[A little note: This was probably one of my favourite things I’ve ever written that ended up turning into a series. It started off as a kissing prompt request from here: kissing prompts]
[Summary: It’s been five years since graduation, five years since MC (Dia) had told Zig and every other part of Hartfeld goodbye. Abbie and Tyler’s wedding brings them back together.]
Retrouvailles (French) – Retrouvailles, or “rediscovery,” refers to the happiness you feel upon reuniting with someone after you’ve been apart for a long time.
1. Post Break Up Kiss – The kiss that catches both of you off guard, but says I miss you, I’m sorry and please love me again all at once without any words being spoken.
It had been five years since Dia last stepped into Hartfeld. Five years since she passed the threshold of graduation, and entered the new world as a young woman, hungry for more than what college life had offered. But as her eyes flitted through crowds of people, she was reminded of the life she had before. The Ups and downs – all of it clung with acute familiarity.
Yet nothing changed.
Nothing visibly changed anyway.
The streets looked the same; filled to the brim with college students, one group at a time. Most of the coffeeshops she remembered spending hours in – remained mostly the same, and her favourite spot still served her favourite lattes. When she closed the café door, and heard the familiar bell behind her; she couldn’t help but smile as her feet hit the street pavement once again.
Something about being in Hartfeld felt different. Even though the rest of it seemed the same. Or perhaps, she was different.
She inhaled the familiar scents of street meat as her boots clicked alongside fresh asphalt. And instead of scowling at the sight as she would have done in the past, she did the exact opposite.
Although, she still ignored the chatty sound of students that flocked by either side of her, she couldn’t help but think of the younger version of herself and her friends as she passed them – they had all been in that position once. Hanging out in between classes. Cramming for last minute exams. She sifted through memories of her student life fondly and walked deeper into city streets. Streets she had once never looked closely at, she did now – analyzing and memorizing every detail for ideas to jot down later.
At the sound of her phone ringing, Dia fished for it from inside her bag. She flung the purse wildly across her shoulders before the light in front of her could change. Walking briskly across intersections, she answered the phone.
“Dia! Hey!” Abbie’s exuberant tone sounded too excited for this early in the morning. “Are you in Northbridge yet?”
“Uh, no.” Dia hesitated, “I stopped in Hartfeld for a little bit – but I’m heading back now.”
“I could really use your help.”
‘I know and I’m on my way,” she lied smoothly, crossing towards the parking lot quickly until she spotted her rental within her sights. She moved a little faster as she heard Abbie’s sigh over the phone.
“Is that why I don’t hear the car moving?” Abbie’s tone was almost accusatory, “the rest of my bridesmaids have already been here since 6 a.m.!”
“The rest of your bridesmaids also live in the same state as you,” Dia corrected crisply, but heaved a sigh in defeat before adding. “I’m sorry – my flight got in late…and I’m feeling really tired.”
“Tired and cranky.”
“…Tired and cranky,” She repeated stiffly, “…but I couldn’t stop myself from stopping here. In Hartfeld. I just started driving and…” She took a deep breath to settle her nerves before she continued, “I couldn’t just…I had to see it.”
There was a pause on the other line. “You’re a different person now. You know that.”
“I know.”
She knew her younger self was past behind her, where she belonged and would eventually be nothing more than a distant memory. And yet, a part of had trouble letting go – she couldn’t forget, because forgetting meant letting go of the good too. And it wasn’t all bad.
The good moments had been more than worth her four years in Hartfeld.
Sometimes, there were still dull aches of her old life, they rang a little less hallow everyday and didn’t cling to her anymore. They didn’t weigh her down.
Dia shrugged off Abbie’s concern as swiftly as she wedged her phone between her shoulder and her chin. She sifted through her jacket for her keys. “I’m fine really,” she promised. “Plus, it was kinda nice to stop by.”
“Yeah,” Another pause. “Tyler and I haven’t been in Hartfeld for a couple of weeks.” Abbie sounded almost wistful. “But we always get a dose of dejavu when we do. Our freshman year, how hard sophomore was – it took a lot for us to finally get here.”
