The vulnerability in his voice sent a fresh wave of emotion through me as it coursed all around , and i closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. My hands instinctively moved to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my fingertips.
"It does," i finally admitted, my voice shaking. "It means everything. But I'm scared."
Michael exhaled sharply, his hand sliding from my cheek down to my waist, pulling me closer to him. "I'm scared too," he murmured against my hair. "But I don't want to lose you."
I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of him—the scent that had, in some way, become my comfort. But even as i clung to him, a tiny voice in the back of my mind whispered doubts. The lies we had built our relationship on still lingered in the shadows. The hurt and betrayal still simmered beneath the surface.
