Three months after they found their way back to each other, Adrian brought Elara to the hot spring resort again.
When they reached the place, her steps slowed instinctively. Memories stirred before she could stop them.
"You look nervous," Adrian said, amused.
"I am," Elara admitted softly. "This place brings back too many memories."
He smiled. "Then we'll make new ones."
When they reached their room, Adrian paused and added lightly, "Technically, this is our first time using a spring together."
Elara shot him a look. "That's not true. It's different now. You can see me."
His smile deepened. "If that makes you uncomfortable, I can use the public spring. You can use the private one here."
She shook her head quickly. "No. It's fine."
Before she could change her mind, she turned and went behind the screen to change. Her heart pounded as she wrapped the towel around herself. She told herself to breathe, to relax, to remember that this was Adrian. The man who had never crossed a boundary after they got back together. The man who waited for her, again and again.
She stepped into the warm water first and lowered herself slowly, letting the heat ease the tension in her body. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.
A few minutes later, she heard him enter.
Adrian joined her quietly, also wrapped in a towel. He settled at a respectful distance, watching her expression carefully.
"Elara," he said gently, "you don't have to force yourself. I just want you to enjoy the trip."
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I know. I'm sorry. I just can't help being nervous."
He tilted his head. "What are you nervous about?"
She hesitated, then answered honestly. "I know you won't hurt me or touch me without my permission. I trust you. It's just that you don't realize the effect you have on me."
His brows lifted slightly. "What effect?"
He moved closer on purpose, his tone playful now. "Tell me."
Before he could tease her any further, Elara reached up suddenly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
The kiss was soft but decisive, fueled by nerves and affection and something deeper she had stopped trying to deny. Adrian froze for a heartbeat, surprised. Then his arms came around her naturally, pulling her closer as he returned the kiss.
The warmth of him, the familiarity of his touch, made her body relax at last. The water rippled gently around them as he deepened the kiss just enough to convey how much he wanted her without overwhelming her.
When they finally parted, their foreheads rested together.
"You see," she whispered, her cheeks warm. "That effect."
He laughed quietly, breath brushing her skin. "I'll take that as a compliment."
His hands remained steady at her back, grounding, reassuring. "And for the record," he added softly, "being able to see you only makes me more careful, not less."
Her heart softened completely.
Later that evening, after they had changed and settled in the room, Elara sat by the low table, drying her hair with a towel.
Adrian watched her quietly from the sofa.
It struck him how ordinary the moment was and how precious it felt. For so long, he had known her only through touch, through sound, through the way her presence softened the silence around him. Now he could see the small habits he had imagined a hundred times. The way she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. The slight tilt of her head when she was focused. The calm that settled over her when she felt safe.
"You're staring again," Elara said, glancing at him with a shy smile.
"I waited a long time to be able to do that," he replied honestly.
She lowered her gaze, warmth spreading across her cheeks. When she finished drying her hair, she stood and moved toward him, hesitating only a moment before sitting beside him on the sofa.
Adrian opened his arm instinctively, inviting her closer without words. Elara leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. His arm came around her slowly, holding her as if she might disappear if he moved too fast.
His fingers traced gentle circles on her arm, unhurried, grounding. The simple contact made her sigh softly, her body relaxing fully against his.
"I used to imagine this," he admitted after a moment. "Sitting like this. Knowing where you were. Knowing you were comfortable."
"You imagined me?" she asked.
"All the time," he said. "Your expressions. Your reactions. I used to wonder if you frowned when you concentrated, or if you smiled without realizing it."
She lifted her head to look at him, eyes shining. "And now?"
"Now I know I underestimated you," he said with a quiet laugh. "You're warmer than I imagined. Stronger too."
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his sleeve. "You always saw me more clearly than I saw myself."
He tilted his head, brushing a kiss into her hair. "That's because I saw you with my heart first."
Adrian rested his forehead against hers after the kiss, breathing her in slowly, as if anchoring himself to the moment.
"Elara," he said softly, drawing back just enough to look at her. His voice carried a seriousness that made her heart steady and race at the same time. "I know we have been together again for only a few months. I know you are still healing. I am not asking you to rush or to promise me anything you are not ready for."