“And you’re where every couple dreams of being.” Dia urgently said. It was where she used to dream to be too, a long time ago. Dreams that were really just delusions at the time. She shook her head. “So quit worrying about how it’ll all play out,” she murmured encouragingly, “the wedding will be perfect. You’ll be perfect. Everything will be perfect.”
“Mhm,” Dia could almost hear Abbie’s smile into the phone. “See this is why I need you here. You know how to reassure me better than anyone else. It just kinda sucks that Kaitlyn can’t make it.” Abbie sighed. “We had to cut one of our groomsmen out to make it even.”
“I heard Chris was bringing a girlfriend – her name was Magaret or something, right?”
“Maggie.” Abbie corrected, “I’ve actually gotten to know her a little bit. They got here two days ago, and she’s really sweet.”
“Good, Chris deserves someone sweet.”
“And since we’re on the subject of someone sweet – ”
“Oh no, we’re definitely not playing this game.” She interrupted.
“- what’s going on in your love life?” Abbie continued, pretending as if she hadn’t heard her friend’s obvious dismissal of her meddling.
On a whim, Dia thought of someone she hadn’t allowed herself to in a long time. It was a memory, fleeting as they all were before she quickly shoved thoughts of him away.
Maybe it was a mistake to pass by Hartfeld. It made her too sentimental. “Nothing absolutely nothing, and that’s exactly how I like it.” She
“Dia..”
“With the influx of clients I’ve been having lately, there hasn’t been any time to date.” Dia rambled on, “plus dating is so complicated compared to flings. They start asking all these questions – ”
“-before they realize you have commitment issues.” Abbie finished for her.
Dia paused for a second, after sliding into the driver’s seat. Rolling her eyes, she buckled her seat belt. “Before they realize I have commitment issues,” she repeated in agreement, laughing. “Actually, there was that one time I had to change my number because the guy got kind of stalky.”
Abbie laughed. “Okay, I get it. I get it. You’re busy being all career focused and I’m really proud of you.”
Dia checked her mirrors and smiled. “I know.”
“There’s that ego I missed. Seriously, I’m so excited to see you! It’s been what? I think it’s been a year since the last time I saw you in person.”
“Something like that. I think I was in town or something, and you showed me around.”
“I missed you.”
Dia shifted uncomfortably. Sometimes even the simplest of affections still made her feel a little out of her element. A little out of place. But she was learning to be happier, learning to accept how other people felt about her. She wasn’t the same person when she left Hartfeld. “Yeah, I missed you too.” She smiled.
There was a slight hesitation on the other line before Abbie began chatting animatedly about the expectations of her role when she arrived. They were staying at one of the most expensive hotels in Northbridge; at James Ashton’s glowing recommendation once he knew of their engagement. It was only unfortunate that he was in New York working on a new novel instead of being in the company of his friends.
Dia listened keenly to Abbie’s ideas, however some small part of her was still lingering on Abbie’s fumble earlier. It was strange. Abbie wasn’t the type to usually hold back what she was thinking and the fact that she had stumbled made Dia incredibly suspicious. She couldn’t shake the feeling her friend was hiding something. “Abbie.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you going to tell me what you’re hiding from me or am I going to have to pry it from you?” Her car roared to life and Dia switched to Bluetooth before reversing out of the parking lot. It took seconds before she was on the road again, heading towards the highway with soft rock playing in the background.
“Wow! Is that Metallica’s new album? Aren’t they on tour this month?”
“Yes, and don’t change the subject.” She pursed her lips. “That is so unlike you. Now I know something is definitely up.” She sighed, bracing herself before asking. “What’s going on?”
“Well…I did forget to mention one tiny little thing.”
Her grip tightened on the wheel. “Tiny little thing, huh?”
“….Zig’s here. He’s one of Tyler’s groomsmen.”
For a moment Dia couldn’t breathe. Unbidden images rushed forward as quickly as she tried to shove them away. They nearly overwhelmed her despite her attempts until the sound of someone’s car behind her jolter her out of her thoughts and suddenly Dia could breathe again.
Whatever she had been anticipating certainly hadn’t been that. Zigmund Ortega was going to be in the same building as her – and she wasn’t going to be tearing his clothes off or better yet – trying to be alone with him altogether.
The sudden urge to scream was almost too hard to ignore.
