Funny how neither of us could say the words. “Yeah, do you want to see it?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods? Of course I do.”
With his shirt now off, I could look closely at the many tattoos he had. He had a lot more than the last time I saw him, but there on his chest was the dark outline of a dragon, just like the one he drew.
I ran my fingers across it, watching as his skin pebbled beneath my touch. “You said you were going with colour.”
“I was, but this reflected my mood better.”
“You have more, too.”
“Yeah, it’s an addiction.”
“So I’ve heard.” Seth used to get them all the time, and he was another person I’d not seen or heard from in years. I wondered if he’d get in touch, but he never did. Another friend I’d lost.
I glanced at his wrists; the scars were hardly visible.
“You can touch them. They’re part of me now.”
I skimmed my fingers down the inside of his arms to the white lines that marred his skin, then brought them to my lips, kissing each one in turn.
A tear splashed on my hand. Harvey’s tears.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“You didn’t. It’s just no one has ever taken care of me the way you did. Not since Gran died, anyway.”
“Let’s get some sleep, and we can talk again tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to do this.”
Harvey’s lips were soft against mine. Not insistent, but gentle. His hands ran through my hair and down to my shoulders. He pushed me onto my back, his body now covering mine.
I returned the kiss. Fuck, I’d missed this.
Missed the connection. Missed him.
He tumbled to the side, breaking the kiss. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. We were taking it slow.”
“I’m glad you did. I wanted it, but I was too scared to ask.”
“You never have to ask. Not again.”
He pulled the covers over us and settled into the crook of my arm.
For the first time in a very long time, my heart and mind were free. Free from the chains that had wrapped themselves around me for the last three years, holding me back.
Harvey was and always would be my safe space, regardless of what he’d done.
“I love you,” I whispered into the darkness.
“I love you, too.”
Five fucking days was all it had taken to fall back under his spell. I’d sworn to guard my heart, but he’d wormed his way back in there without me knowing.
I knew this meant as much to him as it did me, and I fell asleep knowing I’d found my home.
Chapter 32