forgiveness and fate ☾ the maze runner

chapter 9 {promise to himself}

SHE REPEATS THE TWO WORDS, that he said, in her head.

"The kiss"

She thinks and thinks. She still watches over their entwined hands, and how he moves and delicately holds them. What am I supposed to say? What do I do?, she thinks. She ponders for a moment, and can feel Thomas watching her carefully. He may be sick, he may not be able to move without assistance, but it feels like he can do anything - he can make her feel differently.

She would've expected him to call her name, to snap her back into reality, from her thoughts. But he doesn't - he leaves her to think properly, without rushing.

She attempts to gather some thoughts, not wanting to keep him waiting. But in the end, she knows it's Thomas. She knows she can tell him anything, and everything. He'd be able to tell if she was lying.

"What about the kiss?" Teresa asks, wanting to give him a more specific answer.

"Well. . .what did you think of it?" he asks, nervously.

"You mean, what did I feel?" she asks, growing nervous, butterflies in her stomach.

"Yeah"

We're actually talking about this.

"Um," she trails off, wanting to tell him exactly how she felt kissing him "I felt like I'd been forgiven. And I felt like we could start over again. I felt like, that maybe we could. . .I don't know. . .I felt like we would always be together" she struggles, but finds the exact, right words to what she felt.

Thomas's thumb smooths over her knuckles, unknowingly calming Teresa.

"Can I ask you another question?" he asks her.

Teresa nods. "Anything"

"Well," Thomas trails off, growing more and more nervous "what did the kiss feel like?"

"Well, it felt warm, and this sounds really weird. . ."

"But?"

"But it felt special" she finishes.

Thomas watches Teresa, and she looks up from their hands, to his eyes. She breaths out deeply, and smiles at him. It's the way how she smiles, and how beautiful and pure it looks, that makes him smile back. It's still his small smile.

"Can I ask you another question?" Thomas asks her. He feels the cringey, typical butterflies in his stomach.

"Yes"

"Was I good? Like was it a good kiss, I-I mean, was I a good kisser?" he asks, nervously.

She laughs at how adorable he is. Funny, how someone so tough, and someone who seems so be so vicious and aggressive (when he needs to be) can act so nervous and sweet.

"Yes. You were" she can't stop smiling, but looks away.

Thomas shifts slightly, but only slightly, due to his (still) major headache and concussion. He doesn't want to admit it, but he feels very relieved that at least she actually liked the kiss.

Wait did she? She didn't exactly say that, did she? Oh-, he sits thinking.

"Teresa, did you like the kiss?" he blurts out.

Teresa looks back at him, and chuckles. It's the fact that he seems so nervous, shy and adorable (and ill) all at the same time, that gets her.