The Darkness Beyond the Stars

Chapter 26: FINALLY

No sleep came to me that night. I turned things over in my mind, stroking his head when his face twisted in pain, gazing out the skylight on the roof as the rain fell.

When the pale grey dawn came, I watched him carefully. His face was pale in the cool light, his normally brown skin ashen. Still his chest rose and fell, the bloodstained bandage jolting in the light of day.

My fingers were stiff, but my hand had still not let go of his.

A ray of sun fell across us, and the world became still. Tiny motes of dust floated in the air, through the golden beam.

Golden. That's what it was in this corner of the world.

A strange feeling filled my chest, something more pain than happiness, something so full it felt like the world couldn't hold it. Not as content as wonder, something new; but the same feeling of smallness you felt while seeing the stars. I felt tears prick my eyes, and a single drop rolled down my cheek.

"What is it?"

I looked down, and saw Raon's eyes looking up at me. He lifted a hand and slowly brushed it across my cheek. A line of tingling skin followed in its wake. I closed my eyes and smiled.

His hand rested at the back of my neck, pulling me down. I held my breath.

His lips brushed mine, softly, carefully, curiously.

I cradled his face, and kissed him. He pulled me closer, and kissed me back, his fingers caught up in my hair. His mouth curved in a smile.

He drew back, and kissed my neck, then my cheek, then looked at me, his eyes awed. The golden light slowly moved across his face, tracing his eyes, his mouth.

"I love you." I whispered.

He reached up, and kissed me again, harder this time, longer. The heat in my chest expanded, blossoming and pulling and twisting everything inside of me until my head spun.

When he finally drew back I gasped as if I'd been under water until now.

"Doesn't..." I blinked slowly, trying to think. His fingers traced a line across my jaw. "Doesn't your side hurt?"

"No." He smiled slowly. "Why would it hurt?"

"You were hurt, you almost died-"

He touched his forehead against mine.

"You-" I choked.

He pressed his lips to mine. A shiver ran from my feet to the top of my head as his hand pressed against the small of my back and pulled me closer against him. The sun shone in my eyes, filling my sight with gold.

......

I stood next to the window. The world outside was green and clean, mist floating below us as if the ground was right beneath.

I breathed in the heavy air, then turned around. Raon was sleeping in the bed a few feet away, one arm thrown behind his head, pale hair spread across the pillow like silk.

I sat next to him, and reached out a hand. His face was cool, his breathing even.

Morok had come back and changed his bandage a few hours ago, and helped him move to the bed. Since then I'd brought him water whenever he woke, and he'd fallen back asleep with his fingers entwined with mine.

My eyes ran over his face, memorizing his straight brows, the light resting on his pale eyelashes, the way his mouth rested. I leaned closer and pressed my lips to his temple.