The silence in the room deepened as the flickering candlelight cast soft shadows on the walls. The weight of the moment was heavy, but it felt... comforting. I rested my head against Elias's shoulder, my heartbeat still racing from the kiss we'd shared. The room seemed to shrink, and I couldn't help but feel a little breathless. Everything felt so right in his presence—like we were the only two people who mattered in the world.
Elias's fingers traced patterns along my arm, his touch light, almost as if he were afraid I might disappear if he held on too tight.
"You know," he murmured, his voice low and warm, "I never thought I'd feel this way again."
I turned my head slightly, just enough to catch his gaze. His eyes were dark but soft, a warmth in them that I'd never seen before. The ghost that had haunted the park, the one who'd been locked in the doll for so long, seemed so distant now. All that was left was Elias. Real. Alive.
"Feel what?" I whispered, not sure if I was more afraid to hear the answer or to stay in the silence.
He took a deep breath, his lips brushing my forehead gently before he spoke again. "Like I matter. Like I'm not just... a memory. Or a shadow of something lost." His fingers found mine, intertwining slowly, as if testing the waters. "You've made me feel human again, Rose. Like maybe I'm not just stuck in the past."
A shiver ran through me at his words, but it wasn't from fear. It was the way he spoke—so open, so vulnerable. I realized that in this strange, twisted world we were living in, Elias and I were both clinging to something fragile but real. Something that could break apart at any moment but also held the potential to become something more than either of us expected.
"You matter to me, Elias," I said, my voice soft but sure. My fingers curled around his, and I held him as though he was the only thing keeping me grounded in the storm of uncertainty. "You've always mattered to me."
Elias shifted slightly, turning so that he was facing me more fully. His other hand cupped my cheek gently, and the world outside of us seemed to vanish as his eyes locked with mine. The weight of everything we had been through, everything we were about to face, hung between us, but for that moment, it felt like we could forget it all. The park, the doll, the haunting presence of Thomas. It all seemed distant as Elias's thumb traced the line of my jaw.
His voice dropped to a whisper, and I felt it settle deep in my chest. "Are you sure?"
I nodded, my heart thundering. "I'm sure."
He leaned in, his lips brushing mine again, this time with more urgency, more depth. There was something unspoken between us, a bond that felt both fragile and unbreakable. The kiss deepened, a slow, steady thing that made the world around us disappear. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as the warmth of his body pressed against mine, melting away the tension that had built up for days.
Elias responded in kind, his hands sliding down my back, pulling me into him as if he couldn't get close enough. There was no fear in this touch, no hesitation. It was just raw, honest connection. I felt every inch of him, his heartbeat, the heat of his skin, the way he fit against me so perfectly it felt like we had always belonged like this.
When we finally pulled away, our faces were flushed, our breaths quick and shallow. I rested my forehead against his, my heart still racing from the closeness, from the moment we had shared. He looked at me, his eyes full of a tenderness I hadn't expected.
"You're everything to me, Rose," Elias said, his voice thick with emotion.
My chest tightened at the weight of his words. I wanted to say something, to tell him that I felt the same, but no words seemed enough. Instead, I simply kissed him again, this time softer, gentler, as if the kiss itself could express everything I felt.
Elias's fingers threaded through my hair, his touch tender as he pulled back just enough to look at me again. His lips curled into a soft smile, and there was something in his eyes—something both playful and serious.
"You know," he murmured, "we really should be planning how to take down Thomas. But…" He paused, as if weighing his words carefully. "I think we've earned a little peace before the storm."
I laughed softly, feeling a weight lifting from my chest. For a moment, the thought of facing the darkness, the horror of the park and the doll, seemed so far away. In Elias's arms, I felt like I could forget everything that had happened, that we could just be two people—two hearts—fighting for something more.
"You're right," I said, smiling up at him. "But only a little peace. We still have a killer to face."
Elias raised an eyebrow, his smile widening. "A killer, a haunted park, a cursed doll. Just another day in the life of Rose and Elias, huh?"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Seems like it. But… no matter what happens, I'll face it with you."
His expression softened, and he leaned down to kiss me once more, this time slow and lingering, like he never wanted to let me go.
And in that moment, as the world outside continued to spin, I knew one thing for certain: no matter what came next, Elias was with me. And together, we would face whatever darkness lay ahead—because we weren't alone anymore.
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End of Chapter