Ren was still half-asleep beside her, one arm lazily draped around her waist. His thumb traced slow, unconscious circles against her skin. She watched him for a moment: the faint curve of a smile on his lips, the quiet peace in his face and felt her heart ache with something warm and fierce.
Last night's memories came back in soft flashes: his hands, his laughter between kisses, the way he kept whispering she was safe. Each moment had been full of heat and tenderness all at once as if every kiss was a promise that the world couldn't hurt her here.
She smiled, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. He stirred at her touch, eyes blinking open, still heavy with sleep.
"Morning," he murmured, voice low and rough.
"Morning," she whispered back.
He looked at her and that quiet smile deepened. "You're smiling."
"I have a good reason."
"Yeah?" he teased, leaning closer. "Remind me what it was?"
Before she could answer, he kissed her again, soft at first, then deeper, full of that same unspoken promise that had carried them through the night. It wasn't hurried, or desperate; it was the kind of kiss that lingered, that said I'm here without needing words.
When they finally pulled apart, she was breathless, a faint laugh escaping her lips, but it seemed distant, as if she were already drifting from the moment.
"You always make me forget," she whispered, her voice softer than it had been, carrying a quiet ache.
"Only when it comes to you," he murmured, his reply calm but heavy, like he felt the weight of the moment too.
Noelle's heartbeat quickened, a mixture of excitement and surrender in her gaze, knowing that every whispered word carried the weight of his desire and that he wasn't holding back.
Noelle, unaware of the internal battle raging inside him, snuggled closer in her sleep. As she slowly awoke, she mumbled, "Ren, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing?"
Ren leaned close, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. His voice was low, rough and charged with desire. "I've been thinking about… everything I'm going to do to you," he murmured, each word deliberate, sending a shiver down her spine.
Noelle's ears burned, a flush spreading across her cheeks as she pressed closer to him, trying to hide her reaction. "Please don't say it like that. You really like teasing me, don't you?" she blushed, half playfully, half breathlessly.
"I can't help it," he admitted, his hands gripping her waist possessively. "You make it impossible to resist. Every glance, every move… it drives me crazy. And I want you, all of you… right now."
Ren's voice was soft, almost trembling as he pressed. "Do you trust me?" He searched her eyes, needing an answer more than he was willing to admit.
Noelle hesitated, her lips parting as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. A faint nod was all she offered, her gaze softening with a mix of vulnerability and something else that made his chest ache.
He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers, slow and tentative, as if afraid she might pull away. The world seemed to hold its breath around them, the warmth of the moment wrapping them up, drawing them closer.
When she pulled back, tears shimmered on her lashes. Ren kissed them away, one by one before pressing soft kisses along her cheek and temple. His touch was gentle, reverent, every motion meant to comfort, not claim.
Noelle closed her eyes, her breath catching, heart fluttering at the nearness of him.
Ren leaned closer, his breath brushing against Noelle's ear. The nearness sent a shiver through her and she instinctively tilted her head, caught between surprise and longing.
His voice was a whisper now, warm and low. Ren's chest tightened. He reached for her as though she were made of glass, terrified she might shatter if he held her too tightly. His fingertips traced her cheek, trembling, reverent.
"Noelle…" His voice cracked on her name.
She blinked and a tear slipped down, catching the dim light between them. Ren caught it with his lips: not a kiss, not really, more like a promise that he wouldn't let her fall apart alone.
Her hands trembled as she reached for him, eyes half-closed, caught in the quiet storm of emotion that his closeness stirred.
"I'm ok. I'm just relieved that I'm with you. That I have you. I'm taking this whole episode a little harder than I thought." Noelle whispered, looking pensive.
Ren's breath brushed her ear and the world seemed to narrow to that single point of warmth.
Noelle's shoulders tensed, then softened. A small sound escaped her, a half-moan, half-hiccup fragile and unguarded.
Ren paused, his heartbeat quick against hers and she could feel the tremor of his restraint as much as his longing.
Then he kissed her, slow and desperate, like breathing her in was the only thing keeping him alive.
Ren's hands rose slowly, as if even the air between them might bruise her. He cupped her face with a kind of trembling care, his thumbs brushing the corners of her mouth where her breath faltered.
Noelle leaned into his touch, fragile as a sigh. Her eyes glimmered with a mix of fear, sorrow, and something too deep for words. For a moment, she looked as though she might break, and the thought tore through him.
He drew her closer, one hand sliding to the back of her head, the other still cradling her cheek. His forehead rested against hers; their breaths tangled, uneven and desperate.
"I've got you," he whispered, barely a sound. "I promise."
Then he kissed her. Not with urgency, but with a quiet devotion that felt like surrender. It was a kiss that said I'm sorry you had to suffer through this ordeal. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
When he pulled back, his thumb traced the tear that clung to her skin. She shivered, and he held her closer as if he could keep her from falling apart just by being near enough to catch every piece.
Ren's hands trembled where they rested against her skin. Noelle's eyes fluttered shut and the tiny sound she made undid him. He wanted to gather her up, to shelter her from the world but even that desire felt dangerous with too much pressure, too much weight, and she might crumble in his arms.
He loosened his hold, fingers ghosting over her shoulders, as though his gentleness could undo what pain had already done. He peeled her top off her shoulder and pressed his lips on her hot skin. Yet when she leaned toward him, seeking that closeness, something in him broke open with the quiet ache of needing to be her warmth even if he wasn't sure he deserved to be.
"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, the words ragged with truth.
Her answer was almost too soft to hear. "You won't."
He exhaled shakily, forehead against hers, and in that moment he understood: the risk of breaking her was real but so was the risk of losing her to the distance between them. So he held her anyway, carefully, desperately, like she was both wound and remedy at once.
Noelle's fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, anchoring herself to the steadiness she hadn't realised she craved. Every careful brush of his hand across her back, every tremor in his voice, told her that he wasn't just holding her. He was choosing to stay. Choosing her, even with all the fragility between them.
She let herself lean fully into him, her own walls loosening, brick by brick. "I… I need this," she admitted, her voice shaking as much as his. "Even if it's scary."
Ren's chest rose and fell in a steady, grounding rhythm, and she found herself matching it, letting his calm seep into her. He kissed her forehead, taking a brief respite from the intensity of his passion. For the first time in ages, the fear that had once kept her small felt negotiable, not gone but softened by the quiet certainty of his care.
He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, his thumb lingering at her temple. "Then we'll take it slow," he murmured, his voice a mix of promise and quiet plea. "Together."
Noelle's hands rested lightly on his chest, tracing the line of his collarbone as though afraid that any firmer touch might shatter either of them. She slowly undid each button, pressing a kiss to his skin as she went. Every breath between them came slow and careful, as if they were learning how to exist in the same space without breaking the fragile trust forming there.
Ren's fingers hovered over her arms before settling, barely touching, as though he too feared that even the smallest movement could undo what they were building.
"I—" he began, then swallowed the rest, afraid that words might tip the delicate balance between them.
She tilted her head, her gaze searching his with a soft intensity that made his chest ache. "I want you to… want me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I need you to love me, Ren."