Chapter 105 A Love that Remains

Chapter 105 A Love that Remains
“I love you so freaking much,” he murmured again and again between kisses, his voice breaking with every word.

Her face was damp from sweat and tears and now his mouth, his lips brushing her eyelids, her temples, the bridge of her nose, her chin, like he was trying to claim every inch of her skin.

She didn’t have the strength to tease him or push him away. Her lips parted but no words came out, her voice lost in exhaustion and the overwhelming warmth spreading through her chest.

So she just closed her eyes and let him do it, let him hold her face in his hands and kiss her like she was something fragile and holy, even after he’d just ruined her in the most intoxicating way.

His breaths slowed, but his mouth didn’t stop. Each kiss became softer, lazier, more reverent. He stayed close, lips brushing over her skin as if he needed the contact to breathe.

She felt him whisper something else, soft, slurred, wrecked with emotion, but she was already slipping, her body giving in to the pull of sleep. The comfort of his warmth, his scent, the weight of him half on top of her, lulled her deeper.

The last thing she felt before drifting off was his lips at her temple and his arm wrapping possessively around her waist like he was afraid she’d disappear if he let go.

And even in sleep, she stayed curled against him, safe in the arms of the only man who could break her, love her, and worship her in the same breath.

______
He woke to the soft weight of a stare resting on him. Blinking away the haze of sleep, he found her beside him, lying on her side with her head propped on one hand. The morning light slipped through the curtains and settled on her face, illuminating the quiet smile she wore as if simply watching him breathe made her happy. 

The sight stirred something deep inside his chest, pulling him back to the first morning they’d ever shared together, the same silence, the same awe, the same flutter of disbelief that she was real and his. His heart skipped before he even realized he was moving. He reached out, gently cupped the side of her face, and pulled her close enough to press his lips to hers.

She gasped at first, surprised, but within seconds her body relaxed against him. She returned the kiss with shy eagerness, trying to keep up with the slow intensity he set. It didn’t take long for her to realize how naturally he moved, every shift, every brush of his lips felt confident, practiced, almost unfairly skilled. Just as he began to melt into it completely, she paused mid kiss, a thought flashing across hermind. She drew back, catching the confusion that flickered across his face.

“How many girls have you kissed before me?” she blurted without warning, suspicion narrowing her eyes.

He blinked, caught off guard, then let out a breathy laugh at her sudden accusation. “I’ve never kissed anyone before you. I just sle-- uh..… you know…”

“Okay, stop talking. I don’t want to hear anymore,” she said flatly, turning her face away with clear annoyance.

A stab of helplessness sank into him. He hadn’t lied, he’d never been intimate like this with anyone else. She was his first and only, but she had a past, and that thought alone made something sharp twist low in his stomach. His jaw tensed, and before she could look away completely, he caught her chin gently and guided her gaze back to his.

“What about you?” he asked quietly, the edge of jealousy unmistakable in his tone. “How many boyfriends did you have before me? Did you look at them the way you look at me?”

She tried not to smile at the expression on his face, equal parts sulky, possessive, and vulnerable. After a moment, she spoke softly, her voice stripped of its earlier tease. “I’ve never loved anyone like this before. I only dated people who were… decent enough to accept when they asked me to date. But after meeting you, I finally understood what it feels like to really fall in love. I’ve never looked at anyone the way I look at you.”

The tension in his chest eased instantly, replaced by a warmth so raw it almost hurt. His lips curved into a slow, relieved smile, and he leaned in to kiss her again. But before he could get close, she smacked his hands away with exaggerated annoyance.

“Do you want to kill me?” she demanded, breathing a little too quickly.

A low sound of protest escaped him. “It’s not my fault. You’re looking at me like that and I’m getting hard....…”

She shot him a glare that failed to hide her fluster. “You’ve had enough of last night. Let me go, we need to catch our flight this------, oh no!”

His brows furrowed instantly. “What?”

Her eyes widened as if she’d been hit with a brick of realization. “I forgot to meet the landowner. The one who’s refusing to sell his land. I was supposed to ask him why!”

He let out a long exhale and rolled onto his back, the rush of panic fading from his shoulders. “I met him,” he said after a pause. “He and his wife bought that land twenty-five years ago with all the money they had. She dreamed of building a house there, and she wanted to design it herself.

But before they could even start, she got sick and passed away. Since then, he hasn’t wanted to build on it or sell it. Every year, on her death anniversary, he goes there to pay his respects.”

Her lips parted, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. The story settled over her like a quiet weight, pulling her thoughts somewhere distant.

“We can start our project without that land,” he added gently.

She nodded, though her expression held something fragile and contemplative. “That kind of love exists? Even after she’s gone, he still holds on to her memory? He hasn’t moved on in twenty-five years… how is that possible?”

He studied her for a moment, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “If I ever forgot everything and couldn’t recognize you… would you leave and move on?”

She went still at the question, her eyes dropping to the sheets between them. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head slowly. “No. I would stay here. I’d come to you as your customer or your biggest fan. Even if you couldn’t love again… I’d stay by your side.”

His eyes stung before he could stop the emotion from cresting. He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing them as if making a vow. “That kind of love exists,” he said quietly. “It’s in you and me. No matter what happens, we’ll stand by each other forever. I promise you.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she didn’t bother wiping them away. Her fingers curled around his. “I promise too.”

To be continued