Soulmates ✓

27 | Soulmates (Content Advisory)

It takes him two months to fully recover from the injuries. Ryan has a fresh set of scars on his body and one more traumatic incident to haunt his dreams. But now Shay is there to pull him out of those nightmares just like he is there for her. They are healing one scar at a time.

She stands in his guest bedroom and runs her hands down the heavy silk fabric of her teal mermaid gown. His company's 25th Anniversary celebration party has been on hold, and tonight is the event night.

Shay can't believe it was Ryan who chose this dress for her. It has been sitting in her dresser for two months, and now that she finally wears it, she has the urge to burst right through his bedroom door and kiss him breathlessly. It's just so pretty. The fitted V-neckline gives her some teasing cleavage, topping it off with a form-fitting bodice that bares her shoulder blades. The skirt has soft ruffles cascading waist down. She looks like a literal princess, and her prince is showering just across the hallway.

Ever since he got discharged from the hospital, Shay has not left his side even for a day. She can't afford any more tragedies in her life.

They share the same bed every night, hopping between her place and his. The only time they are apart is when they go to their respective workplaces. He never misses to wine and dine her or take her to fancy restaurants or introduce her to his circle, which isn't so big anyway.

There've been a lot of hospital visits to make sure he's fine physically and a bunch of therapy sessions, including grief counseling that they both needed for a long time. Now, when Shay thinks about it, her life would be a lot brighter if she had regarded her mental health condition before. But as they say, it's never too late for anything. He is mending his bond with his father. Shay is opening up to her parents more, and one of these days plans to tell them about her plans with Ryan. Is she still not sure about it? In most regards, she is. But Shay wants to live her newfound peace a little longer. She deserves it. So does Ryan.

There's a photo of Aarav in her dresser, the one with her head against his chest and him kissing her hair. She mourns him sometimes at night when Ryan is asleep. And she has seen Ryan do the same. Maybe he has seen her, too. It is the only secret they keep from each other.

Maybe, that is why they have fallen into a less intimate relationship, where they share subtle kisses and comfortable touches but not a passionate make-out or steamy sex. Shay is not the one to complain. They have years to catch up on each other's lives, and she genuinely enjoys being with him, talking, sharing stories, and reliving their friendship.

That doesn't mean there is no shimmering heat between them. Shay can feel it in the way he steals her breath every time they are close. It is evident they both have been ready to fully commit to each other for quite some time now, just waiting for the right moment. And as she looks up and catches his reflection in the mirror, she knows maybe tonight is the night.

He leans against the doorframe behind her, his chin down, damp hair swept back except that one strand falling over his forehead in a sexy laze, one hand in the pocket of his dress pants, the other holding the tux jacket. And the necktie hanging loosely around his neck. His raw masculine aura is her undoing. The slight upward tug of his lips into a sexy scowl is all too irresistible.

"Give me two minutes. I need to..." Shay moves to pick up the earrings on her dressing table.

"Wait."

She freezes under his gruff demand, pinned by the effect of his burning gaze, and that is how she stays as he covers the distance between them in a few long strides. Shay releases a sigh as his presence engulfs her, his familiar cologne filling her senses, and his warm breath tickles her earlobes when he leans in.