LOVE JUST AINT ENOUGH

chapter 3

The church was nearly complete, the renovation project that had brought Samantha and Louie together now in its final stages. The once bustling site had quieted down, leaving the two of them alone to admire the fruits of their labor. The late afternoon sun streamed through the newly installed stained glass windows, casting vibrant colors across the pews. The atmosphere inside the church was peaceful, yet charged with the unspoken tension that had been growing between them.

Samantha and Louie stood side by side in the nave, their gazes fixed on the glowing altar. Louie's hand rested lightly on the back of a pew, his thoughts miles away, lost in the complexities of his feelings for Samantha. She was the one who had brought this project to life, and in doing so, had also brought something to life within him—a longing, a need that he could no longer deny.

Samantha, sensing his inner turmoil, turned to look at him. "You seem distant," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Louie shook his head, offering her a small, tight smile. "Just thinking," he replied, but his eyes told a different story. They held a depth of emotion that made Samantha's heart ache.

The silence between them grew heavier, the air thick with the weight of everything left unsaid. Louie took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, but the closeness of Samantha, the way the light caught in her hair, the way her presence filled the room—it was all too much.

The sound of a faint breeze rustling through the trees outside was the only noise that broke the heavy silence. Louie turned to face Samantha fully, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch. "Samantha," he began, his voice low and strained, "there's something I've been meaning to say..."

Louie struggled with the words, knowing that once they were spoken, there would be no going back. But he also knew that he couldn't continue to hide how he felt. "I've tried to fight it," he continued, his voice trembling slightly, "but I can't deny it anymore. You've become more than just a colleague, more than just a friend."

Samantha's heart pounded in her chest as his words washed over her. She had known, deep down, that this moment would come, but hearing it spoken aloud made it all the more real, all the more terrifying. "Louie," she whispered, not sure what to say, but needing to say something, anything, to bridge the gap between them. As Louie reached out to touch her hand, the contact sent a jolt through both of them. His fingers, warm and trembling, intertwined with hers, and in that moment, the dam that had been holding back their emotions broke. "I don't want to fight it anymore," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "I want to be with you, even if it's just for a moment."

The intensity of the moment pulled them together, an undeniable force that neither could resist. Louie stepped closer, his hand moving from hers to cup her face gently. Samantha closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his touch, the rapid beat of his heart through his fingertips. Everything around them faded—the church, the light, the world outside—until it was just the two of them, standing on the edge of something powerful and forbidden.

And then, he kissed her.

It wasn't tentative or unsure; it was a kiss born from weeks of suppressed desire, from the longing that had been building between them. Louie's lips met Samantha's with a fervor that left them both breathless, their bodies pressed together in a desperate need to be close, to feel, to connect.

Samantha felt herself melt into him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she returned the kiss with equal intensity. The kiss was all-consuming, a mixture of passion, relief, and the bittersweet knowledge that this moment was fleeting, stolen. Louie's hand slid to the small of her back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, his breath hot against her skin. When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily, their foreheads resting against each other as they tried to collect themselves. The reality of what had just happened started to sink in, bringing with it a rush of conflicting emotions—joy, guilt, fear, and love.

Louie opened his eyes, looking into Samantha's with a mixture of tenderness and sorrow. "I've never felt anything like this before," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't know where we go from here."

Samantha felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, her heart aching with the impossibility of their situation. "I don't either," she whispered back, her voice trembling. "But I know that I don't want to lose you."

Louie gently brushed a tear from Samantha's cheek, his heart breaking at the sight. "We'll figure it out," he promised, though neither of them knew how they would manage it. But in that moment, with the taste of their kiss still lingering, they were willing to risk everything for the chance to be together, even if only for a short while.