She watched him, sensing that something important was coming.
"But I also know this," he continued. "Every day with you feels like home. I have lost you once, and I never want to live that emptiness again. I want to build a life with you, openly, honestly, without hiding or fear."
He reached to the side, retrieved a small box he had brought with him, and opened it in front of her. Then he lowered himself slowly, carefully, until he was kneeling before her.
Elara's breath caught.
"I do not need perfection," Adrian said, his gaze steady and sincere. "I only need you. I want to give you a place beside me, a future we can walk toward together. Even if you need time, I want you to know my intention has never wavered."
He looked up at her, eyes warm and unguarded.
"Elara Quinn, will you marry me?"
For a heartbeat, she could not speak. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring everything. She covered her mouth, shaking her head as emotion rushed through her.
"Yes," she said finally, her voice breaking into a soft laugh through tears. "Yes, Adrian."
He slipped the ring onto her finger, his movements steady but careful, as if afraid the moment might shatter if he rushed it.
Elara looked down at her hand, at the simple band resting there, and her vision blurred. She let out a soft laugh that turned into a breathless sound, half joy, half disbelief. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.
It was not hurried. It was warm and full, carrying everything she had not been able to say. Gratitude. Relief. Love that had survived fear and time and mistakes.
"Thank you," she whispered against his lips. "For waiting. For understanding. I don't know what I did in my past life to deserve someone like you."
Adrian smiled, resting his forehead against hers. "You don't need to deserve me," he said softly. "I chose you. I will keep choosing you."
Later, in the quiet of their room, as they settled on the futon, Elara wrapped her arms around Adrian, leaning into the solid warmth of his chest. He held her face, his thumbs tracing the arcs of her cheekbones before he pressed a lingering kiss to her temple.
"Elara," he murmured, his voice a low vibration against her skin. He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, his gaze searching hers. In the past months, he had been meticulously careful, restraining the depth of his desire, unsure if she understood the sheer power she held over him.
"May I touch you? Truly touch you?"
He needed the permission, needed to hear it. She saw the nervous intensity in his eyes, a mirror of the anticipation thrumming in her own veins. She understood. They had known each other in darkness, their intimacy shaped by sound and touch alone. Now, he could see.
"Yes," she breathed, the word simple and absolute.
He captured her mouth with his, the kiss deepening from tenderness to hunger in a heartbeat. His hands, which had been so steady with the ring, now trembled slightly as they went to the silken knot of her yukata. He loosened it, the fabric parting to reveal the delicate hollow of her throat, the slope of her shoulders, and the gentle swell of her cleavage above a light pink bra. He pushed the fabric from her shoulders, letting it pool around her waist, his gaze drinking her in with a reverence that made her breath catch.
"So beautiful," he whispered, the words ragged. "In my mind, you were a dream. But this… you are more."
He leaned in, his mouth finding the soft curve of her breast, kissing his way to the lace edge of her bra. He unfastened it with a deft flick, and it fell away. When his warm palm cupped her bare flesh, she gasped. His mouth closed over her nipple, laving it with his tongue before sucking gently, then more insistently. Pleasure, sharp and sweet, arced through her. Her back arched, and her fingers threaded into his hair.
"I remember how soft you were," he said against her skin, his voice thick. His hand then slid down her stomach, over the lace of her panties, finding the heat and dampness waiting for him. He teased her through the fabric, his fingers tracing her folds until she whimpered. "And you are so ready for me."
He stood then, just for a moment, to shed his own yukata. The lamplight played over the well-defined planes of his torso, the powerful shoulders she had clung to, the body she knew by heart but now saw in its full, potent glory. He was breathtaking. He removed his underwear, and his erection stood hard and eager for her, a sight that sent a fresh wave of liquid heat through her core.
He returned to her, covering her body with his, his weight a familiar and welcome anchor. He kissed her deeply as his fingers hooked into the sides of her panties, drawing them down her legs. He settled between her thighs, spreading them wider, the head of his cock nudging at her entrance.
"I missed this," he confessed, not just the act, but the profound connection. "I missed you."
And he slid in.
