Chapter 345: Idiot [2]

"I love you, Ethea."

"..."

The words lingered between them before the wind and fading sunset light carried them away. Soren kept his gaze fixed on Ethea, waiting, his heart pounding beneath her palm as he searched her eyes for any hint of what she was feeling.

"..." Ethea stared back at him and said nothing for a long moment. Her expression was unreadable, but her hand, still pressed against his chest, kept trembling.

Then slowly, her lips parted.

"...You idiot."

Soren blinked. "H-Huh?" ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"You absolute idiot." Her voice cracked, and before he could react, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I’ve been waiting... I’ve been waiting so long to hear you say that."

Soren’s breath caught. "E-Ethea..."

"I... I love you too!" She forced out the words, her voice cracking. "I love you, Soren. I’ve loved you for so long I can’t even remember when it started. And you... you just kept calling it a promise, a duty. I thought... I thought you didn’t..."

She couldn’t finish; the tears wouldn’t let her.

Soren didn’t waste another second. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him, and buried his face in her hair.

"I-I’m sorry," he whispered. "I’m sorry it took me so long."

Ethea shook her head against his chest. "Just... just don’t stop saying it. Please."

"Ok." He pulled back just enough to look at her, his own eyes glistening now. "I love you. I love you, Ethea. I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it."

"Hehe," she laughed through her tears, a broken, beautiful sound. "Then, say it again, please."

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you."

"Hehe~." She pulled him back into the hug, her arms wrapping around him as tightly as they could. She finally felt the last piece of the wall she had built around her heart crumble away, and she let herself feel everything she had been holding back. "I love you too."

Above the city’s glowing expanse, suspended in the amber wash of twilight air, they held each other as the world below faded into irrelevance. The gondola’s magic barrier kept the wind’s bitter edge at bay, leaving only the warmth of his shoulders beneath her hands and the racing cadence of his heart beneath her fingertips.

’...’ Soren shifted his weight slightly, adjusting his hold to ensure she rested comfortably against his chest without putting any strain on her body. ’Hmm...’

However, just like Ethea, he too felt the last lingering doubts in his mind dissolve into nothing, finally allowing himself to accept that he was no longer an unwanted burden discarded by his past, but someone who truly had a home in the arms of the woman holding him so tightly.

"...We really came a long way, didn’t we?" Soren murmured softly after some time, his voice full of affection he no longer tried to hide.

"Mm... We did." Ethea replied, pulling herself back a little. "I’m really glad we did."

"...Me too." Soren smiled and raised his hand, gently wiping away the last traces of tears from her cheeks. His thumb lingered there for a moment, tracing the curve of her cheekbone before slowly pulling away.

"..."

They fell silent, their eyes locking in a long, breathless moment as every unspoken feeling from the past few months seemed to compress into the tiny space between their faces. Slowly, as if guided by an overwhelming trust that needed no words, Ethea’s eyelashes fluttered shut, her chin tilting upward just enough to invite him closer.

Soren’s eyes widened, his heart almost leaping out of his body as the sudden realization of what was about to happen surged through him, but he swallowed down the sudden spike of nervousness, slid his hand gently behind her neck to support her, and lowered his head to press his lips against hers.

"..."

The kiss landed naturally, carrying no lingering hesitation or doubt as her lips softened against his, yielding completely to his touch.

Soren’s fingers tangled into the long, silken strands at the back of her head, anchoring her with a protective pressure that promised he wasn’t going anywhere. He then leaned further into the kiss, deepening it just enough to let her feel every ounce of the devotion he had carried in silence, pouring all the love he had held back into this one act.

’...’

A breathless sigh escaped Ethea’s throat against his mouth, her hands sliding up from his chest to wrap around his shoulders, her fingers tightening into the fabric of his shirt. The guarded edge that had defined her existence for so long melted away, leaving an unreserved surrender that matched his own.

"Huff... Huff..."

When he finally pulled back, he shifted only a fraction of an inch, resting his forehead against hers as their slightly erratic breaths mingled. Opening his eyes, Soren found Ethea gazing up at him, her dark lashes still wet with tears, her ice-blue eyes now carrying a radiant warmth that lit up her entire face. A flush crept across her pale cheeks, taking away any remaining trace of her former composure and leaving her looking happier than he had ever seen her.

"I really..." Soren murmured, his thumb slightly stroking the side of her neck where her pulse hammered rapidly against his palm, "I really love you, Ethea."

Ethea let out a soft chuckle, her lips curling into a smile that reached all the way to her eyes as she leaned upward to press another quick kiss against his mouth.

"I know," she whispered softly, her fingers resting gently against the nape of his neck. "And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you never doubt mine."

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Soren tightened his grip around her waist, lowered his head, and kissed her again, lingering for a few seconds before pulling back just far enough to meet her gaze.

"You don’t have to prove anything to me, Ethea. You... You’ve already given me more than I ever thought I was allowed to have. And for that, I will be grateful for the rest of my life."