Love is a Losing Game

LIALG - Chapter 13

This kiss was nothing like the ones we had shared in the past. It was not messy and urgent, like the kisses Evie had placed along my skin at the Homecoming dance. It was not fleeting and tentative, like the many times we had stolen chaste kisses as children. No, this kiss was something entirely different. It was firm, and our movements were sure. Neither of us left any room for misunderstanding; this was what we wanted. And with every second that our lips moved together, I was more and more certain that hers had been sculpted to fit perfectly with mine.

Even though the nature of the affection felt new, there was something all too familiar about finally kissing Evie again. Her lips and her fingertips were soft, warm, and gentle, like they had always been – like Evie had always been with me. There were no fireworks, no sparks of magic igniting with the contact like you read in the fairy tales, but it was somehow...better. Because the feeling of calm and safety that accompanied our exchange felt like coming home after all those years.

Our foreheads rested against one another once more as we seperated to catch our breath. When my eyes opened a crack, all I could see was the little pleased smile on Evie's face as she savored the moment. The sight prompted my mouth to mirror the action. Soon we were both beaming.

Her eyelashes finally fluttered open, and her gaze was intense yet vulnerable and full of adoration. Pearly teeth bit into a puffy lower lip in a bashful smile when I returned her look with equal fervor. "Gods," she sighed. "I've been wanting to do that for...forever," she admitted.

A light chuckle escaped my lips. "You say that like it's our first kiss," I said, brushing my nose against her cheek.

Her red-brown eyes flicked up to mine. "Doesn't it feel like it?" she asked, blue locks suddenly veiling her face as her head shook side to side.

Instinctively, my fingers reached out to tuck the stray hair behind her ear, and they slid to cup her jaw once that was done. The pressure against my hand increased as she leaned into the touch. "Yeah," I agreed. "It really does."

For a while, our gazes remained locked, and the magnitude of our feelings for each other was palpable. However, it didn't take long for Evie's mind to begin to wander. "Thank you for saving my life," she whispered with sincerity.

My hand dropped from her face into the space between us, and she took hold of it with hers. "I guess that means we're even now, right?" I joked. It didn't lighten the mood.

"Listen," she started, glancing down at nothing in particular. "I'm sorry about how I treated you earlier and what I said," she apologized. "I would have never told you those things under normal circumstances," she commented. "That's what I get for restoring to alcohol. There was enough for inhibition, but not enough for escaping my problems," she muttered with a mirthless laugh. Her eyebrows drew together in what I could easily guess was self-deprecating thought.

I shook my head in reply. "E, it's okay. Everything you said was justified, and if that's how you really felt than I needed to hear it. You know you don't have to hide things from me. People with pasts like ours? They don't get over it quickly. Hell, some don't get over it at all. But you and me? We're strong. We're fighters, and, Evie, we can do anything as long as we have each other. You taught me that," I declared, taking her chin in my free hand and resting my thumb in the dimple there.

Her head bounced as she nodded, an involuntary frown pulling at the corners of her lips as a few fresh tears slipped out.

My thumb was quick to jump up and catch them.

A watery laugh cut through the room, and her eyes gazed up at mine in a mix of relief and awe.

"Now let's take care of you, yeah?" My lips left a sweet kiss on her forehead before I carefully pulled back the blankets and got out of bed. When I returned a few minutes later, arms full of supplies, I was met with glowing crimson eyes and a fixed stare. "You okay, E?" I asked tentatively, setting down the complimentary water bottles I had gathered on the side table.