Until my Last Breath

63

We lie there, impossibly close-his arm hooked around my waist, my cheek pressed against his chest, both of us just breathing. The room is quiet, but not uncomfortably so. It's the kind of silence that feels earned, like we finally made it through the storm. His breaths are soft and steady, brushing against my forehead with every exhale, and I sigh, completely and utterly content, my mind still stuck in the last few minutes and the words exchanged.

-

"I love you."

It slipped out of him like a truth he'd been carrying far too long. No hesitation. No fear. Just him-raw, honest, and heartbreakingly real.

And I froze.

Completely.

My eyes widened, my lips parted just slightly, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. My chest tightened-not because I didn't feel it, but because I did. I felt it so deeply, it scared me.

And that was the problem.

I just stared at him. The person who had been my constant for months. Who held me when I didn't know I needed holding. Who read me without effort. Who listened without pressing. Who saw me when I couldn't even see myself.

He had become my calm, my safe place, my favorite secret.

The thought of going another day with that distance between us-the kind that had nearly broken me this week-it was unbearable.

He noticed my silence, of course he did. His thumb brushed gently along my cheek, the softness in his eyes never faltering as he pulled back just slightly, trying not to overwhelm me.

"Hey," he murmured, voice low, careful. "You don't have to say it back. I mean it, Rita. I just... I needed you to know."

But he didn't even finish the sentence before the words came tumbling out of me.

"I love you too."

It happened so quickly, so instinctively, like my heart had taken over and bypassed my mind completely. Like the words had been sitting there for weeks, waiting for this moment.

His eyes blinked in surprise, but I didn't stop.

"I love you," I repeated, firmer now. Certain. "So much."

And just like that, everything changed.

His arms wrapped around me in an instant, holding me so tightly it was like he thought I might slip away. His forehead dropped to mine, and he exhaled-one of those long, shaky breaths that sounded like he was finally letting go of a weight he'd carried alone.

We didn't say anything else after that.

We didn't need to.

We just held each other, two hearts finally saying what they already knew.

-
I close my eyes for a moment, soaking in the warmth of his body against mine, the way his fingers trace mindless shapes along my hipbone. It feels safe. So painfully safe.

Then, out of nowhere, his voice breaks through the quiet. Low. Barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

I blink. My head tilts slightly up to look at him, but he's already watching me, guilt written all over his features. I don't let him spiral. Instead, I lean in and press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Just enough to ground him. Just enough to say: I'm here.

"You don't have to say it," I murmur against his skin. "I should've known. I should've seen it without you needing to explain. I just... I need you to talk to me next time. Don't shut me out, Pablo."