Her embrace was firm, I felt the warmth of her body and her breath against my neck. In that moment, I knew I could no longer run. Everything I had told her, everything I had hidden for years, was now out in the open. And she still held me. She didn't run, she didn't judge me.
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
"Neseret," I said quietly, "do you want me as I am — with everything I've just told you?"
"I do," she answered without hesitation. "Because this is the first time I truly see you. Not as a teacher, not as a counselor, not as a man who is always leaving — but as someone who is here. For me."
That was when I made my decision. It wasn't sudden, it wasn't dramatic — it was like finally taking a deep breath after years of holding it, realizing that I was still alive.
I placed my hand on her face and leaned closer. This time, I kissed her first — without hesitation, without holding back. Her lips were soft, warm, and in that kiss I felt everything I had been suppressing for so long.
Neseret wrapped her arms around me and held me close. This time, I didn't feel the emptiness. I felt her.
"I will give you what you've longed for," I said when I pulled back for just a moment to breathe. "I will give you myself. Not a piece of me, not just for one night. All of me."
A smile spread across her lips, but her eyes were wet with tears. "I've waited for this for so long," she whispered.
No more words were needed. I kissed her again, and this time nothing stood between us. All the walls, all the reasons I had pushed her away, were gone. In that moment, I knew I had made the right choice — and that if the gods ever gave me love back, it began right here.
Her smile turned into a shaky breath when I kissed her again. This time I didn't just feel her lips — I felt her whole body relax, as if all the uncertainty she had been carrying had fallen away.
I sat closer to her, my hands moving along her shoulders, then slowly down her back. Neseret didn't move away; she only let me hold her. Her fingers gripped my tunic, and when she let go, she pulled at the belt until it came loose.
"Tonight… I don't want to wait anymore," she whispered.
I answered her with another kiss. This one wasn't gentle — it was deep, urgent. I felt her breath quicken, her chest rising against mine.
I helped her untie the simple sash at her waist, and her dress slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor, just like it had that first night. But this time it was different — there was no wine, no hesitation. Only her choice.
I touched her hips and drew her closer. She lay back on the mat, looking at me with eyes so steady I knew — this was a woman who had chosen me, not just a man for one night.
I lay beside her, feeling the warmth of her skin, her breath on my face. I kissed her neck, her shoulders, her chest — and her soft gasps urged me to go on. Her hands moved across my body, pausing at my scars as if she remembered each one.
"Never leave me again," she whispered.
"Never," I answered, meaning every word.
And then there were no more words between us. Only our breathing, our bodies closing the space between us until there was none left. We moved together, slowly at first, then faster, until we were both breathing hard, holding on to each other as if we would never let go.
When we finally lay side by side, sweaty and exhausted, she pressed against me and rested her head on my chest. Her breathing slowed, her fingers traced my shoulder for a while before she drifted off to sleep.
I just lay there, staring at the ceiling. For the first time since the gods had taken love from me, I didn't feel empty. I felt her — her touch, her warmth, her scent. And in that moment I knew Hathor had been right. My heart had chosen again.
I woke up before she did. The first rays of the sun shone through the small opening in the wall, casting golden lines across her skin. She lay beside me, peaceful, a faint smile resting on her lips.
For a moment, I just watched her. Her hair was spread out across the mat, her chest rising and falling with a slow, steady rhythm. For the first time in years, I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to go anywhere else but stay here.
I reached out and gently brushed my fingers along her cheek. She didn't wake, only shifted closer to me as if my touch drew her in.
Inside, I told myself:
"This is it. This is what I thought I would never feel again."
My heart beat steadily, but strong. This wasn't just desire — it was certainty. I knew this was a decision I could never take back.
I propped myself up on one elbow and sat there for a while, simply watching her. I thought about what Hathor had said — that if my heart ever opened again, no one would be able to take it from me.
It had happened. I had made my choice.
When Neseret finally stirred awake, she opened her eyes and smiled at me. "You're up early," she said softly.
"I couldn't sleep," I admitted. "I wanted to see you when you woke up."
Her smile widened as she reached for me. "Then stop watching me. Lie back down."
I did as she asked, and when she curled up against me, I felt my life had changed. This wasn't just a night. It wasn't just about our bodies. She was the woman I had chosen — and the woman my heart had chosen too.
In my mind, I made a quiet vow:
"If I ask the gods to return my mortality, it will be for her. So I can grow old at her side. So I can see her every day — not for centuries, but for as long as I am meant to."
I looked at her as she leaned against me. There were no doubts left in me.
"Neseret," I said quietly. "I want to ask you something."
She turned her head toward me, her eyes meeting mine. "Something serious?"
I took a deep breath. "I want you to live with me. You and Nakht. I know I'm not his father… but I take him as if he were my own. And honestly," I added with a small grin, "I did help bring him into this world, didn't I?"
She laughed softly, a warm and happy sound. "That's true," she whispered, placing her hand on my chest. "Are you sure you want this? That you want me… and my son with you?"
I nodded without hesitation. "I'm sure. I've seen you fight for him, never give up when his life was at risk. I've watched you protect him every day since. And I want to be part of that. I want to be there for both of you — not just as a visitor, but as someone who belongs with you."
Her eyes glistened. "I've been hoping you would say that for a long time."
"Well, I'm saying it now," I said with a small smile, taking her hand in mine. "If you say yes, I won't let you be alone again."
Neseret looked at me for a long time before tears rolled down her cheeks. Then she nodded. "Yes. I want that. I want you with me… with us."
I pulled her into my arms and felt her body relax. It was the answer I needed. There wasn't a trace of hesitation in her voice.
"Then it's settled," I said at last, smiling. "From today on, we're a family."
Neseret laughed softly and pressed even closer to me. "A family… I like the sound of that."
Neseret kept her gaze on the floor for a moment, as if gathering courage. Then she looked up and asked softly:
"And what if one day it bothers you… that I'll grow old, and you won't? What if I'm no longer the woman you see now?"
I leaned closer, took her chin gently and made her look into my eyes.
"Neseret," I said seriously. "If I've chosen to be with you, then that means all of you — now and in the future. I will love you when you have wrinkles, when your hair turns gray. You're the woman who taught me how to feel again — and that doesn't change with age."
A tentative smile touched her lips, though her eyes filled with tears.
"So even if I'm old and ugly…"
"Even then," I cut her off with a grin. "And let me tell you a little secret — during the first festival I ever attended here, you were the first woman I was with after the gods gave me back my body. So… you'll always be the first."
Neseret laughed, nudged me playfully with her shoulder, then hugged me tightly.
"Then I believe you. And I'm not afraid anymore."