The two of them stood at her door while she swallowed the lump in her throat. Jay, standing behind her, leaned closer and entered the code to unlock the door, his fingers brushing against hers as he did. The soft click of the lock disengaging echoed through the quiet hallway as the door swung open.
He followed her inside, closing the door behind them while she took a deep breath to steady herself. They were here, in her home, the place where she cried and spent countless nights thinking about him. It was a place where she had built a life that was incomplete without him, but now he was right there, in the flesh.
Jay's gaze never left her face, and she could see the longing and love in his eyes. "You don't remember last night?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I wish I did. It hurts so much to think that I might have missed out on a moment like that with you." She shook her head and looked down. "I wish I could remember, Jay."
He gently lifted her chin with his fingers, guiding her gaze back to meet his. There was a moment of silence as their eyes locked, the only sound in the room being the soft hum of the heating system and the distant, muffled noises from the city outside. Jay leaned in, his lips brushing against hers.
"From now on, I'll make sure you don't forget a single moment with me."
And then he kissed her, with all the power he could muster, making up for all the months, moons, weeks, days, minutes, seconds their chapped lips hadn't been touching. And finally, finally it felt like the world was no longer burning around Y/N.
Jay had never gotten so lost in a kiss before. He took off his glasses and set them aside, his hands gently cupping Y/N's face as their lips continued to kiss. And then the space between them exploded. His heart kept missing beats and his hands couldn't bring her close enough to him. He tasted her and realized he had been starving. The stars collided and burst into fireworks in their souls. It was as if the universe itself had conspired to bring them back together, to mend the broken pieces of their hearts with this kiss.
Her hands rested against his chest while his fingers gently traced the contours of her face, memorizing every curve and dip as if he could etch her image into his soul. And in a moment, her back collided with the couch and they tumbled onto it, a tangle of limbs and desire, their lips still locked in a passionate, desperate kiss.
"I'm never letting you go again," Jay whispered between breathless kisses while his fingers slipped under the hem of her sweater, tracing the soft skin of her waist, sending shivers down her spine. Y/N's hands found their way to the back of his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair as she deepened the kiss, pouring all the love and longing she had felt over the months into that single moment.
This was better than any dream she had, better than any memory she could have wished for. It was real, it was them, and it was everything she had ever wanted. Jay—the man who had held her heart all along, the one she had pushed away but never truly let go of—was right there, holding her close, kissing her like he never wanted to let go.
She had loved before, but it didn't feel like this. She had kissed before, but it didn't burn her alive. Maybe it lasted a minute, and maybe it was an hour. All she knew was that kiss, and how soft his skin was when it brushed against hers, and even if she did not know it until then, she had been waiting for Jay forever. And he had been waiting for her too, through all the seasons and all the heartache.
When they broke the kiss, after what felt like an eternity, their breaths came in heavy, synchronized pants. Jay gently brushed a strand of hair away from Y/N's face, his thumb lingering on her cheek as if he could never get enough of touching her. He smiled, a genuine and loving smile that reached his eyes, and his dimples were finally back.
Y/N's heart skipped a beat and her finger traced the curve of his dimple, a fond and familiar gesture that had always brought a smile to both of them. "They're back."
"Only for you, sunshine. They disappeared when you were away, but now that you're back in my life, they couldn't stay away." She watched his smile grow, the kind of smile that put stars in his eyes and lit up the room. The kind of smile that made her heart flutter and her worries fade away.
She leaned in and kissed his forehead, her lips lingering there for a moment. And Jay melted. He closed his eyes and if he could purr like a contented cat, he might have. "Can I just stay like this forever?" He whispered, nestling his head against her chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly. "I don't want to miss a single moment with you. I want to be there for every sunrise, every sunset, and everything in between. I'm so in love with you, sunshine. I never stopped loving you, not for a single moment."
She pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head, her fingers tracing the contours of his back, feeling the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. "Thank you for finding your way back to me."
Jay looked up at her with a soft, loving gaze. "Sunshine, I would search a thousand lifetimes just to find my way back to you. There's no place I'd rather be than here, right now, wrapped in your love. You're my home, sunshine, and I'll always come back to where I belong."
"A thousand lifetimes?" She smiled, running her fingers through his hair. He nodded, his head resting against her chest while intertwining their fingers. "That sounds like a long time, Jay."
"I'm good at waiting," He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating against her chest. "I just realized I love it when you call my name."
"Jay?" Y/N's voice was filled with affection as she said his name again, and he looked up at her with a playful grin.
"Yes, just like that," His dimples deepened as he smiled at her. "Say it again, sunshine."
"Jay," Y/N's laughter bubbled up, a sweet, tinkling sound that seemed to light up his world. "Jay, Jay, Jay." He smiled against her chest, his lips brushing lightly over her skin.
"Yes, my sunshine."
