“You think so?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
She meets my gaze, her eyes soft, a little unsure but full of something else—something that feels like hope. “I know so.”
And in that moment, everything changes. The tension between us lifts. The past, with all its mistakes and pain, starts to fade, its grip on us loosening. There’s nothing left to prove, no walls to break down. We’ve fought for this, for each other, and now we can finally stand side by side, ready to face whatever comes next.
I lean down, my lips brushing against hers in a slow, tender kiss. It’s not rushed. It’s not desperate. It’s just us—finally, truly, together. And when I pull away, I see it in her eyes. The certainty. The peace. The understanding that, no matter what happens, we’re in this for the long haul.
“You’re my everything, Mia,” I whisper, my forehead resting gently against hers. “I don’t know where we go from here, but I know I want you by my side.”
Her hand reaches up to cup my face, her thumb running along the edge of my jaw, her expression soft. “And you’ll always have every last breath of me, Brando. Always.”
We stand there for a while longer, just holding each other. The world might keep turning, life may still throw its challenges at us, but right now, in this moment, we’ve found something real. Something that matters. And for now, that’s enough.