She waited a few hesitant beats as silence continued to greet her back on the other line. It wasn’t until she felt calm enough to speak again that Abbie had sighed with relief. “Ah.”
“Ah?”
What had Abbie expected her to say? That it had been hard getting over him? That she used to torture herself – nights she spent crying over him, weeks of not eating and indulging in stupid little things to take the edge off. That it took everything for her to get some semblance of normalcy without him in it? No, getting over Zig hadn’t been easy and the thought of suddenly seeing him again made her want to turn the car back around and board the next flight back to San Francisco.
“Well what do you want me to say, Abbie?” Dia answered finally, her voice barely audible over her music. “I know Zig’s a part of our gang and I know he’s not going anywhere. Even through everything, he’s been there for you guys when I wasn’t.” She turned a little sharper than she intended on the highway, cutting off the guy behind her. “And I’m not going to sugarcoat that it won’t be…weird seeing him again. But I can’t be mad at you for placing him in your wedding party. He’s important to you. He’s important to everyone.” She took a deep breath, uttering the last words softly. “And it wouldn’t be fair for me to be mad.”
She would give herself a pat on the back later for being so cordial about it. A year ago, she could have only dreamed about reacting like this. She used to be more likely to swear in heavy Polish and trashing shit around her before reaching this level of civility.
“Okay good,” Dia heard Abbie’s sigh, loud and clear again. “It’ll really make all of this a lot easier on us.”
“Yeah, and it’s not like I’ll be seeing him every moment I’m there right?” Dia joked, relaxing her grip on the wheel. But when Abbie didn’t join in, she suddenly had a terrible feeling shrivel down her spine. That can’t be good. “So…that was the bad news, right?”
“Well….”
“Abbie, please tell me there’s no more.”
“Well…it depends on what you define as good news.” Abbie hedged. “I think it’s good news, for instance that we have most of our friends together in one place. And there’s no way knowing he’ll be the groomsmen you’ll walk down the aisle will backfire. Like at all.”
“What?” Dia had almost driven off the road. She stiffened and ignored the cars blowing their horns behind her. “I’m sorry, wanna run that by me again?”
“Yeah, it’ll be great!” Abbie laughed but Dia detected a hint of nerves floating through. “You two’ll catch up, and everyone will have a great time.”
“How could you pair me off with the last person I literally want to see?” Dia was trying to be compassionate; it was something she was trying hard to work at. At her therapist’s insistence that she become more genuine – but her temper was flaring faster than she could douse it. “Of all the –”
“We’re sorry, okay?. It’s just.…. everyone else had been paired off before – and we weren’t sure you’d be able to come anyway until you reached out to us.”
“Well, surprise.” She couldn’t hold back the sarcasm. “Here I am, definitely coming to your wedding.” She sighed. “Is there no way for me to switch with another….bridesmaid?” She almost regretted it the moment she asked as silence filled the other line. She knew it wasn’t her place to ask. “I’m sorry,” she added quickly, “I didn’t mean to -”
“It’s alright.” Abbie interrupted. “I know you didn’t mean it that way, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s pretty much set it in stone.”
“Right.” Dia murmured. Shit.
Five years later and she still couldn’t escape him. The nights they spent alone together, the burning intensity that had always existed between them, the months they spent arguing – their final goodbye that had taken her a long time to get over. They were everywhere, filling her thoughts so fast that she was barely able to keep up. She almost dropped the steering wheel before snapping back to reality. “Well, shit.” She muttered out-loud.
“That’s what I said.” Abbie broke through her thoughts, “and I understand….if you don’t want to be apart of this…Well, I mean I’d be upset and probably hold it against you for a long time but –”
“You didn’t think I’d miss your wedding for something that happened five years ago, did you Abbie?” Dia would have laughed if she hadn’t thought it was incredulous. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m more than fine,” she lied smoothly. “And like I said, your wedding is going to be perfect.” And not even a past relationship was going to ruin that – even if it had been the only real relationship she ever had, the only relationship that had mattered.
She was still working on her intimacy issues.
In the mean time, Dia could at least take secret notes on Abbie’s and Tyler’s relationship. Despite their ups and downs throughout the years, they were always there for each other.
