The drizzle softened into a mist so light it barely touched their skin.
Amelia and Ethan stayed forehead-to-forehead for a long, quiet moment, their breaths mingling, their hands still linked. Nothing about it felt rushed. Nothing felt uncertain.
It felt right.
Amelia slowly pulled back—not far, just enough to see his face. Ethan opened his eyes at the same moment she did, and the soft look he gave her made her heart flutter all over again.
"I didn't think I could be this close to someone again," she whispered.
Ethan brushed his thumb across her knuckles.
"And yet you're here. With me."
She swallowed hard.
"I'm not used to wanting someone beside me."
"You're doing beautifully," he whispered.
"And I'm grateful it's me you're letting in."
Amelia exhaled softly, a mixture of relief and warmth.
"It doesn't feel confusing when it's you," she admitted.
"Good," Ethan murmured.
"Because I don't want to be something that overwhelms you. I want to be something that steadies you."
Her breath trembled, and she couldn't hide it.
"You already do."
Ethan looked away for the briefest second—just to gather himself—because her words hit deeper than she knew.
When he turned back, his voice was gentler than ever.
"Tell me something," he whispered.
Amelia nodded.
"Does this…" He lifted their intertwined hands slightly.
"Does this feel okay for you?"
She nodded once—soft but certain.
"Yes."
"And this?"
He shifted closer just enough that their knees touched again.
Amelia breathed in, then out, steady and sure.
"Yes."
Ethan hesitated for the first time—not because he was unsure, but because he respected her so much.
"And what about…"
His voice softened to a low murmur.
"…us being this close?"
Amelia didn't move away.
Instead, she leaned gently against his side.
"I want this closeness," she whispered.
"With you."
Ethan's eyes closed for a moment, overwhelmed in the quietest way.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"For what?" Amelia asked, brushing his arm with her shoulder.
"For choosing me.
For trusting me.
For letting me see you this way."
Amelia felt her throat tighten with emotion.
"I'm trying to trust myself too," she admitted.
"You're doing better than you think."
They sat like that for a moment, rain whispering around them, hearts steadying in the soft night.
After a stretch of silence, Amelia lifted her head and looked at him.
"Ethan?"
"Yes?"
"If you weren't sitting here with me right now… what would you be doing?"
He smiled softly.
"Probably thinking about you."
Her cheeks warmed instantly.
"You would?"
"I already do," he said simply.
"And now I get to do it while sitting beside you instead of alone in my apartment."
Her heart squeezed.
"You think about me that much?"
"All the time, Amelia."
She looked away shyly, but Ethan gently guided her chin back—barely touching her, just encouraging.
"Don't look away," he murmured.
"You don't have to hide from me."
Her breath caught.
"I'm not hiding."
"Good," he whispered.
"Because I want to see you."
Amelia's fingers tightened around his hand in a small, emotional reply.
"I'm not used to someone wanting to see me," she said quietly.
"Then I'll see you," Ethan murmured.
"For as long as you let me."
The vulnerability in his voice made Amelia's chest warm in a way she couldn't contain.
She leaned into him again—closer this time, resting against his shoulder with quiet certainty.
"Stay with me a little longer," she whispered.
Ethan's arm shifted, coming around her slowly—giving her every second to pull away if she wanted.
She didn't.
He wrapped her gently against his side, warm and protective, holding her as though she were something precious.
And to him, she was.
Amelia let out a soft, shaky breath—
not from fear,
but from peace.
"I could get used to this," she whispered.
Ethan rested his cheek lightly against the top of her head.
"So could I," he murmured.
Under the soft rain,
under the dim glow of the streetlights,
Amelia finally understood something she had been afraid to admit:
She didn't just feel safe with Ethan.
She felt wanted.
She felt seen.
She felt chosen.
And for the first time in a long time,
she let herself choose him back.