Last Kiss

chapter 64- i feel bad

The waves crashed violently against the shore, reflecting the tension in Belly's heart. She wandered along the edge of the beach, the sand cool beneath her feet as she clutched her phone, fingers hovering over Jeremiah's number. The sky was dark, streaked with the colors of an oncoming storm, and the air was thick with something unspoken, something she couldn't put into words.

But she knew he'd come. He always did.

Minutes later, she heard the rumble of his car, saw his headlights illuminating the sand in front of her. She turned as he got out, his face lit up with that familiar, easy smile. Jeremiah had that pull on her, like the current beneath the waves. She could never resist it.

"Hey, you," he murmured, coming closer. "Didn't expect to get your call so late."

She let herself fall into him, his arms wrapping around her, strong and warm. "I just needed to be somewhere with you," she said softly, her voice nearly lost beneath the sound of the ocean.

They stood like that for a moment, holding on to each other as if it were the last night in the world. The storm clouds gathered above, but neither of them cared. The only thing that mattered was the connection between them—electric, intense, like they were caught in their own hurricane.

Jeremiah pulled back to look at her, his expression serious for once, his eyes searching hers. "Belly...is this what you want? Being here with me?"

She felt the weight of the question settle over her. Did she know what she wanted? Her heart ached with a thousand emotions she couldn't untangle, but she nodded, resting her forehead against his. She knew she was drawn to him, that when she was with him, the world faded and she felt free, like a storm crashing against the shore.

"Yes," she whispered, almost like she was convincing herself. "Yes, I want this."

A slow smile spread across his face, and he kissed her, a mix of desperation and relief. He tasted like salt and something sweet, grounding her even as everything else spun out of control. But there was something lingering beneath it all, a fragility to this moment that neither of them acknowledged. It was as if they both knew this connection was temporary, something that couldn't survive forever.

They walked along the beach, hand in hand, the storm starting to break above them, raindrops mingling with the ocean mist. Every so often, he'd stop, looking at her with a vulnerability she hadn't seen before. She felt it, too—a sense that they were tiptoeing on the edge of something profound but fleeting.

As the rain fell harder, he pulled her in, both of them drenched but refusing to move. It was as if they were saying everything they couldn't put into words, as if every unspoken doubt and fear was pouring out between them, mingling with the rain.

"Belly," he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the crashing waves. "If this is all we have...if this is just a moment, I want it to be ours. No regrets."

She felt her throat tighten, a strange mixture of sadness and gratitude filling her. Jeremiah understood her like no one else did. He made her feel alive, wild, and free—but at that moment, she wondered if love was supposed to feel so bittersweet.

She nodded, whispering back, "No regrets."

They stood together as the storm raged around them, caught in their own hurricane, holding on to the beauty of this fleeting, fragile connection.