“It’s such a relief to hear you say that. See I knew – uh, Tyler was worried for nothing.”
A corner of her mouth lifted into a smile. “Sure, well tell Tyler that he’s got nothing to worry about.”
Dia didn’t know if Abbie truly believed her. But it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t stop saying it.
A part of what she learnt about herself was that if she said it enough – she would have no choice but to believe it. She hadn’t thought of Zig much, as the years passed – the pain lessened and she had poured herself into her work, allowing it to be the only love inside her life. Other people came and left. But she had been a fool to think she was over him.
Five years didn’t seem to have made much of a difference as she hoped.
–
The wedding had gone off without a hitch just as Dia predicted. The hall been decorated in mostly bright colours – primrose and ivory gold, the way Abbie used to gush about in months leading up to their wedding.
Dia had never been one for grand romanticism or heartfelt over-the-top gestures of love. The problem with romance was the same she had with everything else – disappointment and expectations. There was no way one could exist without the other and the problem was if they were too high – it didn’t matter. It would never work, no matter how much communication there was.
But as Dia watched them – for a single moment, they made her want to believe in it. In this fairytale where everything can be fixed and slapped on a bandaid with love. They made her believe in their love. With their eyes solely locked on each other as if they were the only two people in the entire world – exchanging vows that made most of the people here cooed with aws and alarmingly number of tears –
Dia simply wanted to believe again.
For the first time in five years, she had glimpsed this unseeingly intangible thing – and it blinded her from its sheer intensity. It hadn’t made her lurch away with fear as she predicted it would – it captivated her – made her stare and wonder if she’d ever find something so rare and precious as what Abbie and Tyler had.
Eventually much to her dismay, the tears came. They fell before she could wipe them away fast enough and Chris’ girlfriend Maggie had been kind enough to hand her a handkerchief before she’d given up on not ruining her dress. She was all legs really, tall and gorgeous in every sense of the word with dark hair and smiling dark eyes.
And even worse, she was sweet. She had been nice about it when Dia had muttered a stiff thank you; even patted her awkwardly on the shoulder before Dia had made a hasty excuse about her allergies acting up and made a beeline for the bathroom. They ended up striking a conversation well before the ceremony was over.
And when it was all over the entire crowd began throwing tiny pieces confetti, as the happy couple joined hands, grinning from ear-to-ear before walking down the aisle one last time.
The whole thing had been beautiful, too beautiful – a moment that belonged in some fairytale rather than real life; at least knowing what she knew from reality.
Dia smiled politely as pictures of her and the rest of the wedding entourage were taken. She had to awkwardly stand beside Zig as the remainder of wedding party lined up behind them, with Abbie and Tyler ahead followed by their respective maid of honour and best groom. As the photographer snapped pictures of them, she kept her smile ramrod stiff.
A minute or two must have passed before she heard Zig clear his throat.
She froze. Please don’t talk to me.
“Hey.”
Shit. She sucked in a breath.
And here she had been hoping that the uncomfortable silence would have kept them both quiet. With the terse tension in the air, they had barely looked at each other while the cameraman kept snapping photos of them.
When Dia first walked in; seeing Zig had taken her breath away. Quite literally, she had gulped a few breaths after her brain had seemed to fizzle by the sight of him. The tux fitted him like a glove, as if it was his secondskin instead of a suit for a such a formal event. And his soft dark hair that she used to run her fingers through endlessly was sleeked back, without even the slightest sign of grease in place. He looked different. Older. And yet still the same. Still as handsome as the last time she saw him.
“Hi.” She mumbled back eventually, feeling more unsettled by the second.
She took some pleasure in watching his eyes do that quick once over – the kind he did whenever he saw something that he wanted in front of him. She glazed over the satisfaction she felt – why did it matter that his eyes seemed to perk up with interest once they saw her?
It shouldn’t.
“It’s nice to see you.” The words had sounded earnest and genuine enough and Dia had stared up at him startled.
She barely noticed the camera still flashing out of the corner of her eyes, as his gaze held hers. He was being completely serious. Feeling bewildered, she inclined her head at him. “You too.”
