Kiss & Tell ( Asa and Chiquita)

Chapter 25: The Weight of Forever

Asa's POV

It's funny, how love can sneak up on you. One moment, everything's in its place, neatly ordered, exactly how it's supposed to be. And then, the next moment, nothing makes sense anymore. But in the best possible way.

It's been a few weeks since we decided on our call signs — "Love." A small word, yet it carries the entire weight of everything we've built. The intimacy, the quiet trust, the raw connection that binds us.

I'm not used to feeling this way. But with Chiquita, it feels easy. Natural.

And today, as I sit across from her in our favorite café, something shifts again. We've been getting closer, little by little. The walls I've spent my life building around myself are crumbling, and I'm not even fighting it anymore. In fact, I think I want them to fall. I need them to fall.

The sunlight catches her hair as she sips her coffee, the warmth of the morning light giving her an almost ethereal glow. She's laughing at something I said, her eyes lighting up as she leans forward to catch my attention. But when she catches my gaze, her smile falters just for a second, like she's noticing something I wasn't even aware of until now.

The way I'm looking at her. Like she's the most important person in the world.

I swallow, suddenly aware of the weight of my own feelings. It feels... permanent. The love I've been hiding, the things I've been holding back — it's all slipping out now, piece by piece.

"Love," I say, my voice soft, barely audible over the noise of the café, but she hears me. Her eyes snap to mine, sharp and intent, as if she's already anticipating something. She places her coffee down, giving me her full attention.

"Yeah, love?" she responds, her voice low, intimate, like the whole world has fallen away, and it's just the two of us here.

"Do you ever think about... forever?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. The question feels huge, too big for the quiet of this moment, but I ask it anyway, unable to stop myself.

She tilts her head, her expression unreadable, but then her lips curl into that half-smile that always makes my chest tighten. "You mean, like, 'till the end of time forever'?"

I nod, not trusting myself to speak for a moment. There's something in her eyes, a flicker of something that makes my heart race, but she doesn't pull away. She stays with me, letting the moment hang between us.

"I think about it," she says softly. "I think about what it would be like to be with you — just you — for the rest of my life. It feels right. I can't explain it, but when I'm with you, it's like I've found where I belong. Where I'm supposed to be."

My chest tightens at her words. The idea of forever... it terrifies me, honestly. But with her? With Chiquita? It feels like a promise I could make. A promise I want to keep.

"I feel the same way," I whisper, my voice shaking just slightly. "I never thought I would. Never thought I could. But I want it. I want all of it — you, us, together."

Her eyes soften, her expression full of affection as she reaches out, placing her hand gently on mine across the table. "I know you do, love. I can feel it. You're not running anymore."

I swallow, trying to steady my breath. The weight of her words feels like an anchor, grounding me in something I've been too afraid to trust. Something real.

"I'm not running anymore," I repeat, my voice stronger now, clearer. "And I don't want to."

She smiles at me then, her gaze tender, like she's seeing me for the first time — really seeing me — and I can't look away.

"Then let's not," she says, her voice steady, full of that quiet certainty that I've come to love so much. "Let's just keep moving forward. Together."

Chiquita's POV

Her words send a ripple through me. There's nothing like hearing her say it — really say it. I've always known that Asa was afraid of being vulnerable, of surrendering to someone else, but she's come so far. She's opened herself to me in ways I never expected. And now, the thought of us — together, forever — doesn't feel like an impossibility. It feels like the next step in something we've been building without even realizing it.

Forever.

It sounds crazy, even for me. But with Asa, everything is different. Every plan, every idea I've had for my life seems to take second place to the truth I'm discovering with her: she's everything. She is my forever.

"I'm yours, love," I say, my voice steady, but my heart is anything but. "You know that, right? I'm not going anywhere."

She meets my eyes, her lips curving into that soft, genuine smile that I've come to love more than anything. "I know."

We're both quiet for a moment, just letting the weight of the moment settle in. No more words are needed. We understand each other in a way that no one else ever could. And I think we both know, deep down, that we're ready for this. Ready for whatever comes next.

But as I sit there, looking at her, I can't help but feel the surge of emotion that always rises when we're in these quiet, tender moments together. It's in the way we touch, the way our eyes meet — like we're saying everything without saying a word.

Her hand moves to rest on top of mine, and the touch is warm, reassuring. "I want this, love. I want us. I want... forever."

It's the word she's said before, but now, it sounds real. Like it's more than just a fleeting hope or a dream. It's a promise. One that, no matter how scared I might get or how uncertain the future may be, I want to keep.

I lean in then, my lips brushing against hers softly, the kiss tender and sweet, full of all the love and longing we've built between us. The moment stretches on, and I lose myself in it. This is real. This is us.

Asa's POV

When she kisses me, it's like a quiet vow. Like she's promising me something — not just with her words, but with her touch, her heart. And I can feel it, all of it, deep in my soul.

This is forever.

We don't need to make any grand declarations. We don't need to prove anything. All we need is what we have now. All we need is each other.

After a long moment, I pull away just enough to look at her, my thumb gently tracing the curve of her jaw. "I love you, Chiquita," I whisper, the words feeling even more true now than they ever have before.

Her smile deepens, and she leans forward again, her lips brushing mine in return. "I love you too, Asa. And nothing's ever going to change that."

Chiquita's POV

As I look at her — my Asa, my Love — I know that nothing will ever be the same. But somehow, it doesn't feel like a loss. It feels like we've found something better than we ever imagined.

This... this is our forever.

And I wouldn't trade it for anything.