Kiss & Tell ( Asa and Chiquita)

Chapter 26: Into the Unknown

Asa's POV

It's strange, this feeling of floating, as if I'm walking through life tethered to something larger than myself. Chiquita. Her love. It's becoming part of me in ways I didn't expect, and yet, I don't want it to stop. It's like a quiet revolution, turning everything I once thought I knew upside down.

We've been living in this bubble, this perfect world where we get lost in each other, and I keep thinking, This is it. This is what I was always looking for. But then, every once in a while, the outside world creeps in — the responsibilities, the expectations, the things that don't stop just because I've found someone who makes me feel this alive.

I sit at my desk, the hum of my office around me, but I can't focus. Not today. Not anymore. Every time I glance at the clock, I'm thinking of Chiquita. Every time my phone buzzes, I hope it's her. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to remind myself to focus.

But all I want to do is leave. To run to her, to hold her. To make this moment stretch on forever.

It's no longer enough to just be with her. I want to build a life with her, one that isn't confined to stolen moments between the chaos of our daily lives. I want something real. Something more.

The phone buzzes again. This time, it's a message from Chiquita.

I miss you. Can't wait to see you tonight.

I smile at her words, warmth blooming inside me. But the message is like a lifeline, pulling me back to the world where I want to be.

I miss you too. I'll be home soon.

As soon as I send it, my mind races again. Home. It feels different now, with her. I don't know when it happened — when she became more than just the woman I fell in love with. When she became the place I wanted to be. The home I never knew I was searching for.

I stand abruptly, gathering my things and walking out of my office. It's an impulsive decision, but I don't care. I'm done with waiting. Done with pretending I can focus on anything else when all I want is her.

Chiquita's POV

I've been pacing in our apartment for what feels like hours, waiting for Asa to come home. The house is quiet, still, save for the sound of my restless footsteps. It's not that I don't love being alone with my thoughts sometimes, but tonight... tonight I need her with me. The house feels empty without her, and it's a strange sensation, considering I've always been the kind of person who relishes independence.

But Asa, she's different. She's made a home in my heart — one that I can't ignore, no matter how much I try.

When the door finally opens, my heart leaps. There she is. Standing in the doorway, looking more beautiful than words can describe. Her eyes are alight, full of something I can't quite place, but it makes me take a step closer to her, without thinking.

"I thought I'd have to wait forever for you," I tease, my voice light but full of relief.

Asa steps inside, her gaze softening as she looks at me. She's always had a way of making me feel like the most important person in the room, even in the smallest moments.

"You don't have to wait anymore," she says, her voice low. "Not for me. Not ever again."

Her words hit me like a wave, and before I know it, I'm stepping into her arms, my hands sliding around her waist. I need her so badly, in ways I can't even articulate.

"I'm so glad you're here," I murmur against her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin, the steadiness of her heartbeat beneath my fingertips.

She pulls back slightly, just enough to look at me, and I see something in her eyes — the same thing I've been feeling but never said out loud. Something deep, something undeniable.

"I don't want to be anywhere else," she says, her voice full of emotion. "Not without you."

Her words feel like the end of a long road and the beginning of a new one. I pull her closer, letting the moment settle over us. Everything that's unsaid between us hangs in the air like a promise.

I press my lips to hers, gentle at first, but the kiss deepens as I feel her hands run through my hair, pulling me closer. There's no rush. No urgency. Just the feeling of us, here, together. It's a comfort, a quiet certainty that everything else can wait as long as we have each other.

Asa's POV

The kiss fades, but the warmth between us lingers. I pull away slightly, my forehead resting against hers, both of us breathing in the moment. But as I look into her eyes, I know I can't ignore it any longer. There's something bigger here, something more than just the fleeting feelings that come and go.

This... this is what I want.

"I love you, Chiquita," I say again, my voice quieter now, more certain.

She smiles softly, brushing her thumb against my lips, and I can see how much she feels that same thing.

"I love you too, Asa," she replies, her voice steady but full of affection. "More than you'll ever know."

But then, a thought crosses my mind, something I haven't voiced to her yet — something that's been quietly gnawing at me for days. It's a question I know I need to ask, but I'm not sure how she'll respond.

"What do you think... about us? About a future?" I ask, my voice tentative. "What does that look like for you?"

Her eyes widen just a little, and then she steps back, her hand still holding mine. She doesn't seem taken aback — she seems to be thinking.

"I think..." she begins, her voice soft but sure. "I think we make it whatever we want it to be. Whatever that looks like. I don't need anything specific. I don't need a grand plan. I just need you."

Her words settle around me like a warm embrace, like a promise of more. She's not asking for anything grand either. She just wants this. Us. Together. Forever.

And as I look at her, I realize that's exactly what I want too.

Chiquita's POV

Asa's quiet in the moments that follow, and I let her be. I can see the way her mind is working, and I know that this — what we have — is as real as anything could be. We don't have to define it right now. We don't need to know exactly what the future holds. All I need is her.

As we sit together, holding hands, I can feel the weight of everything we've been through. But I also feel the weight of something else: the endless possibilities of what's to come.

We don't need to make promises about the future. We already have everything we need.

Together.