The state I'm in COMPLETED

Decisions

Seeing him, I knew.

I didn't need to decide.

The answer had been there all along, buried beneath the fear and doubt. If he wanted me, then I would be with him. The thought of walking away, of not being with him, wasn't even something I could comprehend.

Looking into those divine emerald eyes, reading the quiet torment on his face, I realized—I could do anything for him.

His life was complicated.

He came with baggage.

Heavy baggage.

But who didn't?

I thought about Winterson's words—the book I had read over and over:

"Gambling is not a vice, it is an expression of our humanness. We gamble. Some do it at the gaming table, some do not. You play, you win, you play, you lose, you play."

I was willing to play.

Not at the gaming table, but in life.

I didn't care if I lost.

Because Harry had locked himself away for so long, and yet he had chosen me. He saw something in me, and I saw something in him. That had to mean something.

And the least I could do was give us a chance.

I had no idea where this would lead.

It wouldn't be easy. There would be great moments, but there would be dark ones too.

But the one thing I couldn't do was walk away.

"Val?"

Rose's voice pulled me from my trance.

I realized then that I had been staring at Harry for too long, still holding her beer in my hand.

"Yeah... I'm fine," I murmured, quickly handing it to her.

But Harry hadn't said a word.

He had been staring back—eyes filled with something unreadable, something vulnerable.

He was worried.

Nervous, even.

I could feel it—the way his gaze searched mine, waiting for a verdict.

Waiting to see if he should stay.

I couldn't hold back anymore.

I walked straight toward him, grabbing the fabric of his shirt in my hands and pulling him close.

Then I kissed him.

Not just a kiss—a choice.

A claim.

It was filled with every emotion from that day—confusion, fear, relief, desire.

His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me like he never wanted to let go. His fingers tangled in my hair, then cupped my face as he deepened the kiss, and I melted into him.

We only pulled away when we had to breathe.

When I looked at him, he was smiling.

A real smile.

One that reached his eyes.

I smiled back, drinking him in, memorizing this moment.

"Is this your answer?" he asked, his voice filled with something dangerously close to hope.