Adrian and Reya ascended the stairs. Reya reached for Adrian’s hand as they walked. Fingers entwined, they ghosted down the hall in a slow, measured pace until they arrived at Adrian’s door. It was late and others were already in bed sleeping. Turning the knob, Adrian opened the door and they slipped into the room.

Adrian waited while Reya shut the door before guiding her closer to the bed, turning on the lamp so that she could see. A dim, orange glow filled the room, casting long shadows. Reluctantly, the pair let go of each other and collected their nightwear. Standing awkwardly, Adrian didn’t know what to do next. “I’ll go to the bathroom to get changed,” he said.

“You don’t have to,” Reya said shyly. “You can stay in the room. I trust you not to look while I change. I promise I won’t either.”

Adrian gulped at the thought. “Ok,” he stammered, his mouth suddenly very dry. He moved across the room to the other end, leaving Reya nearest the bed. “I’ll get changed here,” he said timidly. “I’ll turn around now.”

“Oh, ok. I’ll do the same. That way I won’t be able to see you.” It might’ve been his imagination, but Adrian swore that Reya sounded disappointed when she said that last sentence. The soft rustle of clothes from behind him tickled his ears. Adrian’s breath hitched as he imagined the scene taking place.

First it was her thick sweater that came off. It was thrown onto the bed, landing with a light thump. Adrian was acutely aware that she now had one layer less. Forcing himself to move, he grabbed his sweater and took it off as well, placing it on the ground beside him. From across the room, Reya stilled as she focused on the sound. He then grabbed them hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

Adrian paused when he heard Reya reach under her shirt and unhook her bra. His heart rate sped up. With a deep breath, she slowly removed her shirt. His mind’s eye picture every detail, every motion as she put on her pajama top. He stood there unmoving, his mind too preoccupied on Reya.

Remembering himself, he put his shirt on and undid his belt. In one motion he slid his pants down, underwear included. The tension in the room increased and the air between them charged. He felt strangely exposed as he shimmied out of them. He heard Reya mirror his action from across the room and froze at the proximity of her nakedness. Absentmindedly, he pulled on his pants. He heard Reya do the same, though far slower than him. What was left to his imagination drove him insane.

“I’m done changing,” Reya said in a small voice.

“Same here,” Adrian replied.

They spun at the same time, taking in the other’s new state of dress. “We should probably go to bed,” Reya coughed, motioning behind her.

“Right,” Adrian forced out. He waited for Reya to climb in and settle before joining. The routine wasn’t anything new, but somehow he was more nervous than he’d been the first time they shared a bed together. Reya was turned on her side, facing the wall. He turned off the light, plunging everything in darkness.

An awkward silence descended, filling the room.

Adrian knew he should speak but didn’t know what to talk about. There was so much for them to discuss. The moment they’d shared on their walk complicated things. The more Adrian thought about it, the more he realized that it didn’t need to be complicated. He decided to be honest and hope for the best. The rest would be on her. It was time for him to learn Reya’s stance on earlier events. “About earlier,” he started, unsure how to broach the topic.

“Yes?” Reya asked, holding her breath, still not facing him.

Trying to figure out how he wanted to express his emotions, Adrian grasped for the right words. “We kissed when we were lying together.”

“I know what happened, Adrian.”

“I liked it,” he fumbled. “I really liked it.” Reya’s smile at his words went unseen by him. His heart thundered in his chest to an alien rhythm after the words left his mouth. He tensed up while he waited for Reya’s reply.

“I liked it too,” she said quietly. It was enough for Adrian to hear and soon he had a smile of his own to match.

“It’s something I’d like to do again, if you would have me.” Adrian put it out there, hoping desperately that she felt the same.

Reya nodded. Elation filled Adrian. “Would you have done that with anyone?” she asked.

“Never. You’re the only person I can imagine doing that with.”

“You’re just saying that,” Reya whispered.

“No, I’m not,” Adrian said adamantly. “I want to grow closer to you, like we’ve been doing since we met. I want to learn more about you and grow alongside you.”

Reya grappled with uncertainty. Wondering if she should dare to believe, she asked, “How could anybody want that? I’m nothing more than damaged goods.” Self-loathing filled her voice.

“I’ve never seen you as damaged, Reya.”

“Lies,” she hissed.

“You’re simply someone who’s seen too much, like me. What happened to us, it changes you. Why would I ever fault you when I’m the same?”

Tears welled in Reya’s eyes. “Look at me and tell me I’m not damaged. We both know it won’t be true.”

