The Beauty in Eternity

Chapter 97.

I gaze up at him as he brushes some hair from my face with a loving smile. "I've waited so long for this." he says.

"Me too."

His smile fades for a split second, and then it comes straight back. It probably wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else—but I saw it. "You can't get that past me." I raise my brow.

He tilts his head. "What?"

"What were you just thinking? I watched the thought cross your mind."

"It's not important," he smiles.

"Mason."

He sighs, pausing for a second—as though he doesn't know whether to speak or not. "When you..," he pauses again, almost a sickening look on his face. "—had sex with Elijah... was it, like us?"

"No."

I answered immediately, and he seemed shocked by my certainty. "I cared about Elijah a lot, and it wasn't like the sex was bad..," I notice him clench his jaw as I speak. "What I mean, Mason, is that it was just pleasure. There was no love like ours, not the same passion. Nobody would ever be like us."

He nods. "Okay."

I'm shocked at his response. That this conversation isn't lingering—at his maturity. I don't question it, I don't want to rock the boat.

"Do you want to go to bed?" he asks.

"No," I scrunch up my nose. "I like it here."

He tightens his grip on me, brushing his fingers through my hair as my head rests on his chest; before pulling the blankets up over us further. This whole night has taken me back to a time in my life that I'm so happy to be in again—only now, it's better. I feel such a silent calmness surround me as I'm in his arms again, and I'm not afraid to fall asleep.

—————

When I wake up, Mason is still sound asleep. I carefully slither out of his arms and make my way into his bedroom. I find one of his shirts and put it on; it hasn't been washed, probably because he's been staying in the hotel. It's clean, but it still smells like him. I grab my underwear and throw them on too.

When I make my way back into the living room he's awake, leaning on his elbow with a grin on his face. "Morning," he says.

"Morning." I smile.

"Coffee?"

"No, I need more sleep. I'm working nights this week. I'll make you one, though." I tell him.

I walk into the kitchen and look through the cupboards to find what I'm looking for as Mason puts on his boxers.

He stands in the doorway, his hand touching the top as he leans to the side. "I could get used to this," he says.

"Yeah?" I chuckle.

He comes up behind me, pulling my hair aside and planting a soft kiss on my neck. "Yeah."

I notice him glance at my chest and neck, and I know exactly what he's looking for. "I didn't throw it away, if you're wondering." I mumble.

He nods slowly. "Why not?"

"Because I couldn't," I tell him, pouring out his coffee. "It's in a box in my closet, I hid it away."

I pick up the spoon and add some sugar, before burning myself on the hot metal and dropping it to the floor. The metal clinks against the tiles when it lands.

"Amara!" Mason snaps angrily. It makes me flinch. I stare at him wide eyed as he returns the same expression, his face ridden with guilt. I've never heard him take such a tone with me.