Under the Oak Tree - Riftan's POV - Multiverse

Chapter 37 - The Kiss

Maximillian grab his face like her life was depending of it and while she softly crash her lips to Riftan's a little desire of holding closer start to grow on her. Riftan body felt hotter than it would have been if it were on fire. His gaze trailed down her close eyes and blush expression. A suppressed groan erupted from his throat. There was really no turning back now. He didn't even know if there was any desire to turn back in him. Riftan slowing put her in the floor with out separating the sweet kiss between them. Once Maximillian felt her feet in the floor, she slowly broke the kiss. Riftan stroke her cheek which was now as red as tomato.

Maximillian slowly broke the kiss, her lips trembling as she drew back just a breath away from him. Riftan's chest heaved, his self-control hanging by a single thread. But the moment her soft breath touched his lips, that fragile thread snapped. With a groan that sounded almost like pain, he seized her face in his hands and crushed his mouth against hers.

This kiss was nothing like the first. It was deep, desperate, consuming. His fingers tangled into her silken hair while his other hand found her hip, pulling her against him, pressing her back against the rough bark of the tree. For Riftan, the world vanished—no knights, no castle, no duties—only her. Only the sweetness of her lips, the warmth of her body trembling against his.

When he heard a small moan escape from her mouth into his, Riftan nearly lost himself. His kiss deepened, hungrier, more demanding, until the ache in his body became almost unbearable. The fire in his blood burned so fierce it frightened him, and only then did the thought strike like a blade: if I do not stop now, I will lose myself completely.

With a harsh breath, he tore himself away, though his hands lingered as if they could not let her go. His forehead rested against hers, his voice rough and unsteady.

"I'm sorry... Maximillian... I should not have—"

But she shook her head quickly, her face flushed and eyes wide. 

"N-no... d-don't apologize... I was the one who s-started it. I should... I should be the one s-sorry." Riftan's gaze locked on her, burning with a tenderness so fierce it nearly undid him again.

 "Sorry?" he whispered hoarsely. "How can you be sorry... when kissing you is the best thing that has ever happened to me?"

Her lips parted, her breath catching, but no words came out. Riftan brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, his thumb trembling slightly as it lingered on her skin.

"I'm not going to the banquet tonight," he said firmly, his voice carrying a finality that brooked no argument. "Not if you're not there. But I'll see you tomorrow morning. "

Maximillian nodded, her eyes shining, and with one last fleeting touch of her hand to his chest, she turned and hurried back toward the castle. Riftan stood frozen, his heart pounding like war drums, until she disappeared from sight.

Then, with a growl of frustration at himself, he strode straight to the training grounds. He drew his sword and threw himself into practice, each strike and parry a desperate attempt to tame the storm raging inside him. He trained until sweat drenched his tunic, until his muscles burned and his body trembled with exhaustion. Only then did he sheath his blade and drag himself to bed.

And as his weary eyes closed, only one thought carried him into sleep: the promise of seeing Maximillian again at sunrise.

The next morning Riftan was already waiting beneath the tree before the first rays of sunlight had touched the castle walls. His body still ached from the long night of training, but his heart raced with anticipation, stronger than any exhaustion.

When the small figure of Maximillian rushed out of the castle doors and ran toward him, Riftan felt his chest swell with something he could no longer name. The moment she reached him, she threw her arms around his waist, pressing her face against him as if she had been waiting for years, not just a single night.

Riftan froze only for a heartbeat before wrapping his arms around her tightly. He could feel her heart racing against him, and the warmth of her body against his chest almost undid all the control he had fought to build the night before. Pulling back just enough to see her face, he bent down and pressed the softest of kisses on her lips—quick, fleeting—because he knew if it lasted a second longer, he would not be able to stop.

Maximillian blinked up at him, her cheeks glowing, and Riftan forced himself to smile gently instead of giving in to the fire in his veins.

"I need to tell you something," he said quietly, his voice almost reluctant. "In about a week, I'll be gone. The commander is preparing us for another mission... I don't know how long it will take."

The sparkle in her eyes dimmed instantly, and her arms tightened around him. "Y-you will write to me?" she asked, her voice thin with hope.

Riftan's chest constricted. He cupped her face softly. "Of course I'll write. Every day, if I must. But..." He hesitated. "Will you even receive my letters?"

Her lips trembled into a faint, sad smile. "N-no... Father will n-never let me. B-but..." She took a small breath and looked at him with fragile determination. "I will check here. Every morning. If you are back... I will know."

The sadness in her voice cut him deeper than any blade. For a moment Riftan could only stare at her, struck by the quiet strength she carried in her timid heart. Then, unable to bear the sorrow clouding her eyes, he pulled her into his arms again.

"Don't look so sad," he whispered against her hair, holding her as if the world itself could not pry her away. "I will always return. Always. Even if I have to crawl back with my last breath—I will come back to you."

Maximillian buried her face in his chest, her small fingers curling tightly into the fabric of his tunic. And there, beneath their secret tree, they held each other in silence, letting their embrace speak the words neither dared to say aloud.

Write note:

I am truly sorry about his long Hiatus without any notice! I was dealing  with several problems and I lost this account for a while... Then I lost my email (Iris934 that the only reason your this chapter look like this). 

Thank you for everyone who was concern about me! I am in a better place now! I am hoping we will finish this adventure together soon! 

Thank you for reading! :)