“Look at you? Look at me!” Adrian exclaimed. “I’m the damaged one. I’ve been changed so much I don’t even know who – or what – I am anymore. I know how it feels, even if we didn’t go through the same thing. It doesn’t matter to me. I look at the person I’ve known since the beginning. You’re too good for me. You lift me up where I fall down. You fight for me. Care for me.” He choked up. “The only one. That means so, so much to me. I don’t want the expectation of who you were, I never knew that person. I see you as you are now and who I see is beautiful. That anybody would go so far for a stranger, an alien that changed her life at that, amazes me. There is no other person like you. That’s the woman I fell in love with. When I’m with you I feel like I’m dreaming and everything’s too perfect. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but there isn’t one. Can I dare? Can I dare believe that you might feel the same way? What are we, Reya?”

“I don’t know,” Reya cried. “I’ve never felt like this before, with anybody. There’s a small part of me that wonders if you’re the reason that I got hurt so bad. But then I see what they did to you and all I see is someone who suffered like I did. Someone who had no say in what happened and was completely at their mercy. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m with someone who understands me. You never push too far. Never try to get me to talk. It just happens because I trust you. And that confuses me. I don’t know what we are, Adrian. All I know is that I feel comfortable around you. I feel safe.”

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“Can we decide?” Adrian asked carefully, hope filling his voice. “I want to know what you want out of me. Can I at least have that much?”

Reya balled her fists. “I don’t know!” she said, frustrated. “I like what we are. I love it, actually. I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. I don’t know when it started, but I need you. I can’t imagine life without you anymore and it terrifies me. What do we do?”

“I want you to be happy, Reya. I want you to find something you love and hold onto it for all it’s worth. And I desperately want that thing to be me. You already have my love, unconditionally. Can I have yours?”

Tears flowed down her cheeks. A knot of emotions curled within her. She couldn’t even begin to decipher it when she realized that she didn’t have to. She found the parts that made her the happiest and clung to them. For they were what she desperately wanted the most. She stopped lying to herself. “Yes. Gods damn you, yes,” she cried. “Will you accept me? For all that I am— damaged? Can you love that?”

“I already do,” Adrian said. “It took me a long time to accept. After everything that’s happened to me, I often wonder if I didn’t dream you up or if I’m still back in my cell, with my mind clinging to its last bastion of sanity. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. You complete me in ways that terrify me to admit. Because if this isn’t real? Then I’m lost. I won’t be able to hold on anymore. You mean that much to me, I’m certain of it now. I don’t want the Reya that existed before. I want the person lying here next to me for all that she is right now. The good and the bad. I want all of it.”

Reya’s tears flowed in a steady stream, and she sniffed. Adrian’s heart broke at the thought of her being sad. Before he could think, he closed the gap between them and held her close, hoping dearly that his presence would help calm her.

Several seconds passed until Adrian realized where he was holding. When he’d grabbed hold of her from behind, he’d accidentally grabbed her breast. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly as he moved his offending hand away from its spot. It was grabbed by Reya before it could get any further. She held it with both hands, quietly coming to a decision.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I don’t mind.” She gently put his hand back where it was on her breast, hoping he wouldn’t notice her heartbeat speed up from her apprehension.

Carefully, slowly, Adrian unfurled his fingers and palmed her breast. He maintained a tender yet firm grip on her. Reya placed her hand atop his, holding onto his fingers. She wriggled closer, her backside pressing against him.

They lay there stiffly, neither one willing to cross the next line, unsure of where it even was. Adrian’s body decided for him when Reya felt something long and hard press into her from behind. Surprised, she hesitated, wondering how best to treat the most recent development. “Adrian, are you…” she trailed off, having difficulty formulating a proper sentence.

“I can’t help it,” Adrian said bashfully. “This is you we’re talking about.” He was ramrod still, worried about Reya’s thoughts on the recent turn of events. He didn’t want to move and make her uncomfortable beyond anything she possibly felt right now. The thought of her rejecting him filled him with dread.

Giggling, Reya asked “What’s that supposed to mean?” That answer was a first. She’d never been told that before. It was refreshing.

Adrian went for broke, not wanting to be dishonest with her. “Reya, I think you’re beautiful. With you pressed against me like this and me, well, holding you,” he said delicately, even though they both knew he was referring to the hand fondling Reya, “of course this is going to happen. I can’t help it. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm,” Reya hummed. She turned around in his arms and placed a hand on his chest. “I never said I didn’t like it,” she purred as she pressed herself against him. She felt Adrian against her lower abdomen and smiled internally. He desired her and she knew it to be truth. A fire burned from deep within.

They rolled over, with Adrian going on his back. Reya draped herself over him, shimmying higher to be closer to his face. “I like it a lot,” she whispered as she leaned in to kiss him. Tension bled out of Adrian’s body as he melted into her. The arm she was pressed against curled around her upper back while his free arm snaked around her waist.

