Chapter Twenty-Three: Just almost.
Aiden hadn't touched her.
Not since she stopped him.
It wasn't awkward. He didn't sulk. Didn't test boundaries.
He just... respected the space she asked for.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Because now every small thing meant something.
A glance across the room.
A brief pause in the hallway.
A silence that held more than words ever could.
---
That morning, she found him in the kitchen.
He was dressed down—sweatshirt, joggers, barefoot.
He looked like someone else. Not the polished man from press photos or boardrooms.
Just... him.
He looked up when she entered.
"Morning," he said with a big smile that brightened and transformed his face.
"Morning." she smiled back
She made her tea. He poured another coffee.
They stood side by side, not speaking.
But she could feel it.
Like something thick in the air. Not tension. Not discomfort.
Expectation.
---
Later that afternoon, she lingered outside her writing room.
Her room.
It still felt strange, calling it that—even in her head.
She hadn't used it much since he'd shown it to her.
Not because she didn't want to.
Because she did.
Too much.
Sometimes, claiming something meant admitting you wanted it. And Elena wasn't sure she was ready to want things again.
---
It was almost midnight when she finally walked in.
And froze.
Aiden was there.
Sitting on the floor. Back against the far wall. One of her books in his lap. Lights low. His shoes off.
She leaned on the doorframe.
"You're not supposed to be in here." she said breaking the silence. She liked seeing him in her space…
He didn't jump. Didn't act caught.
He looked up at her. Calm.
"You said it was yours."
She crossed her arms. "Exactly."
He closed the book gently. "I wasn't trying to invade. Just... be near it."
She stepped inside. Closed the door.
"Why?"
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then: "Because it's the only room in this place that feels like it has a soul."
She blinked.
That hit harder than she expected.
And she just knew in her heart that she was almost gone.
Just almost.
---
She sat across from him on the rug, tucking one leg under the other. Silence stretched.
He didn't rush it.
She appreciated that.
"I used to write to escape," she said eventually. "When I was younger. When I didn't have much else."
"And now?" he asked softly looking softly at her.
"I write to remember."
"Remember what?"
She looked down. "Who I was before I started making myself smaller."
He didn't ask what that meant.
He didn't have to.
"And who are you now?" he asked instead.
She looked at him.
"Someone learning how to be full again."
---
Aiden rested his arms on his knees, relaxed but attentive.
He didn't look away from her.
And that made it harder somehow.
"Why did you agree to marry me?" she asked.
The words weren't planned.
But they were ready.
He didn't lie.
"Because I didn't have a choice."
She nodded once. Not hurt. Not surprised.
"And why are you still here?" she asked quietly.
He didn't answer right away.
Then he stood. Crossed the space between them slowly.
"I could say it's duty. Loyalty. Business."
She stared up at him. "Isn't it?"
He crouched down, just close enough for her to feel the heat of him.
"No."
"Then what?"
He exhaled. "Because you walk through my walls like they were never there."
Her breath caught.
It was a terrible answer.
And the only honest one.
---
She stood too.
They were close now.Too close but not touching.
But it would take nothing for them to touch,just one step,a choice.
Her voice was low, shaky at the edges.
"If I kiss you," she said, "it's not a test."
"I know."
"It's not to prove a point. It's not because I'm grateful."
"I know."
Her eyes searched his.
"This won't fix anything."
"No," he said. "But it might start something."
---
She leaned in.
And kissed him.
Not gently.
Not shy.
But slow. Steady. Like she needed him to feel it.
Like she was answering a question neither of them could ask out loud. Slowly her hands moved from her side to his side,one hand at his waist holding on to his shirt and one hand against his chest feeling the steady beat of his heart.
---
His hands moved like he'd been waiting years,they moved not to claim her but to feel her,to catch.
One hand at her back,and one tightening around her waist.
He kissed her like he already missed her. Like his next breath depended on it
Like he knew this wasn't forever—not unless she decided it was.
---
She pulled back first,her face flushed red and her breath was coming out in quick pants.
She was shaken to her core
So was he.
They didn't speak right away.
He didn't chase her mouth again.
Just stood there.
Open.
Waiting. Too intense.
---
She looked up at him, hand still resting near his collar.
"Don't ruin it."
"I won't."
"Don't say anything clever."
"I wasn't going to."
She dropped her hand with a soft smile
He let her.
---
ELENA'S POV
She walked back to her room alone.
Heart pounding in her ribs like it was trying to make up for all the weeks she'd played it cool.
She didn't feel cool now.
She felt warm.
Flushed.
Real.
She touched her lips.
Still there.
Still tingling.
She didn't regret it.
But she wasn't sure what came next.
---
She sat at her desk.
Opened her notebook.
Wrote two words.
Almost everything.
Then closed it again.
And smiled.
---
AIDEN'S POV
He sat on the floor long after she left.
Head back.
Eyes closed.
She'd kissed him.
But she was the one in control.
And he'd never wanted anything more than her choosing him again.
Tomorrow, he'd keep showing up.
And if she kissed him again?
He'd let her lead.
Every time.