“Can you two move a little closer?” The camera man interrupted, hands shaking and gesturing for them to close those feet between them. “You two are so far apart from each other that it looks like you’re ready to bolt at any moment.”
Not too bright, this one. Dia thought silently. Instead of snapping back at the man, she smiled through gritted teeth before doing what he asked.
“Yes that’s it. Closer. Closer.”
She didn’t have to look directly at Zig to understand he wasn’t comfortable with the idea either, and yet once she felt his arm loosely around her hips – her heart had nearly jumped to her throat.
The reaction had been so instantaneous.
“That’s it, just a little closer.”
“This is ridiculous.” Dia mumbled.
“Tell me about it.” Zig agreed, “it’s like he can’t see how weird this is for us.”
“Shouldn’t a photographer be more aware of how awkward our body language is?”
Zig laughed and Dia felt a smile itching to take over at the sound. She hadn’t heard his laugh in such a long time that she had forgotten what it sounded like.
“Was that an honest to god smile, Dia?”
“Hmm?” She blinked up at him, “oh yeah I kinda do that now. Who knew? Smiling is definitely way more fun than being angry at the world.”
“Being angry at the world was too exhausting, huh?” He teased.
“Constantly.” She grinned. “You have no idea.”
She saw the sparkle inside his eyes, the kind of sparkle that used to mean to world to her and up until it had gotten bad – it was one of her favourite things in the world.
The next words she had been thinking were stuck inside her throat. She thought she should say something, but she didn’t know what were the right words to say. Were their any words to say?
They both shifted closer at the exact same time.
“Dia….” His voice had gone soft and her eyes widened a little.
Snap.
The photographer cleared his throat and they stepped to snap out it, taking cautious steps away from each other before shooting the man a timid smile. “That’s good, thanks you two.” He nodded for the next two people behind them to lead into the shot.
“So that was fun…” Zig begun, as if he was choosing his words carefully. He tucked his hands inside his pockets as the photographer waved them off; leading them with a flicker of his wrist towards the refreshment table.
She snorted. “If that’s what you really think, then we need to re-evaluate your idea of fun.”
“Yes actually, I think you might be right.” He laughed, “sorry, I just don’t get a lot of time to go out much these days,” he shrugged sheepishly. “Today’s pretty much been the most fun I’ve had in months.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows quirked up in complete curiosity, “no more late visits at your favourite dive bar in Hartfeld?” The one they used to make out at, and on occasion fool around at in semi-darkness.
“Not really,” he shook his head, “I’ve been marking way too many school papers lately that I haven’t had the chance to really go back there.”
“You’re a teacher now?” She wasn’t exactly surprised, Zig had a passion for maths; calculus and vectors that had never quite made sense to her – came easy for someone like him. She could easily imagine him doing something like that in Hartfeld.
“TA,” he corrected. “But that’s what I want to be eventually, a professor at Hartfeld.” He quickly rushed on, “Maybe. I know it’s kind of cliché since –”
“No,” she interrupted him.
A small smile lifted her lips and made Zig pause in his step. “I think it’s kind of fitting since that’s where it all began you know – the second chance scholarship,”
Us.
She cleared her throat before she could add that second part out-loud. “In any case – this was great. Catching up I mean.” She had almost blurted out us at him – what was wrong with her? Why would anyone in their right bring that up?
And the way Zig was suddenly looking at her, hadn’t made things any easier. It made her think that he had to have been thinking the same too; about them. The people they used to be to each other. He used to tell her she inspired him to do things he used to only dream about, up until she stopped being his muse at least.
“Yeah this was great –”
“If you could just excuse me,” she interrupted quietly. She was already moving past him before he could finish his sentence. It wasn’t as if her intention was to be rude, but she knew better than to linger even a moment longer. She was already thinking about him too much on her way up here and seeing him had made it a thousand times worse.
She picked up the first champagne flute she saw floating around on a waiter’s tray. She downed it in one go before hunting for another one. If she wanted any chance of surviving this night – she was going to need a lot of alcohol to keep her busy.
–
The reception kept her busy.
Alcohol and music floated in every part of the hall and before long Dia found herself and her stress dissolving away. She danced with old friends, friends she missed terribly over the years they’d been apart. Zack had joined her first, and both Chris and James had been occupied with their dance partners before they all joined together. When alcohol and friendship were involving, dancing had always seemed like the next best thing.
