-Julien Grayson:
I didn't say it right away.
Even as I sat there, still straddling his lap, still close enough to feel the heat of him through layers that suddenly felt too thin, the words stayed trapped somewhere deep in my chest. They pressed there, heavy, insistent, like they needed to be said—but at the same time, like saying them might ruin everything.
Because this mattered.
He mattered.
My fingers were still in his hair, curled loosely in the dark strands at the nape of his neck. I hadn't realized I'd kept them there until I tried to move and felt the slight resistance, the way his head followed the motion just a little, unconsciously.
He didn't pull away.
He never pulled away.
That alone made my heart beat faster than it should.
