Ethan's POV
I sat outside her door for hours.
Listening.
Waiting.
The house was silent around me.
Guards patrolled the perimeter.
Security systems monitored every entrance.
But here, in this hallway, there was only me and the wood between us.
And the sound of her breathing.
Soft.
Slow.
Steady.
She had fallen asleep.
I knew it before I checked.
The rhythm of her breath had changed.
Deepened.
Evened out.
My little star had cried herself to sleep.
Because of me.
Because of what I was.
What I showed her.
---
I stood slowly.
Quietly.
Turned the handle.
The door opened without resistance.
She hadn't locked it.
Didn't know if that meant trust or exhaustion.
Probably both.
She lay on the bed.
Curled on her side.
Hair spread across the pillow.
Face relaxed in sleep.
But her cheeks were stained.
Tear tracks dried on her skin.
Redness around her eyes.
She had cried so much.
For me.
Because of me.
My chest ached.
Literally ached.
A physical pain I hadn't felt in decades.
I had killed men without flinching.
Tortured enemies without remorse.
Endured things that would break normal humans.
But this.
Seeing her cry.
Knowing I caused it.
This hurt worse than anything.
---
I moved to the bed.
Lifted her carefully.
She didn't wake.
Just murmured something soft.
Pressed closer to me instinctively.
Seeking warmth.
Seeking comfort.
Even in sleep, she reached for me.
Even after everything.
I carried her to my room.
Laid her on my bed.
Pulled the covers over her.
She looked so small there.
So fragile.
So breakable.
And I had broken her.
Just a little.
Just enough to leave marks.
I sat beside her.
Watched her sleep.
Tried to figure out how to fix this.
How to be what she needed.
How to keep her without destroying her.
---
She was naive.
Innocent.
Pure in ways I had forgotten existed.
She saw the world as it should be.
Not as it was.
She trusted until given reason not to.
Loved until hurt.
Believed until proven wrong.
And the world had proven her wrong so many times.
Everyone in her life had exploited her.
Used her.
Hurt her.
And now me.
The worst of all.
Because I didn't just hurt her.
I showed her the darkness I carried.
Let her see the monster underneath.
I felt guilt for the first time in my existence.
Real guilt.
Heavy guilt.
The kind that sits in your chest and doesn't move.
I didn't like it.
Didn't know what to do with it.
But it was there.
Because of her.
Because she made me feel things I had forgotten I could feel.
---
I lay down beside her.
Just to be close.
Just to breathe the same air.
I would leave before she woke.
Wouldn't push.
Wouldn't take.
Would give her space to decide.
But for now.
Just for tonight.
I wanted to be near her.
She shifted in sleep.
Turned towards me.
Her hand found my chest.
Resting over my heart.
Then her arm curled around me.
Pulled herself closer.
Burrowed into my side like I was safety.
Like I was home.
I froze.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't move.
She hugged me in her sleep.
Trusted me in her dreams.
Even after everything.
Something cracked inside me.
Something I didn't know was still whole enough to break.
I wrapped my arm around her.
Pulled her closer.
Pressed my lips to her hair.
And for the first time in centuries.
I slept.
Really slept.
Peacefully.
Because she was in my arms.
Where she belonged.
---
Morning came slowly.
Light creeping through the windows.
Warmth spreading across the bed.
I woke before her.
Always did.
But I didn't move.
Didn't want to.
She was still curled against me.
Her head on my chest.
Her arm across my stomach.
Her leg tangled with mine.
Perfect.
Absolute perfection.
I watched her wake.
Felt the moment consciousness returned.
Her breathing changed.
Her body tensed slightly.
Then relaxed.
She didn't pull away.
Didn't scream.
Didn't run.
She just lay there.
Processing.
---
Then her hand moved.
Slow.
Tentative.
Fingers trailing up my chest.
Over my collarbone.
To my jaw.
Touching my skin like she was learning it.
Like she had never touched a man before.
She probably hadn't.
Not like this.
Not intentionally.
Not curious.
Her fingers traced my jawline.
Light.
Feather soft.
Then up to my hair.
Running through it.
Gentle.
Exploring.
I kept my breathing steady.
Eyes closed.
Let her think I was asleep.
Let her touch without fear of being caught.
Her hand moved back down.
