Dark Ocean

Part 17

She leans back just enough to look into Juliana's eyes, before she whispers, "I'm in love with you too."

The happy look that takes hold on the girl's face is something Valentina doesn't think she'll ever forget. Silence passes for a beat before Juliana moves forward just a bit until their foreheads are touching, and she reaches up to caress Valentina's cheek.

"It almost doesn't feel real," Juliana whispers, and brown eyes dart over Valentina's face. "I was so afraid of losing you.. of making you upset enough to leave me."

Valentina can't remember the last time something worked out for her and she knows Juliana shares her same fears, but it's happening for her now and the way she feels is reflected in the way Juliana is looking at her. She gently grasps the other girl's hand and places Juliana's palm against her chest, feeling her heart hammer in response.

She sucks in a breath and blinks up at Juliana through her lashes, a soft smile forming on her lips. "This is real," she whispers, each word coming out slowly, carefully. It feels good to say those words out loud, and it feels even better to watch Juliana's eyes soften and sparkle in response.

"You won't lose me, I promise, you won't," she continues, trying to get Juliana to hear the truth in the words. Because they are true. She can't imagine her life without Juliana in it. No matter how their lives go, no matter what paths they choose and how it changes things, Valentina wants Juliana to be her one true constant.

The thought makes her feel huge, bigger than she actually is, bigger than their fears, past and current and future. She hears her sister's voice inside her mind, telling her to get her head out of the clouds. And for the first time, Eva's words seem to hold some truth, because she feels like she's floating on a cloud of infinite possibility. It's overwhelming, and Valentina has to take several deep breaths to calm her heart and mind down, until the only thing she can feel and see is Juliana.

"But you must promise me the same, Juls," she continues. Striking brown eyes stare back at her and Valentina squeezes Juliana's hand beneath her own, still tightly pressed against her chest. "It's okay to be scared, but let's be scared to together. We can figure this out. But we have to do it together. Neither of us can run away just because it gets hard."

She's so afraid Juliana doesn't fully believe her, and she wouldn't blame her. Not after everything she's been through, after everything she has lost. But then Juliana gazes up at her with wonder shining in her eyes and whispers, "I promise, Val. If you're in, I'm in."

And at that moment, a lot of things change for Valentina. Somehow Juliana's trust makes her feel strong, stronger than she's been in a long time, maybe ever. It makes her feel wanted, alive, and even important.

Juliana smiles at her almost shyly and they just stand there for a moment, their eyes locked on each other. Not for the first time, Valentina finds herself fascinated by how brown and extremely stunning Juliana's eyes are. She'd always thought the idea of drowning in someone's eyes was idiotic. But then she met Juliana. And right now, she actually feels it. She's drowning, not only in Juliana's eyes, but also in a fresh cascade of sensations sweeping through her.

She's done fighting constantly against what all her instincts tell her to do around Juliana. It's exhausting trying to resist it. So, she doesn't hesitate to press forward, gently wrapping her arms around the other girl's shoulders, folding her close, like she can't stand another second of not being pressed together. Something about the way Juliana instantly melts into her, her arms circling her waist, the curves of her breasts and hips against her own, has Valentina's head spinning.

Closing her eyes, Valentina presses a long kiss to Juliana's temple, breathing her in. She brushes her nose against her dark, silky hair and shivers when the girl's arms tighten around her waist. She's so caught up in it that she's barely conscious of the way her hips begin to sway, mirroring Juliana's movements as if she's an extension of her.