Love Between the Lines ✔️ DRAFT 1 COMPLETE

Chapter 13

The smile etched on my lips stayed well into the morning when I woke up beside Fionn's sleeping form. His face was tucked into my neck and his arm draped over my body. I didn't want to move from his embrace. Like a chocolate with a liquid center, the outer shell had dissolved with just one touch, melting into a deeper, more vulnerable connection with one another.

After Kyle, the thought of letting another man past the walls I had so carefully built up was something I wasn't sure I wanted to let happen ever again. After all, I had given eight years of my life to him. How could I just jump right back in? But with Fionn, it was different. We both were burned before by our prior relationships. We were like two perfect puzzle pieces, each filling a void that the other was missing.

With Fionn, I felt whole again.

I turned over, running a hand along Fionn's chest as it rose and fell. My fingers traced the outline of the celtic knot tattoo under his right collarbone. The tattoo featured a triangle interwoven to form a circle in the center. It was simple yet daring and something I never expected from Fionn.

He shifted in the bed and draped an arm over my shoulders, tangling his fingers through my hair.

His blue eyes blinked open and he smiled at me, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "Morning, Em."

My grin widened as I kissed him back. I couldn't believe this was real. "Morning."

"So, last night was pretty great."

"Mhm."

His fingers continued to lace through my hair, sending shivers of joy down my spine.

"Just so you know, I'm not typically the type of girl who sleeps with a guy even before the first date," I said.

Fionn chuckled. "Well, good. Because I'm not the type of guy who sleeps with girls before the first date either. Nor the second."

I pressed a kiss to his chest. "You are such a gentleman. I'm sorry I waited so long for us to have the conversation about stargazing."

"Em, I think we've both done enough apologizing." He sat up to readjust his position, letting the covers pool around his waist before pulling me back against him and the propped up pillows.

"Can I ask you a question?" I bit my lip.

"Aye."

I tilted my head up to look at him. "When you were telling me about the stargazing yesterday, you mentioned your mom."

Fionn's smile wavered and he pulled his fingers through his hair. "Right. I guess in the spirit of vulnerability, I should tell you. Mum and Dad...they were both so buried in their work even when I was young. But it was different."

"How so?" I asked.

"Dad would spend time locked in the study running numbers and attending business meetings that Cat and I weren't allowed to be part of," Fionn explained. "Mum was more adventurous; it's probably why she's an astronomer. Both my sister and I take after her, and she would take us on weekend trips to see the stars while Dad was out of town."

I looked at him in awe. He spoke about his mother with such admiration, a complete contrast to how he talked about his father.

His voice cracked and his expression darkened, filling his eyes with pain. "But when I was eighteen, she got sick."

My heart lurched, but I waited for him to continue. I knew how hard it was to lose a parent.

"The doctor suggested a change in scenery and her job paid her a bonus to live in Germany where she could have better air and one of the best astronomy jobs in the world. I thought we'd all move together, but Dad didn't want to leave the business."