Over my ear.
My neck.
My shoulder.
Across my chest.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Learning every inch.
---
Her touch was fire.
Burning through the fabric of my shirt.
Igniting everything underneath.
I had never been touched like this.
Never been explored.
Never been wanted this way.
By anyone.
Ever.
She reached my stomach.
Fingers pressing slightly.
Feeling the muscles there.
Tracing the lines.
Learning the shape of me.
I wanted to grab her.
Wanted to pull her on top of me.
Wanted to show her what her touch did to me.
But I stayed still.
Let her have this moment.
Let her discover.
Let her want.
Her hand moved lower.
Slower now.
Hesitant.
Curious.
Dangerous.
---
Her fingers reached the waistband of my lounge pants.
Paused there.
Trembling slightly.
I felt her breath catch.
Felt her heart race against my side.
She was scared.
And excited.
And curious.
All the things I felt every time I looked at her.
Her hand slipped lower.
Just past the waistband.
Just enough to feel.
Just enough to discover.
My eyes opened.
My hand caught her wrist.
Stopped her before she went further.
Her eyes flew to mine.
Wide.
Dark.
Guilty.
And something else.
Something I had never seen in her before.
Desire.
Pure.
Honest.
Unfiltered desire.
---
"You're awake."
"I'm awake."
"You let me—" She couldn't finish.
"I let you touch."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted you to."
She swallowed.
Her wrist still in my grip.
Her body still pressed against mine.
Her hand still hovering where no man had ever been touched by her.
"I'm sorry—I shouldn't have—I don't know what came over me—"
"Don't apologize."
"But—"
"Don't apologize for wanting, little star."
She stared at me.
Those dark eyes.
Those beautiful, innocent, suddenly hungry eyes.
Full of questions.
Full of need.
Full of things she didn't understand yet.
---
I saw it.
The lust.
The thirst.
The thing other people felt when they looked at each other.
The thing I had felt for her from the beginning.
It was there now.
In her eyes.
For me.
She wanted me.
Not just my attention.
Not just my protection.
Me.
My body.
My touch.
My everything.
It was written all over her face.
And it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
"Meera."
"Y-yes?"
"What were you looking for?"
Her cheeks flamed.
"I wasn't—I didn't—"
"Your hand was going somewhere. What were you looking for?"
She couldn't answer.
Couldn't meet my eyes.
I released her wrist.
Slowly.
Let her choose.
Let her pull away if she wanted.
She didn't.
Her hand stayed where it was.
Right at the edge.
Waiting.
---
I should have stopped this.
Should have been gentle.
Should have given her time.
But the look in her eyes.
The want.
The need.
It matched my own.
And I was only so strong.
"I'll tell you what's there."
Her breath caught.
"What?"
"What you were looking for. I'll tell you. I'll show you. When you're ready."
"And if I'm ready now?"
The words almost broke me.
Almost.
"You're not."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're shaking. Because your heart is racing. Because you don't even know what you're asking for."
She looked down.
At her hand.
At where it rested.
At me.
"I want to know."
"You will. Soon. But not like this. Not rushed. Not scared."
"I'm not scared."
"You should be."
She met my eyes.
Defiant.
Stubborn.
Beautiful.
"Maybe. But I'm not."
---
I smiled.
Slow.
Warm.
Genuine.
"Then we'll take it slow. Together. When you're sure. When you're ready. When you understand what you're asking for."
She considered this.
Nodded slowly.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. Slow. Together. When I'm ready."
I pulled her closer.
Pressed my lips to her forehead.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For wanting me. For trusting me. For staying."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then softly.
"I don't know if I trust you. Not completely. Not after everything."
"I know."
"But I want to. I want to get there."
"That's enough."
She relaxed against me.
Hand still on my stomach.
Heart still racing.
But calmer now.
Safer.
We lay there as morning brightened around us.
Two broken people.
Trying to find a way to each other.
I would wait.
I would be patient.
I would earn her trust.
One moment at a time.
Because she was worth it.
She had always been worth it.
And someday.
When she was ready.
When she understood everything.
She would be mine.
Completely.
Willingly.
Forever.
Until then.
I would hold her.
Protect her.
Love her.
However she let me.
However she needed.
My little star.
Finally in my arms.
Where she belonged.