"I'm sorry." He breathed between us, "Thank you for getting some sense into me. I don't know what I'd do without you India. You keep my head on right."
"That's what friends are for." I smiled smally and he closed the distance between us, cupping my cheeks in his big hands, making me feel small and delicate. My heart rate picked up, my breathing stopped altogether as I held my breath, waiting for him to do something, to say something.
"It's not just friends is it?" He whispered, his lips inches from mine. "All this time, I've tried so hard to fight it, to push you away, to block you out, but I can't. It's always been here, between us, and I told myself not to act on it, that you'd find your mate and you'd leave me, and it would have all been for nothing, but I can't do that anymore. I can't sit around and pretend that I'm not in love with you India. We find our mates any day now, and if it's not you, I'll understand, I know the chances are slim, but if I don't kiss you right now, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"If you do kiss me, and you find her, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." I whispered up at him, our breaths mixing in the air in front of us.
He ignored me, his lips meeting mine so softly that I barely registered that they were there. I wrapped my arms around his torso then, pulling him closer to me as he deepened our kiss, his lips moving with mine like they'd been molded just for them. There were not cliche sparks, no sudden desire to fall into bed, no burning for him. This kiss was innocent, and the only one we would be bound to share. I didn't want it filled with regret. I wanted to cherish it, and I would, for the rest of my life.
He pulled away slowly, resting his forehead against mine softly. "I'm not gonna say that I'm sorry, because i'm not." He breathed.
I nodded, pulling myself into his arms as he wrapped his around me, resting his chin against my hair. "I love you India." He said softly.
"I love you too Ty."
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 "𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.
•••••
"Look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me," he challenged.
"I don't love you," I declare, my voice steady but my resolve wavering.
He smiled at me, though his expression was tinged with pain, tears pooling in the depths of his eyes. "I knew it, you still love me so much."
I was rendered speechless by his declaration, my efforts to conceal my emotions proving futile as he effortlessly deciphered the truth written in my eyes.
"Say it, just once, that you love me, my Sweetheart. Just once, please," he pleaded.
I finally surrendered, tears misting my own eyes as all rational thoughts scattered, "I love you. I never stopped loving you."
"And I love you infinitely more," he declared, leaning closer towards my lips.
I placed a trembling hand over his mouth, halting him in his tracks, and shook my head slowly. "We can't. It's wrong. We can't betray our partners."
***
Two hearts, torn apart by the cruel hand of fate, find themselves face to face after 4 long years. Once college sweethearts, they have now transformed into business partners.
People have come and gone, circumstances have shifted, choices have been made, and personalities have evolved. Yet, amidst the upheaval, one thing remains unchanged: their undying love for each other, a relentless longing that consumes them day and night, a yearning to finally claim each other as their own.
However, the path ahead is far from simple. Bound by commitments, every move feels like a forbidden dance. Will they muster the strength to resist their burni