. The intercourse resumed. The girl set the pace, while Sunny moved to meet her.
Cassie melted on top of him. She moaned audibly. He couldn't hold back the grunts that escaped with each breath either.
Soon he felt himself about to come. With superhuman willpower, he stopped thrusting and remained still, trying to pull his member out of her vagina. "What's wrong?" Cassie asked, puzzled.
"I can't come inside you... I have to pull out."
"Oh..."
He heard Cassie's disappointment, but he wasn't going to stop because of that. It was too dangerous to finish inside her in this situation. He opened his eyes when, with a strong intensity from Cassie, he found that he was completely submerged inside her again.
She resumed the rhythm, crashing into him. Their embrace became a deadly cage. Sunny surrendered to her.
With difficulty, he said, "I'm going to come."
"Me too."
His member began to throb noticeably, the prelude to the eruption. The sperm emerged and shot into the hot cavity, painting its walls. In response, the walls squeezed even tighter against the boy's penis, complementing each other, and they both reached orgasm, panting and moaning, each fighting their own battle against pleasure.
Clinging to each other, they both finished having their first time with the person they loved.
They lay motionless, catching their breath for a while, still joined together.
Cassie was the first to pull away. She rose slowly, letting Sunny's half-erect member slip out, a stream of white liquid flowing from its opening, dripping abundantly with seed.
With trembling legs, she lay down exhausted beside him.
He too, tired, understood by looking at her that her eyes were asking him to wrap her up so she could sleep.
Sunny grabbed the sheet that had been lost during the act and wrapped it around them, joining in a sweet embrace that forged one of the most beautiful memories of their entire lives.
And in one of those silences that are worth a thousand words... There was no need to say it again. Sunny could see "I love you" in Cassie's eyes, while she, feeling the warmth and security of his arms, felt "I love you."
And both lovers fell asleep.