Chapter 54-Troublesome

Chapter 54: 54-Troublesome

Needless to say, emotions escalated a little dramatically than either party intended.

"I might still pull away sometimes. I might remember everything tomorrow and regret this tonight," he confessed, holding her eyes steady.

Aymara’s fingers tightened around his. "Then let’s deal with that when tomorrow comes."

Nathaniel looked at her. She gave him a small, trembling smile. "Tonight, you’re here in this moment right here."

Something inside him tightened. He had spent so long protecting himself from Aymara that he had forgotten how exhausting it was to keep every door locked.

She was standing in front of him now, not demanding entry back into her life and not pretending the past had vanished between them, no. She was just waiting for him to reach out to her. That was harder to resist than any apology.

Nathaniel lifted his free hand and hesitated beside her face.

Aymara’s eyes softened. "You can touch me."

The permission seemed to undo the last of his restraint. His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek. The gesture was so gentle that Aymara’s eyes stung. Nathaniel’s thumb lingered near her temple.

"I missed you," he said. The confession was barely audible. In his grey-blue eyes, there was only her, back then and now.

Aymara’s breath trembled. "I missed you too."

His gaze dropped to her lips. He looked away almost immediately, as though angry with himself for letting the thought surface.

Aymara saw it and she also saw the fear beneath it. It was not fear of her, but fear of wanting her.

"Nate," she muttered his name. "Nate..."

He looked back at her. She stepped closer, only half a step, but it brought them fully into each other’s warmth.

Nathaniel’s hand slid from her cheek to the back of her neck. His touch remained careful and restrained.

Aymara lifted her free hand and rested it lightly against his chest. His heartbeat was racing beneath her palm.

"So fast," she whispered. "If I listen closely, will I hear it spell my name?"

Nathaniel’s ears reddened. "Don’t."

Aymara smiled faintly. "I didn’t say I disliked it."

His eyes darkened. For one breath, neither of them moved away from the other. Just then Nathaniel pulled her into his arms.

The embrace was not sudden this time. It began with his hand tightening around hers, then his arm drawing her closer, as though he was still asking permission with every inch.

Aymara stepped into him. Her cheek pressed against his chest, and Nathaniel’s arms closed around her. Warmth surrounded her so tightly like a warm blanket on a cold day.

His chin rested lightly near her shoulder, and his breath moved against her hair. None of them said a word in that moment, they didn’t need to.

The silence between them no longer felt empty. It felt full of everything they had lost, everything they had not said, and everything they were still too afraid to name.

Nathaniel held her more tightly. Aymara’s arms slipped around his waist. For a moment, he was no longer the man who kept her at a distance, and she was no longer the woman trying desperately to earn her way back into his life.

They were simply two people who had found each other again in the middle of the night.

Nathaniel’s hand moved slowly up her back. Aymara felt his hesitation return, so she lifted her head. Their faces were close, too close for either of them to pretend this was only an embrace. Nathaniel’s eyes searched hers.

"Are you sure?"

Aymara nodded. "Yes."

He still didn’t move. "Tell me to stop if you want me to."

"I will."

His thumb brushed her cheek. Then, before doubt could return and remind him of every reason to keep his distance, Nathaniel leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek.

A kiss. A gentle, lingering kiss. It was not fleeting or not an accident but it was nowhere the kiss she anticipated.

His breath caught against her skin, but he didn’t pull away immediately. Aymara closed her eyes. The warmth of his lips spread through her, carrying with it the tenderness he had been trying so hard to deny.

When he finally drew back, his forehead rested against hers. Nathaniel’s arms remained around her, and Aymara’s hand was still pressed over his heart.

Then the weight of what he had done seemed to reach him all at once. His eyes widened. He released her too quickly, his face turning bright red, and before she could say anything, he gently guided her toward the door.

"Goodnight."

"Nate... I..."

The door closed behind her.

Click.

Aymara stood outside in silence. She slowly lifted a hand to her cheek, her eyes widening. He kissed me on my cheek? She scoffed.

Behind the closed door, Nathaniel leaned against it, his face bright red. He covered his face with both hands.

"What did I just do?" He could still feel the warmth of her against him. He had held her, he had kissed her, and he had pushed her out before she could say anything.

Nathaniel groaned softly. "You’re twenty-eight years old." He rubbed his burning cheeks. "How can you still be so childish?" He berated himself.

He looked toward the bed. Yaya was sitting there, calmly licking one paw as though nothing unusual had happened. Nathaniel pointed at her. "And don’t look at me like that. You saw nothing, you hear me?... Nothing."

"Meow."

Nathaniel’s ears turned even redder. "You started this."

Yaya blinked innocently. Nathaniel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then his gaze drifted toward the door, and his expression softened.

He had spent so long protecting himself from Aymara. Upon reunion, he had told himself that he wouldn’t trust her easily, that he wouldn’t let her close, and that he wouldn’t forget what happened six years ago.

And yet, second night in and he had reached for her. He had listened to her, allowed her hold his hand and pulled her into his arms.

He had kissed her cheek because, for one fragile moment, wanting her had felt stronger than fearing the past but he couldn’t push it so he could only settle for such a childish move.

Maybe the walls he had built weren’t as strong as he wanted them to be and part of him still remembered the past not only as memory that had hurt him, but as person he had loved before it did.

Nathaniel lowered his head. Blushing harder than before. "...This is troublesome."

Outside the room, Aymara was still standing in the hallway, her hand pressed against her cheek. The jealousy she had felt earlier was gone, completely gone.

All she could think about was the warmth of Nathaniel’s arms around her, the way he had held her hand, and the soft kiss he had left on her cheek.

A slow smile spread across her face. Maybe the system hadn’t completely cheated her after all. She glanced toward his closed door. "Goodnight, Nate."

Then she walked away, still touching her cheek. Behind the door, Nathaniel remained red-faced, silently wondering how he had somehow become more embarrassed than the twenty-six-year-old woman he had just kissed.