Not yet.
Because unclasping this isn’t just removing metal from skin.
It’s surrendering the one promise I never planned to take back.
She turns.
Quiet. Certain.
And lifts her hair without a word.
That simple gesture fucking ends me.
Not because she’s walking away.
But because she’s still giving me this—this moment of trust.
My hand is steady when it touches her neck.
But everything inside me is not.
I unlock the collar and gently remove it.
It’s just metal.
But it feels like I’m removing a part of myself.
She turns back.
Eyes shining.
And when she steps in, there’s no hesitation.
Her hand rises, curling around the back of my neck like it belongs there.
She presses her lips to mine. Soft. Warm. Full of everything she didn’t say.
And fuck me, this is the reason why I sliced my heart from my chest months ago and handed it to this woman to love and keep safe.
Amelia is wrecked and still, she’s giving herself to me. Making sure I know she’s choosing herself without rejecting me.
She’s sayingthis hurts, but I want you to feel loved as I go.
I want to remember your mouth, your breath, your stillness.
This isn’t the end of us. It’s the beginning of me.
Maybe space was the thing I never knew how to give before.
But I’m giving it now.
Every fucking inch of it.
And if that’s the thing that brings her back?
Then I’ll hold it until my lungs give out.
When she ends the kiss, I keep hold of her jaw.