Elara cried out, a gasp of pure sensation as he filled her completely. His eyes were open, locked on hers, witnessing every flutter of her lashes, every catch in her breath. He began to move, a slow, deep rhythm that built with agonizing perfection. She could feel her climax coiling, tighter and tighter, until it broke over her in a silent, shattering wave, her body convulsing around him.
He kissed her through it, swallowing her moans. When she floated back to herself, he gently turned her onto her side, then pressed against her back. He entered her again from behind, one arm wrapping around her waist to hold her close, his other hand finding her breast. This angle was deeper, more possessive. His lips found the sensitive spot below her ear.
"I love you," he gritted out with every powerful thrust.
As the last gentle waves of her release still shimmered through her, Adrian didn't pause. He moved within her with a steady, reverent rhythm, coaxing the lingering warmth back into a soft, glowing flame. Her body, humming and tender, began to awaken all over again.
"Together," he whispered against her throat, his voice a velvet promise. "Let's go together this time."
With infinite care, he turned them, nestling her into the pillows as he settled between her thighs. He joined her in one deep stroke that made her sigh and arch toward him. She wrapped her leg around his waist, drawing him into the warmth of her embrace.
This was different. The urgency had melted into something deeper, a slow and perfect harmony. His movements were deep and unhurried, each one a loving caress that echoed in her very soul. She met him, move for move, their bodies finding a rhythm that was theirs alone.He rested his forehead against hers, their eyes open and seeing nothing but each other. He touched the spot where their bodies were connected during sex, rubbing it gently and in rhythm with their movements.
The feeling was overwhelming in the sweetest way. The gathering warmth within her spiraled tight and bright. He kissed her, deep and heartfelt, as his own rhythm began to falter, giving way to a tender, trembling need.
"Adrian…" His name was a sigh on her lips.
"I have you," he whispered. "Let go, Elara. I'm right here."
She came. An intense pleasure spread through her body, making her shake and leaving her feeling complete. She moaned softly as her muscles rhythmically tightened around him.
Feeling her body grip him was the final trigger for him. He gasped her name and climaxed, his release flowing into her, mirroring her own peaceful feeling. He held her tightly as they both shook through the fading spasms together.
His mouth found hers in a slow, deep kiss. When he finally broke it, he rested his forehead against hers, his breath warm and his voice a husky whisper.
"That was amazing, Elara."
She smiled, her eyes soft and luminous in the low light. "I'm glad to be with you again," she breathed, the words full of a quiet, profound truth.
His hands began to move over her skin. One palm cradled the side of her face, his thumb stroking her cheekbone. The other traced the curve of her shoulder, the line of her spine, the dip of her waist, as if he were memorizing her shape all over again.
"You feel like heaven," he murmured against her lips, his voice thick with receding pleasure.
"Every inch of you." His hand slid lower, over the swell of her hip, coming to rest on the back of her thigh. "And here…" he whispered, his fingers pressing gently into her soft skin, "where you were holding me… I can still feel you. It's driving me a little wild, feeling how perfect you are for me."
He pulled her closer, his touch turning from a caress to a more deliberate, claiming pressure, hinting at the heat that was already beginning to build again. "Tell me you want more," he breathed.
A soft, flustered sound escaped her. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink, and she tucked her face against his neck, her voice muffled and shy against his skin. "You are making me so shy."
"Don't be shy," he whispered, his lips brushing the delicate shell of her ear. "There's no part of you I don't adore." His hand, which had been splayed on her lower back, slid around to cradle her hip, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin there in a slow, soothing circle. "Every blush, every sigh… they're all mine to cherish."
He gently guided her face back from the sanctuary of his neck so he could see her eyes. His own gaze was soft, utterly captivated.
"Let me see you," he breathed, dipping his head to kiss the heated skin of her cheek, then the corner of her mouth. "Maybe I haven't told you before. Elara, you are beautiful."
Her eyes finally met him, the shyness in them melting into a look of such open, trusting affection that it stole his breath. He closed the small distance and kissed her.
He lingered there only a moment before resting his forehead against hers with their breaths mingling. Elara lifted a trembling hand to his chest as if to steady herself, her smile small but certain. The words seemed to gather courage in her chest before she finally let them go, soft and sincere, meant only for him.
"I love you."