Their kiss deepened, and their tongues intertwined. Reya raised her knee along Adrian’s legs and swung it over his waist, climbing up on him. Their lips parted for a second while Reya repositioned herself. Sensing she was good, Adrian brought his hand behind her head and raised his neck, bringing himself closer as he continued to kiss her. They fell back onto the bed.

Straddling Adrian left little to Reya’s imagination as she felt his member throb against her. Her heart raced in anticipation. She gave his top a slight tug and felt the hem of her shirt receive one in return, rising along her back somewhat. Adrian’s lower arm pressed against her exposed skin. Hesitantly, he placed the first of his fingers under her shirt and slowly raised his hand. Opening his eyes, he pulled away from their kiss, silently asking Reya if he could continue.

Staring into his eyes, Reya nodded, and Adrian needed no more prompting. She felt his hand slip under her shirt and roam her back as they resumed kissing. They were both hungry for more, transmitting their desire through their lips. Adrian’s other arm joined his first against her skin and Reya shivered.

He raised her top until it was right below her breast. Reya took over and finished removing it, granting Adrian his first look at her body. “Beautiful,” he breathed. Reya watched his eyes dart around as his hand took hold of either side of her waist. Sitting up, she let out a small moan when he slowly raised his hands along her sides towards her breasts. A sharp breath left Reya when he began fondling her.

Finding his state of dress wholly unfair, Reya gave his shirt a hard tug. Adrian stopped his exploration of her body and sat up. Reya grabbed the bottom hem and lifted the shirt over him, her eyes drinking in the sight of his muscles in the moonlight. They were hard, well defined, and chiseled. Almost like a sculpture, Reya thought to herself. She gulped. She’d seen them in the daylight before but being this close to them she couldn’t help but place her hands on his chest and let her hands roam over him, her fingertips memorizing the feeling of his body.

Strong arms wrapped around her and brought her in for a tender kiss. Reya’s eyes closed as she once more lost herself in Adrian. Neither noticed as they slowly fell back onto the bed. Adrian pulled Reya closer, and their skin met for the first time. Her breasts pressed against his chest as their kisses grew desperate.

Adrian lowered his hand to her ass and grabbed a handful while the other one rose, and he tangled his fingers in her hair. Taking a chance, Adrian slipped below her waistline. Reya’s breath hitched and she pulled back, giving him a hungry look.

Moving downwards, Reya pressed her lips to his stomach, trailing hot kisses up along his chest, towards his neck. She kept going, making her way to his jaw and cheeks, along the side of his face. Her hot breath tickled him as she gave his ear a playful nibble.

Adrian returned the favour, working his way down her neck and along her collar bone before plunging further. Reya moved to grant him access to her breasts. They continued exploring each other’s body until finally, neither one of them could take it anymore.

“You first,” Reya whispered in his ear. Adrian grabbed her and flipped her onto her back. This time, he was the one straddling her. He leaned in and gave her another deep kiss for several seconds. Reya happily obliged. Adrian pulled back and worked his way down her body until he stopped just below her naval.

He reached over for his pants and slid them off. The waistband caught and he carefully worked himself free, depositing the last of his clothes on the floor. Reya drank in the sight of his body and moved forward. Reaching out, she touched him. A shiver ran through Adrian at the sensation of hands exploring what had previously been hidden. He let out a low groan as she moved. Reya brought her lips close and enveloped his member. Adrian appreciated her efforts as his eyes rolled back and his previously quiet groan grew louder. His hands ran through her hair as she threatened to overcome him.

Stopping her before she went too far, Adrian gently pushed her back down. Reya’s slight confusion quickly turned into anticipation as Adrian’s hands grabbed her waistband and slowly slid her pants off. They joined his on the floor. Adrian saw her in fully for the first time and fell in love all over again. His kisses trailed further downwards than before, eliciting a soft sigh from Reya.

Listening to her body’s signals, his fingers and mouth carefully teased her as he returned the earlier favour, the pleasure building until it became too much. Reya let out a gasp followed by a loud moan, her back arching. Adrian stopped and slid his body along hers. Reya’s lips were stolen once more, her world filled with passion. Adrian pressed against her, and his body sung to her. She ached with desire for him. Reaching down, she rubbed him, grabbing his attention. Guiding him to where she wanted him, she felt Adrian pause at the last moment.

“Are you sure?” Adrian asked. He wanted to be absolutely certain that this was what she wanted before proceeding.

“Shut up and kiss me, you fool.” Reya grabbed Adrian and pulled him closer, a small gasp leaving her lips as he obliged.