Chapter 331: "Say it again"
Kael’s hug was tight. Crushing. Like he never wanted to let me go again. His face buried into the curve of my neck, his breath hot against my skin.
Before I could register it, he lifted me just slightly, carrying me step by step until we collapsed together onto his bed, his weight pressing down on me, solid and overwhelming in a way that only made me cling to him harder.
I could feel his heartbeat, rapid and frantic, against my chest. His mouth brushed my throat, soft nips, little grazes of teeth that made my breath catch, and my fingers threaded into his hair, trying to ground myself in the reality of him.
"Aria..." he murmured my name like a spell on his lips. "I love you."
I felt it rumble through him, into me.
"I’ll say it as many times as you want me to," his voice broke slightly, almost raw, "until I breathe my last."
My eyes burned, my chest tightening as if I could physically feel myself falling deeper, like there was no bottom to this love. The words left me before I could stop them, quiet, trembling. "What if I was the one to die first?"
His whole body froze. Even his breathing stopped, and then he slowly lifted his head, his eyes pinning me with a sharp frown that tore right through me.
"Don’t," he said, voice low, almost menacing with its intensity. "Don’t you ever say that."
"I didn’t mean it like that," I whispered quickly, my hand cupping his cheek, my thumb brushing the dampness of his lashes. "I’m not going anywhere. I swear."
His jaw clenched, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to make sure, trying to brand the truth of it into his bones.
And I let him.
Because for the first time, I wanted him to.
"I love you too Kael," I whispered back, the words shaking but true, and Kael’s lips were on mine again before I could even breathe them out fully. It wasn’t controlled, wasn’t careful, it was desperate, like he’d waited his whole life to hear me say it.
He kissed me like a starving man, breaking away only to whisper, "Say it again."
So I did. Over and over. Until my throat ached and my lips were sore, until my chest felt so raw I thought it might split open. Every time the words left my mouth, his body trembled against mine, like he couldn’t believe them, like he was afraid they’d vanish into air if he didn’t claim them with another kiss.
I didn’t even realize when exhaustion finally pulled me under. All I knew was that I fell asleep wrapped in his arms, his breath warm against my hair, his heart beating steady under my cheek like it belonged to me.
When I stirred awake sometime later, the bed felt too big. My hand reached out instinctively, only to meet cold sheets. My heart stuttered, but then my eyes caught the tray beside me.
A bowl of sliced fruits, dark grapes, pomegranate seeds, strawberries, figs, all rich in iron. A glass of water. A neat line of tablets and capsules I recognized as multivitamins. And a folded piece of paper in Kael’s bold scrawl, listing out each dosage like he didn’t trust me not to mess it up.
I smiled faintly, chewing a few grapes before downing the pills with water. My body still felt heavy, fragile, but lighter somehow, like his love had seeped into my bones and taken some of the hollow away.
For a moment, I considered getting up to look for him, to find where he disappeared to in the middle of the night. But the warmth of the bed was too persuasive, and the memory of his arms too close, so I curled back into the sheets and let sleep take me again.
The next time I woke, it was to Kael’s mouth pressing insistent kisses all over my face. My nose, my cheeks, the corner of my lips. Endless, relentless kisses that made me groan.
"Go away," I grumbled, shoving half-heartedly at his face. "You’re annoying. Let me sleep."
"Awake enough to insult me, so you’re fine," he said smugly, stealing another kiss before I could block him.
I cracked one eye open to glare at him. "Where were you last night? Don’t tell me you went off to brood somewhere dramatic."
He smirked, brushing my hair back. "Busy. Preparing a surprise for you."
Suspicion narrowed my eyes. "What kind of surprise? Another street food stall?"
His chuckle rumbled against my chest as he leaned down. "Different this time."
"I don’t trust you," I muttered, burrowing deeper into the sheets.
"Good," he said simply, and before I could process that, his arms scooped me up effortlessly.
I didn’t even fight it this time. He carried me like I was the most natural thing in the world to hold, like I belonged in his arms, and before I knew it, we were outside, the salt-scent of the sea brushing against my skin.
And then I saw it.
The yacht.
Of course it was a yacht.
Even for Kael, it didn’t looked excessive or maybe it did. Sleek white against the sunlit water, polished chrome gleaming, the deck sprawling like a floating palace. As he carried me up the steps, I couldn’t help but gape at the sheer ridiculousness of it, the curved glass windows, the private lounge spilling out onto an open-air deck with plush white sofas and tables dressed like they were waiting for royalty, the faint scent of roses and sea air mingling together.
Inside was even grander. Soft lighting glowed over marble floors, rich wood accents, and a dining area that looked like it belonged in a five-star hotel, not on a boat. There were fresh flowers in tall crystal vases, a chilled bottle of champagne waiting, and beyond the wide windows, the sea stretched endlessly, glittering under the sun.
My stomach fluttered in disbelief as the engines hummed, carrying us away from land.
"Kael..." I breathed, staring around like a thief who’d been smuggled into a dream. "What are you up to?"
He only smirked, brushing a kiss over my temple. "You’ll see."
The sun bled into the horizon, painting the sea gold and crimson, and the yacht vibrated under us, carrying us farther and farther away from land until it felt like the world had been reduced to just this: endless water, endless sky, endless Kael.
I leaned into him, watching the sea catch fire with the dying light. "It feels... surreal," I whispered before I could stop myself. Too good. Too soft. Too much like a dream I had no business keeping.
Because under the salt air, the ache clawed back up. The reminder of what I was still hiding. Of what I’d lost. Kael’s child. His child. The guilt pressed like a stone against my ribs, but I shoved it down ruthlessly. Not here. Not now. If I let it out, I’d drown, and I couldn’t, not with him holding me like this.
I forced myself to breathe, to look at the water instead of the shadows in my chest. And God, the sea was beautiful. Wide and infinite, catching every color the sun had to give. It stole the words out of me, and before I could reel them back, I found myself blurting, "It’s beautiful."
Kael’s lips brushed the side of my head, his voice steady, low. "It’s even more beautiful at night."
I turned, blinking up at him. "At night?"
His mouth curved into that infuriating smirk. "You’ll see."
Suspicion tugged my brows together. "Where are we even going?"
He didn’t miss a beat. "Secret."
I groaned, pushing weakly at his chest. "You and your stupid secrets, "
But then his hand cupped my jaw, his lips sealing over mine in a kiss so slow, so deliberate, it melted the frustration right out of me. I sighed into it, letting him steal the complaint from my tongue until there was nothing left but the taste of fruits and the dizzying calm that only he could give me.
And then, slowly, the sky began to darken. Shadows stretched, the last threads of sunlight bleeding away, until the world was cast in deep indigo. Stars pierced through, one by one, mirrored by the rippling silver of the sea.
Night had come.
And he was right, it was even more beautiful.