And Dia danced with everyone. Zack had managed to get everyone to do the wave, and pretended to be a robot while Chris was fist-bumping from beside them. With the music blasting, they continued moving to the beat until eventually the newly wed coupled joined in too. It didn’t take long before Dia spotted Zig; caught starting in the middle of the crowd. The rest of their friends had ushered him in. They were adamant that this was apart of his celebration too.
Dia couldn’t argue with that and in her half-drunken state she certainly hadn’t mind sashaying in front of him. As his eyes lit with familiar interest, he gripped her waist and she found herself grinding against him, allowing the music to speak louder than her thoughts.
She couldn’t remember why she was so worried. Suddenly all of her earlier nerves and reservations seemed to disappear, dissolving as the night went on and intertwining her hands around his neck had felt like the most natural thing in the world.
They danced, making every note count until Zig had dipped her so low that she feared he was going to drop her before pulling her sharply back up again. “You’ve been practicing.” Her tone was almost a playful accusation.
“One of the many things I’ve been working on,” He grinned down at her, “there’s a lot you still don’t know about me Dia.”
“Glad there’s still some mystery left. And here I was beginning to think you’d gotten a little dull.” It felt easy to fall into the same dance; the familiar push and pull that frequently made them relaxed around each other. She allowed the music to be her guide, rather than the weakness of her heart.
The moment, his fingers curved around her waist before he spun her again, she had already decided she was going to kiss him.
Everything about tonight had felt important – every action, every moment they spent dancing closely together – was another moment she felt that she needed to hold onto because by the time morning came, it would be all over.
Zig seemed to know what she was thinking even before she made the first move. His grip on her tightened and she pressed her body firmly into his, movements slowing just enough for him to realize her intention. And suddenly, there was no space anymore. Inches dissolved as he tilted her chin, and her waiting lips met his.
There was no gentleness to their kiss, no quiet wonder in the taste of her lips against his. It was like waking up from dream she had long grown tired of, and every part of her singed with the need of every part of him.
It was more than just simple wanting– wanting could go away, but the longer she kissed him the more she realized how much she missed this. How much the taste of him made memories of being skin against skin send a shiver down her spine. How much she was beginning to realize that she had never completely fallen out of love with him, and the moment his lips had touched hers – confirmed all of that.
The truth was, Dia wanted more than a simple kiss. She wanted more than a few casual flings, a few nights before turning attention back to work. She wanted flowers – she wanted romance. And Zig had always been the only person she wanted it with.
Fuck, how did she ever think she was over him?
Her lips sought his desperately, greedily – as if every moment they touched was going to be the their last. They suckled his lips roughly, and he slipped his arms across her back before shifting closer. She wasn’t sure who was moaning – him or her, but she couldn’t stop herself from sliding her tongue inside his waiting mouth, and as they kissed over and over again; she was simply starved for his affection.
They didn’t break apart until another pair of people had bumped into them and Zig had broken the kiss first to pull Dia closer into his arms. “Sorry,” she mumbled to the passing couple but her eyes hadn’t left his as she spoke. His hadn’t either, they stared down at her with such intensity until a simple question was inside his eyes.
Yes. God yes.
She hadn’t spoken the words out-loud, but Zig seemed to understand. Taking her hand, he weaved through the crowd before they spotted the elevator.
The doors had barely closed before he pinned her against the shaft. Hands tilting her chin up while hers had dived into his hair. Kisses that spoke volumes for their urgency for one another kept them busy until they landed onto a particular floor.
They headed towards Zig’s room and didn’t waste anytime when they got inside.
Clothes were hastily shoved aside, and they knocked over his dresser’s lamp as he hastily sat her on top of it. His quick fingers yanked her bra open, almost tearing its lacey fabric before his tongue had replaced his fingers.
She hissed the moment his lips made contact with her skin. Barely able to contain a moan, her head landed against the wall as he trailed kisses down her neck. When she felt his tongue by her nipple, her toes began to curl and her fingers had gripped the edge of the dresser tighter. She breathed sharply as he continued his restless torture, paying attention to one before the other until his lips traveled lower. Lower and lower before a cry of pleasure left her lips when she felt him there.
