It was
breathtaking,
the way his eyes flickered with an shimmering, gentle light
the way he delicately stared across her pale cheeks;
how he ran his rough fingers down her bumps and bruises, scratches and scars,
his sweet, brittle breath caressing her neck and tickling her spine.
And her head tipped back in an effortless, ridiculous laugh—
a winding, tinkling sound that pierced his soul and
awakened the dusty, dark pathways of his fragile heart.
And in that moment,
he felt a soft, careful breath stir in the back of his throat;
a breath that was
crawling to the surface of his weary lips: “I’m yours,”
but he held back
for when her starry eyes collided with his aching, longing soul
he realized,
she already knew.