Devour

"You know what I hate?"
Her voice shakes but her eyes don't leave his.
"I hate that you keep acting like you're some monster who can't feel anything. Like hurting me is just who you are."
She steps closer.
"But I've seen you, even if you think I haven't. The hesitation. The guilt. The way you look at me when you think I'm not watching and The way you claim me like there's no tomorrow...
Her voice breaks.
"So stop pretending you're heartless.
Stop hiding behind this version of yourself and tell me the truth for once...
Who are you really trying so hard to be?"
The moment the words left my mouth, Mateo moved like a storm.
Before I could breathe, my back hit the wall, his body pressing into mine.
He was so close-too close.
His face hovered inches from mine, his hot breath fanning across my lips, stealing the air from my lungs.
"I hate the way you look at me like you see the man I'm trying so hard not to be... and for the first time in my life, I want to be something I'm not."His voice was hoarse, sending goosebumps across my skin. His breath turned heavy, uneven, his eyes darkening as they dropped to my lips.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then the distance between us disappeared.
His mouth crashed against mine, desperate and angry, like he was trying to silence every word, every doubt. I kissed him back with the same fire, the same storm inside me.
It wasn't gentle.
It wasn't soft.
It was love tangled with hate, pain mixed with longing - years of unspoken emotions breaking loose at once.
His hands tightened around me as if letting go wasn't an option, as if this moment was the only thing holding him together.
And for that moment, neither of us cared about consequences.
Neither of us cared about tomorrow.
We were just two broken people, colliding in the chaos we created.