“Zig,” She broke the silence first. Her cry of need was loud, and crumbled whatever resolve she had left as he slid his tongue inside her waiting heat.
Closing her eyes, she surrendered herself to him.
Words simply failed her. Her back arched at the feeling. He invaded every part of her senses, and her vice-like grip on the dresser left scratches before they fell loosely by her side. It didn’t her long to gasp and writhe in front of him. It had been awhile for her, and pleasure had built quickly before toppling her over its dangerous edge.
Once she found her breathing again, her eyes had swung open long enough to realize he had been staring at her. Her chest fluttered with warm by his intent stare.
“You’re beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful.” He breathed huskily, eyes drinking in everywhere he saw skin.
She pushed him lightly back, and scooted off the dresser.
Before he could say anything, she kissed him.
His response had been immediate, arms reaching up once again to encircle her. She nipped the bottom of his lip hard, almost hard enough to draw blood as he moaned. “No more talking.” She muttered softly. She was afraid if she said anything else, she would have ruined this moment. And the last thing she wanted right now was to stop herself.
They stayed lock together as she guided him towards the bed; only breaking apart to straddle his hips. She watched the play of light coming from his open window, flicker across his taut skin. Her eyes travelled back to his eyes again and every emotion she had ever felt for him came rushing back at once.
It was almost too much; but she listened. Allowed memories of years spent with similar moments such as this to wash over her. Yet this felt different. It was as if they were rediscovering what it meant to love each other.
So, she didn’t speak and neither did he. Instead she allowed her actions to speak for her, shifting until she managed to plant kisses across his skin. Until they carried her further down his chest.
She basked in the quiet sigh of pleasure he took and felt his abdomen tighten the moment her lips found the tip of his member.
“Fuck,” The word had left his lips in a sharp hiss and his fingers moved quickly to cup the back of her head.
She hid a smile. Knowing she could cause such a quick reaction inside of him, filled her with quiet glee and satisfaction made her bolder.
Her lips ran across his length and his hips had almost lifted from off the bed the moment she finally took him into her mouth. She took her time at first, simply enjoying the feel of him as he murmured soft words of encouragement. But patience had never been her strongest suit.
His breathing became ragged and his grip on her tightened once she begun bobbing her head back and forth. Hissing, his hips met her waiting lips rapidly, moving in sync with her until he stiffened and came apart inside her mouth.
She watched the pleasure on his face, and had swallowed every bit of it before sitting back on her heels. She didn’t have a lot of time to linger, before she felt his hands hastily yanking her back to his chest.
His eyes half-hooded, he watched her intently as he slipped inside her heat. All Dia could do was stiffen, and he waited until she began adjusting to his length.
Straddling his hips again, Dia gave him a coy smile before he placed his hands on her hips. The moment they moved together, a slight tremor tore through her. How could she ever thought she wouldn’t have missed this?
Her hips met his and she dictated their pace until slow and languid – became fast and needy. Soon she was felt urgency moving her forward, until Zig’s fingers bit into her skin and he was thrusting faster and faster inside of her.
Her hands gripped the pillow at the side of his head, as she bit back a moan. Faster, and faster they moved together; neither of them breaking eye contact before tremors racked Dia’s body again. She threw her head back, crying out his name as the waves of pleasure eroded every other sensation.
It didn’t take long for Zig to join her; his fingers had turned into little fists before a few strokes later had sent him over that edge with her. He inhaled sharply, before his breath came out in little short gasps and he was saying her name over and over again before going completely still from below her.
When their breathing returned to normal, Dia slid from on top of him. Her head was heavy, and her body felt bone-tired. It was as if every stress had suddenly melt away. All she wanted to do now was curl up beside him until sleep claimed her.
To her surprise, shifting beside him to dive under the covers had felt natural. It felt as if they had done this every night and Zig hadn’t hesitated in climbing in beside her. His arms encircled her until she felt his chest, still slick with sweat against her back.
His words were mush. She couldn’t hear what he whispered, because her brain had already begun shutting down. And the three words she was thinking and feeling remained lodged until morning came.
–