Say it Again
Chapter 45: “Say It Again”
The silence between them was thick, a heavy pause filled with things left unsaid. Lila stood in the middle of their dimly lit apartment, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to hold in the emotions threatening to spill over. Elias, leaning against the counter, could feel her hesitation, her fear. He had spent years learning to read the emotions she didn’t voice, and tonight, they screamed louder than ever.
“Say it again,” he murmured, his voice low but firm. She swallowed, her heart pounding. “Elias, I don’t” “Say it, Lila,” he interrupted, stepping closer. “Because if you say it again, you better mean it.” She closed her eyes. She had never felt this vulnerable, this stripped down to her rawest self. Every argument, every quiet moment of doubt had led them here. She had promised herself she wouldn’t be weak, wouldn’t let herself break in front of him. But Elias had always been her weakness.
He reached out, fingers grazing her wrist before closing around it gently. “You don’t get to push me away and pretend like it doesn’t hurt you, too.” His voice was calmer now, but there was something deeper beneath it….a challenge, a plea. “So if you want me gone, say it again.” Lila shook her head, hating how much she wanted to give in. “I don’t know how to do this,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. Elias exhaled, the tension in his body shifting. He moved even closer until she could feel the warmth radiating from him. “Then let me show you.”
The room was too quiet, too charged. She looked up at him, into those eyes that had always held her together even when she was falling apart. And then he kissed her. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t hesitant. It was desperate, consuming, as if he was trying to imprint himself onto her soul. His hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as her fingers clutched at his shirt. Lila felt the world tilt, the weight of her fears momentarily drowned out by the feeling of him, the certainty in the way he held her like he would never let go.
Elias pulled back just enough to look at her, his forehead resting against hers. “I love you,” he breathed, the words filled with something unshakable. “Even when you’re scared. Even when you push me away. Even when you don’t know how to love me back the way you want to.” Her eyes burned with unshed tears. “Elias…”
“Say it again,” he repeated, softer this time. She didn’t say it. Not in words. Instead, she kissed him, harder this time, pouring everything into him, her fear, her longing, her love. She needed him to understand what she couldn’t put into words. And Elias, understanding her in ways no one else ever could, kissed her back with the same intensity.
His hands roamed down her back, pressing her against him as if to fuse them together. She gasped into his mouth when he lifted her effortlessly, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. They moved without thinking, without hesitation, finding their way to the bedroom in a blur of tangled limbs and feverish touches. Elias laid her down carefully, his lips never leaving hers as he hovered over her. “Tell me to stop,” he murmured against her skin. She didn’t. Instead, she pulled him down to her, her hands tracing the lines of his back, memorizing every inch of him. The love between them was raw, unfiltered, built from years of knowing, hurting, healing. Every touch, every kiss was a reminder of everything they had survived, everything they still had to fight for. Hours later, Lila lay curled against Elias, her fingers tracing slow patterns on his chest. The world outside their little cocoon of warmth felt distant, insignificant. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. “I don’t want to lose this,” she admitted, barely audible in the quiet. Elias tightened his arms around her. “You won’t.”
She looked up at him, needing to believe. “Promise me.” He kissed her forehead, then her nose, then finally her lips. “I promise.” But promises were fragile things. And as the night stretched on, reality crept back in. A phone buzzed on the nightstand, an interruption neither of them was ready for. Lila stiffened, recognizing the number. Elias felt her reaction immediately. “Who is it?”
She hesitated. “It’s… my father.” Elias’s jaw tightened. He had spent years earning his place in her life, but her family had always been a battle of its own. “Answer it.” She bit her lip, her fingers hovering over the screen. When she finally picked up, her father’s voice was clipped, urgent. “Lila, we need to talk. Now.” Elias watched as her face changed, the warmth in her eyes dimming. He already knew whatever was coming next would test them in ways they weren’t ready for.