Falling Again ✔️

Chapter 44

I stood outside the rehab facility, my fingers anxiously twisting together as my eyes searched for him. The crisp air but at my skin, but I hardly noticed. My heart pounded with anticipation, and my breath hitched when I finally saw him.

Jacob stepped through the doors with a gym bag slung over his shoulders, his frame thinner but his eyes clearer. His dark hair was a little longer, curling at the ends, and his once gaunt face had regained some of its warmth. When his gaze met mine, a slow smile spread across his lips- one that I hadn't tasted in far too long.

My body moved before my mind could process it. I threw my arms around him, my fingers digging into his back as if holding him tighter would keep him safe forever. "You're here." I whispered, my voice trembling.

"I'm here." Jacob murmured back, his arms wrapping around my just as tightly. I felt the slight shake in his hands, the tension in his shoulders.

Pulling back, I studied his face, searching for signs of pain or doubt, but what I found instead was something softer- hope. He looked at me like I was his anchor, his reason to stay steady. His lips parted slightly as if there was too much to say, but he simply exhaled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I missed you so much, Aria."

I cupped his face, my thumbs grazing his cheekbones. "I missed you too."

We drove home in comfortable silence, the weight of the past month lingering between us yet somehow lighter. I kept stealing glances at him, trying to reconcile the Jacob I had seen fall apart with the one sitting beside me now. He looked... better. Stronger. And God, I hoped he felt that way too.

When we arrived at home, Jacob hesitated at the door. "This feels unreal." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

I grinned, nudging him inside. "Come on, I have a surprise for you."

Jacob's brows lifted in curiosity, but he followed me into the kitchen. Sitting on the counter was a small chocolate cake with Welcome Home written in frosting. Jacob's breath hitched, his eyes shining. "You made this?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

Jacob laughed, shaking his head. "I don't deserve you."

I grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You deserve happiness, Jacob."

We sat at the kitchen table, the candlelight flickering between us as we cut into the cake. Jacob took a bite, closing his eyes with a quiet groan. "This is amazing."

I giggled. "See? You've been missing out on homemade cake."

His expression grew more serious as he swallowed. "I've been missing out on a lot." Jacob looked up at me, vulnerability etched into every feature. "Rehab was... hard. There were days I wanted to give up. Days I thought I'd never make it back to you."

I reached across the table, taking his hand in mine. "But you did."

A ghost of a smile played on his lips. "Yeah. I did." Jacob exhaled, his grip on my hand tightening. "I thought about you every night, Aria. Every time you visited, you stayed on my mind for hours after you left. You were my light in there. When everything felt too heavy, I just pictured your face, and it got me through."

My chest ached, but in the best way. I squeezed his fingers, letting him feel every ounce of love I had for him. "I'll always be here, Jacob. Always."

Jacob looked at me then, truly looked at me, and in that moment, I really fucking hoped we'd be okay.

***

Later that night, Jacob and I lay in bed, our bodies pressed together in quiet comfort. The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast soft shadows over Jacob's face, highlighting the exhaustion that still clung to him. He traced slow, absentminded patterns over my arm, his fingertips ghosting over the faint scars that marred my skin. His touch was reverent, almost apologetic.

I shivered slightly at the sensation, leaning into him. "Jacob." I murmured.

Jacob's eyes met mine, dark and filling with something deeper- something unspoken yet understood. He leaned forward, brushing a soft kiss against my forehead before trailing his lips down to my cheek, my jaw, the curve of my neck. My breath hitched, my fingers curling into his shirt as warmth pooled in my stomach.

We hadn't been this close in so long. The distance that had once stretched between us, the pain and the struggles, all seemed to dissolve in the quiet intimacy of the moment. His hands slid over my sides, hesitant but sure, as if relearning every inch of me. And I let him. But this was Jacob- my Jacob- and for the first time in a long time, we weren't broken anymore.

I tilted my face up, catching his lips with mine, and in that kiss, there was no hesitation. Just love. Just us.

Our bodies pressed closer, heat simmering between us in the stillness of the night. His hands roamed with more certainty now, fingers exploring, memorising. Every touch sent shivers down my spine, my breath coming in slow, ragged pulls.

We're moaning into each other's mouths as Jacob threaded his fingers through my hair and pulled. I sling my leg over his hip as the throbbing between my legs got unbearable.

The next thing you know, our clothes are scattered around the room and Jacob is buried between my legs, his fingers interlocked with mine as he moved in and out. He kissed me desperately, swallowing my moans as I tightened my legs around him, feeling him deeper than before.

I was shaking with anticipation, my body aching as Jacob thrust into me, his tongue grappling with mine in urgency and need. He groaned against my lips, his grip tightening as he rolled his hips over mine. My nails dug into his back as I arched into him, craving the friction, the heat. The familiar tug in my stomach told me I was close, and it only made me more feral.

"Tell me you're mine." He whispered against my skin, his breath warm as he trailed kisses down my neck.

"I'm yours." I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair as his hands roamed all over every crevice of my body, igniting every nerve in their wake.

His lips mapped a path over my bare skin, worshipping, relearning. I felt every ounce of his love in the way he moved, the way he touched me like he had been starving.

Our bodies moved together in a slow, unrelenting rhythm, each thrust deepening our connection, every whispered name an affirmation of what we meant to each other. "I love you." He breathed against my skin, his voice raw, vulnerable.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes as he curled his hands under my arse and lifted my hips to meet his thrusts. "I love you too." I whispered. As we unravelled together, wrapped in heat and love and redemption, I clung to him and hoped with every bone in my body that I'd never lose him ever again.