Page 56 of Teach Me How To Fly

“I am not, by any means, disgusted with you. I do feel a lot for you, things I can’t explain, things that are probably wrong to feel, but disgust is nowhere near that list. Nothing bad will ever be on that list, Anna,” I explained, keeping our eye contact as deep as possible just to make sure she completely understood what I told her.

She gulped, starting to chew her inner cheek.

“So what I told you didn’t make you see me differently?”

“It made me see you differently, but not in the way you’re thinking of,” I replied and took her hand in mine, starting to caress her soft, cold skin of her hands.

“What do you mean? How could you think something good about me after what happened?”

“Annalise.”

The next moment, all I knew was how quickly I put my hands on her face and pulled her closer to me. The tips of our noses almost touched, and our breaths were merging into one another.

“What happened to you not only made me want to protect you more, but made me realize that you’re a powerful woman, who can accomplish everything she wants, and who wants toembrace everything life has for her,” I said and paused as she exhaled deeply.

“I’m not sure if I’m that woman anymore, or if I’ve ever been, for that matter. I decided to block away my trauma and trap myself in the comfortable life my father planned for me,” she whispered, letting her gaze fall on my lips.

Fuck it. The third and the last fucking time, because I was so close to kissing her that I felt my body trembling with desire.

“Do you want to be sure of something, Annalise?”

She looked at me, confused, yet she found the courage to nod and wait for my answer.

I was doing it. I was finally saying it to her; after all this time I tried to hide it, and I didn’t care a second of how she might react to it.

“I want you to be sure that you’re mine, Anna. Now, more than ever, you’re mine,” I said, her big round eyes looking attentively at me and her mouth opening with shock. “You are the light to my darkness, the blood to my veins, the everything to my nothingness, and I’ll make sure to fucking destroy anyone who’d ever try to touch you.”

For the first time in our lives, she raised her hand to my face and put it on my cheek. The moment she ran her finger over my lower lip, I just fucking lost it.

I pulled her closer and pressed my lips to hers, finally feeling the velvety-like skin that I had dreamed of for so long. She let herself fall into my arms as I supported the weight of her body, while her little fingers caressed the skin of my neck.

She didn’t know how to kiss, yet it felt like I was kissing an angel. With caution, I slowly moved my lips against hers and the moment she opened her mouth and accepted my invitation, it felt like I was going to explode soon.

It felt as if I had received the essence of life, without which I felt empty until now, lacking that vitality I needed. Her lips werethe most precious gift I could have ever received, and the way she accepted me was devastatingly perfect.

I pulled away from the kiss and pressed my forehead on hers. The sound of her harsh breathing was like a beautiful harpoon song to my ears because I knew I had caused it.

She looked at me and I knew she wanted it as much as I did. And the little tear rolling down her cheek proved it for me.

“H-How?”

I frowned, brushing her cheek with my thumb. “What?”

“How did you do it?” she asked carefully.

“Do what? Kissed you?”

“Yes, I mean, no,” she replied quickly and shook her head, letting out a happy giggle. “How did you kiss me without making me feel uncomfortable? I was shuddering at every touch anyone gave me, and you just kissed me, and nothing happened, well, nothing bad I mean,”

She sounded like a child who just found out how life actually worked. I eyed her attentively and noticed how her cheeks were covered by a red color.

“Did you want me to kiss you, Annalise?”

The moment she heard my question, she turned into a stone-like statue and her mouth opened in shock. She didn’t have the courage to look me in the eyes, but her cheeks turned even redder and that gave me the answer I was looking for.

“Should I feel ashamed that I wanted it?”

“There’s no shame in wanting to learn the language of love, Annalise, especially if you want to do it with someone who cares for you more than he cares for himself,” I explained to her, and I saw how her lips curved up into a beautiful smile.

---