“My answer is… yes.” Hadley smiled, just a little. Her voice came out soft but sure.

The early autumn breeze swept through, lifting her long hair so it danced gently in the wind.

“What?” Eric squinted, pretending he hadn’t heard. But the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away. He tilted his head slightly and said, “The wind’s kind of loud. Mind saying that again?”

“I said…” Hadley frowned, her cheeks turning a deeper red, like clouds catching the last blush of the sunset. “I want to give us another chance.”

This time, Eric caught every word. The truth was, he’d heard her the first time. He just needed to hear it again to be sure.

He hadn’t imagined it. She meant it.

A surge of emotion rose behind Eric’s eyes. He didn’t want her to see him cry, so he bent down and wrapped her in his arms. One hand cradled the back of her head, shielding his face from view. He held her so tightly he nearly lost his footing, forcing him to step back to steady himself.

He winced. The hug hurt, but it was worth every ounce of pain. His latest scan had shown multiple soft tissue contusions across his body. But the beating hadn’t been in vain.

Right now, even if he had to be broken all over again, he would still choose this moment.

Hadley stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers tangled in his hair, then slid down and accidentally pinched his ears.

“Heh.” Eric chuckled all of a sudden.

Hadley blinked, puzzled. “What’s so funny?”

Laughing at a time like this?

What a buzzkill!

“Don’t be mad!” Eric grinned and held her even tighter. “I’m not laughing at you! How could I ever laugh at you?”

“Then what are you laughing at?” she mumbled, though part of her believed him now. Eric would never dare laugh at her.

New updates in gα?ησνs?c?m

“My ears.” Eric took her hand and explained, “You touched them. It tickled.”

Hadley blinked. That was it? “You’re ticklish there, too?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Eric chuckled, a boyish grin spreading across his face. “Weird, right? I guess it just means you’ve got a ticklish grip on my heart.”

“Pfft…” Hadley laughed. She tried to smother it with a pout and gave him a side glance. “So what, I’m not allowed to touch you anymore?”

“Of course not.” Eric lowered his head and nestled into her arms. “I’m yours. You can touch me whenever and wherever you want.”

He took her hands and placed them on his ears. “Go ahead. This time I’ll be ready. I swear I won’t laugh.”

Hadley chuckled and gave his ears a playful tug. “Alright. You’re forgiven.”

“Oh, Hadley.” Eric grinned and leaned his head against her shoulder, their bodies fitting together like they belonged there.

.

.

.