Chapter 20 — First Kiss
The apartment was quiet, but Mara's heart was loud enough to fill the room. Her fingers were still tangled with Milo's, and she could feel the warmth of him through every line of her body. Her chest tightened, her breaths shallow, but she didn't pull away. She couldn't.
Milo's gaze held hers, steady, intense, full of something that went deeper than words — desire, care, promise. The electricity between them was undeniable, a storm waiting to break.
"Are… are you sure?" Mara whispered, voice trembling, unsure if she even wanted the answer.
Milo smiled softly, leaning just a fraction closer. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he murmured. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, sending shivers up her arm. "You're the one I want… the one I choose."
Mara's breath caught. She had spent years hiding from people, hiding from herself, hiding from trust and love. And yet, in this moment, she wanted to let herself feel it all — the fear, the longing, the need.
Slowly, hesitantly, Milo closed the last inches between them. His hand came up, cupping her cheek, warm and solid. Mara tilted her head slightly, her pulse racing, every nerve ending alive with tension.
Their lips met softly at first — a whisper, a question, a test. Mara's eyes fluttered closed, heart hammering, and she felt the world shrink until it was just the two of them. Milo's hand tightened slightly on her face, grounding her, holding her, claiming her gently.
The kiss deepened — not rushed, not desperate, but slow, deliberate, full of emotion. Mara's fingers curled into his shirt, holding on as if letting go would shatter something fragile inside her. Milo's other hand found her waist, pulling her closer just enough to feel the press of his chest against hers.
Time stopped. The city outside ceased to exist. The past, the fears, the walls Mara had built — all melted away in the warmth of Milo's touch, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under her ear, the electric pull of their connection.
When they finally broke apart, just slightly, Mara's eyes were wide, shimmering with unshed tears. "I… I never thought…" she whispered.
"You thought you couldn't trust," Milo finished softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "But here we are. And I'm not going anywhere."
Her lips quivered into the faintest smile. "I'm scared," she admitted.
"I know," he said, voice low and steady. "But I'll be here. Every step. Every fall. Every fear. We'll face it together."
Mara exhaled slowly, letting herself sink into him, into the moment, into the possibility of love she had tried to deny for so long. And as she rested her forehead against his, she realized that for the first time in years, she felt safe, seen, and wanted — fully, completely.
The storm outside had passed, leaving the city quiet and glimmering, just like the spark that had ignited between them. And Mara knew, deep in her heart, that nothing — no past, no fear, no wall — could take this away.
Love, she realized, was finally hers to feel.