Sealed with a kiss (WomanxWoman)

26

"Darling, right in time!" Richard said, his voice carrying an edge of relief. "Now that you're here, I'll let the two of you have that much-needed talk." With a knowing nod, he stood up from his chair, his movements deliberate, as if weighed down by the tension in the room. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the two of us in deafening silence.

The room suddenly felt smaller, the walls closing in, amplifying the unspoken emotions hanging in the air. I couldn't look away from her-Charlotte, the woman who had held my heart so tightly and crushed it just as easily. She sat across from me, her posture rigid, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. Her eyes, usually so full of life, now seemed clouded with guilt and sorrow.

The silence stretched on, unbearable and suffocating. My chest tightened with the weight of all the things I wanted to say but didn't know how. My mind was a chaotic storm, but I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Is it true?" My voice broke through the silence, trembling but firm.

Charlotte tilted her head, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What is true?" she asked cautiously, as though afraid of the answer herself.

"What Richard said... what you did... why you were going to marry Jeffery..." The words stumbled out, fragmented and raw. My throat felt tight, the emotions threatening to choke me.

A sad, wistful smile crept across her lips, but her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Yes," she admitted softly. "It's true. I'm so sorry, Jenny. I really am."

Sorry? That's all she had to say? My heart clenched painfully, anger bubbling to the surface. The hurt I'd buried deep inside now rose like a tidal wave, dragging Jeffery's venomous words with it. "Sorry isn't going to cut it this time!" I snapped, my voice shaking with emotion. "I trusted you with my heart! Not once, but twice! And you hurt me again!"

Charlotte flinched as though my words had physically struck her. Her tears finally spilled over, tracing silent paths down her cheeks. "You're right," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But you have to understand-it broke my heart too. I was... I am still so much in love with you. I wanted to tell you everything, but I couldn't."

Her confession sliced through my anger like a double-edged sword. My chest tightened further, torn between wanting to run to her and kiss her with all the longing I'd suppressed, and the fear of being hurt again. The cautious part of me won out. "You were afraid Jeffery would out you?" I asked bitterly. "That's why you went to your father first? Afraid he'd ruin your career? Well, congratulations, it worked! Now you've got his blessing to date whoever you want."

Charlotte took a hesitant step closer, her movements slow and deliberate, as though afraid I might shatter. "I was ready to let Jeffery out me," she said, her voice cracking. "I didn't care if he ruined me. But when I told him that, he-he threatened to hurt you. He said he'd ruin your chance to work in advertising. I couldn't let that happen. I had to protect you."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Protect me? By marrying someone else? "Marrying him and making me watch you with someone else is your idea of protecting me?" I demanded, my voice rising. "How dare you decide for me what's more important in my life!"

Tears streamed down my face now, hot and angry. Charlotte looked stricken, her lips trembling as she struggled to find the words. "I... I..." she stammered helplessly. "I should have talked to you when he threatened me."

"Exactly!" I cried. "This was our problem, not just yours! You shouldn't have made all the tough decisions by yourself. I thought we were in this together."

Her sobs echoed mine, her shoulders shaking with the weight of her guilt and pain. The sight of her like this, so raw and broken, mirrored the turmoil in my own heart. Jeffery's words twisted in my mind, sowing doubt and fear. "And what happens when you get tired of me?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. "When you decide this is all just a phase?"

Charlotte's eyes widened in horror, and she took another step toward me, her hands trembling. "Jenny, please!" she begged, her voice cracking with desperation. "I don't want to lose you. I'm sorry-I made a mistake. But not because I don't love you. It's the opposite! I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. I can't grow tired of you because you're a part of me. You're not a phase-you're the only one I've ever felt this way about. Please, give us another chance. Please."

Her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. The sight broke something inside me. My body moved of its own accord, and before I knew it, I was on my knees too, wrapping my arms around her trembling frame. For what felt like an eternity, we clung to each other, crying out all the pain, anger, and love that had been bottled up for so long.

"I'm so scared," I whispered eventually, my voice barely audible.

Charlotte cupped my face in her hands, her thumbs brushing away my tears with gentle strokes. Her gaze was filled with compassion and understanding. "Why?" she asked softly.

"Because I love you so much," I admitted, my voice cracking. "And I'm afraid that if I let you in again and you break my heart, I won't be able to take it."

Charlotte leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead, then my nose, then the salty trails on my cheeks. "I can't promise I won't hurt you," she said earnestly. "I'm still learning. But I can promise that from now on, we're in this together. No more decisions made alone. We'll be equal partners in everything."

Her words wrapped around my heart, soothing the raw edges of my pain. I looked into her mesmerizing blue eyes, filled with sincerity, hope, and love, and something inside me softened. My gaze fell to her lips-those soft, pink lips that had haunted my dreams-and I closed the distance, kissing her with all the longing and love I'd been holding back.

Her hands slid to the back of my neck, deepening the kiss, and for a moment, the world disappeared. When we finally broke apart, panting for air, she searched my face with a mix of hope and fear. "So... is that a yes?" she asked tentatively. "You'll give us another chance?"

A smile spread across my lips, slow and genuine. "Yes," I said, my voice firm. "As long as it's us from now on."

She grinned through her tears, and we kissed again, a kiss filled with hope and a promise of the future we'd build together.