Page 47 of Before the Bond
"Of course I can't see you the same way," she breathed. “You saved me.”
The back of her fingers ran across my face. Something heavier than breath lodged beneath my ribs. I kept my face still and held her gaze as long as I could.
Olivia put her hand against my chest. The same gesture as that first morning on the lawn — palm flat, fingers spread across the center.
I could feel her own heartbeat through it. It began to beat in sync with mine.
I closed my hand over hers. In seconds, the gap between us vanished. I clutched her hand tightly as she leaned into me.
Her lips firmly pressed against mine. I kissed her back. Every ounce of longing I had pushed itself into that one singular motion. All sense unraveled after that.
Olivia’s breath seized as my arms pulled her closer. It was the closest our bodies had ever been. Her hand clutched the collar of my shirt. I could feel the seams snap under the tension.
Stop. The only sane part of my brain cautioned me.
I wanted to be with her. I wanted to stay.
I turned Olivia around so that her back was pressed against the chair. She looked at me, patient but anticipating.
Stop.
I froze. I pulled back.
Olivia gasped as she tried to catch her breath. I pressed my forehead to hers and stayed there, trying to clear my head.
Finally, I straightened up.
Olivia’s hand dropped limply into her lap.
"You should get some rest," I said. My voice was still shaking. "We can talk more in the morning."
Olivia merely nodded.
I left the kitchen, my mind racing.
I rushed out to the end of the hallway as fast as I could. I put my palm against the wall and stood there. I couldn’t fully register what just happened.
“You saved me.”
She said it so simply. So definitively. I could have corrected her. I could have stopped her.
The story I told Olivia tonight was true. But I failed to tell her everything. Olivia thought I saved her. What she didn’t know was that I was the one who put a death mark on them.
The plaster was cool against my forehead. Outside, through the window at the end of the hall, the fog thickened over the tree line.
I stood in the shadows.
I pushed off the wall and walked toward my room.
I didn’t go back. I did not let myself think about the way she'd said my name, or the warmth of her forehead against mine, or any of it.
I was not particularly successful at any of these things.
One day, I insisted.One day, she’ll know the full truth.
Chapter 10
Olivia
