Under a Dimmed Sun [UNCENSORED]

SI: Chapter XXV: Moonlight Warmth [18+]

Warning: 18+; Mature, Explicit

As the flickering candle cast shadows on their intertwined figures, the weight of unspoken emotions hung heavy in the air.

Peter, struggling with his tumultuous thoughts, uttered, "Forgive me, I just don't know what to say or think. This is too much for me."

In the silence, Alice embraced him, whispering, "I love you, still."

Their lips met, expressing a love that defied the odds. Peter, caught in the throes of conflicting emotions, confessed, "How am I not supposed to love you? Knowing our destinies are ill-fated."

Peter: "I don't deserve you yet."

Alice: "I don't care, we are running out of time and I love you too much."

The moonlight poured through the cracks in the weathered wooden walls of the abandoned hunting hut, casting long, silvery shadows on the ground. The forest outside whispered with the sound of rustling leaves, but inside, the world felt still—time suspended, hanging delicately in the air between Alice and Peter.

Peter's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of Alice's cryptic words, his heart racing, both from the nearness of her and the fear gnawing at his chest.

Peter, his voice a whisper of desperation: "Alice, what do you mean by 'we're running out of time?' What are you not telling me?"

Alice's gaze fell to the floor, unable to meet his piercing eyes. Her chest rose and fell quickly, as if the weight of her secret was a stone she had carried for so long. She swallowed hard, the words she was about to speak tangling in her throat.

Alice, trembling: "I...I don't know how much longer we have, Peter. You're promised to another. And I..."

The room seemed to shrink around Peter as her words stopped. His world tilted, and he staggered back, one hand gripping the edge of the old wooden table as if to steady himself. The reality hit him like a cold wave—he had known their love was forbidden, impossible even, but hearing it out loud, so final, tore something deep inside him.

Peter, his voice breaking: "No, Alice... What are you saying? Continue."

Alice's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she took a trembling step towards him. She could see the anguish in his face, mirroring the same agony in her own heart. They had stolen moments together in secret, but they had always hoped for more, dreamed of a future that could never be.

Alice, softly, her voice laced with sorrow: "Peter, I've been holding onto hope for so long, but hope doesn't stop the sun from rising tomorrow. The most important thing is; We're running out of time, please."

Peter reached for her then, pulling her close, his hands trembling as they cupped her face. His thumb brushed away a tear that had escaped down her cheek.

Peter, his voice low, filled with regret: "I can't, Alice. Not like this. I—"

Before he could finish, Alice pressed her fingertips gently to his lips, silencing him. She shook her head, her eyes filled with a fierce kind of determination, an intensity that both frightened and stirred him.

Alice, her voice barely a whisper: "If we can't have each other forever... let us have each other once."

The words fell between them like a spark in the darkness. For a moment, Peter was struck silent, his breath catching in his throat as he looked into her eyes. The depth of her longing, her heartbreak, was mirrored in his own soul. They both knew what she was asking—what this moment meant.