Unconditional (Book Two)

32. Unconditional { Part Three }

Amelie's POV

What I feel right now...absolutely unexplainable. Being in Jim's arms, feeling his body pressed against me, his soft lips securely locked with mine...in such an unexpected, surprising though wondrous and beautiful way...How can any series of words and sentences describe a feeling like this? Jim kisses me like if he hasn't done it in a billion years, holds me like if he just couldn't believe he was actually touching my skin. And even when I am still drowning in a lake of unbelief, convinced that I must be going insane or dreaming, I thaw into his arms and give in to the softness of the kiss he gives me. It feels like if the 'real' Jim was embracing me right now, just feels like if I don't want to pull away because I don't want to go back to pretending, to knowing Jim's with me...though not fully. And it is after what seems like hours that we pull away for a moment, keeping our bodies tight together and our faces just an inch away. I can sense Jim smile in the closeness of our masks—a tear sliding down his cheek—and he places a soft peck on the tip of my nose, making me giggle a little.

"Amelie," he whispers, smiling incessantly as our faces get farther away, but our bodies remain together. "I can't believe it is finally you."

I smile, feeling his arms tightly wrapped around me. "Jim, what are you doing here? How did you know I am in Paris?"

"Ams..." he says in a tone of 'are you kidding?' "I am your husband. I know you way too well."

But I feel suddenly paralyzed and out of breath to his words. Hot, burning tears start forming in my eyes, and I just stare at Jim with a serious and puzzled expression on my face. It is as if my brain just couldn't digest what he just said. "Y-you....remember?" I ask with a sudden sob. And when he nods his head with a smile and eyes shining with tears, I bring my hand to cover my face and start crying in relief, thankfulness, and unbelief. Jim immediately embraces me in a tight hug, and I cry against his shoulder. It is when I lift my head that I wear a smile on my face, he wipes my tears away, and as we both giggle—he presses his forehead on mine and carries me in his arms to kiss me again.

"I missed you," he whispers as we pull away.

I look down at the ground, smiling and still trying to convince myself that what is happening is not just a crazy dream, that we are actually back together. "But I missed you more," I say. "A lot.....I love you, Jim."

"But I love you more," he whispers, and kisses me on the cheek gently, carefully putting me down.

I take a deep breath, and turn to look into his shining blue eyes when he cups my face with his frosty hands; the sun shining on top of us, though not breaking the coldness of the city in a typical Paris winter. "Jim...there are so many things we have to talk about."

He nods, and caresses my cheek with his thumb. "Yes, I know." A pause. "Are you hungry?"

"Hm, yeah, I could eat something," I say with a shrug. "Where would you like to go?"

Jim ponders over the question, suddenly looking towards the deep horizon. "I don't know. Just to a small, calm, French cafe where we could talk? Maybe over at Champs-Elysées?"

"Yeah," I smile. "Sounds good."

Jim's POV

As I feel the electrifying perception of Amelie's hand locked with mine while we walk together through Champs-Elysées and entering the cafe, I cannot really process my mind through it. Just looking at her and connecting her eyes with mine is so relieving and so unbelievable that touching her simply feels like a far away dream.

Amelie thanks me as I pull the chair for her to take a seat, and I immediately take a seat in front of her, extending my arms over the table and taking both of her hands on mine.