Alina opened the door and stepped inside.

Austin was at the desk reading some report. He had removed his coat and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

"You’re late," he said, looking up.

"I was... walking."

"You’ve been walking a lot today."

"I had things to think about."

"The index?" he laughed.

She frowned as if offended but the color rising to her cheeks betrayed her as she remembered the scene.

She shook her head and walked towards him the way she always did when she was about to do something important. He watched her approach and immediately noticed something different in her walk.

She reached the desk, stood beside his chair and looked down at him.

"Alina, what..."

A knock at the door made him stop mid-sentence.

"Your Grace. A few letters require your signature," Mr. Harrington said, from the other side of the door.

Austin looked at Alina then at the door.

"Leave them outside."

"But the courier..."

"I said leave them outside."

Mr. Harrington placed the papers on the floor and left.

Alina looked at Austin with a flicker of annoyance on her face. The moment was ruined.

Austin could feel something was happening but couldn’t identify what.

She then shook her head, gathering courage and leaned towards his face again. She put her hand on the desk for balance as her face closed the distance between them.

The door opened without a knock this time. Evelyn entered the room carrying a tray.

"I made the special chamomile tea from the new honey I brought from the market, you don’t have to worry about..."

She saw them and froze. Austin usually returned to the room late, so Evelyn sometimes came to bring Alina tea or food, especially when it was something she liked. She hadn’t expected to see Austin there, and certainly not both of them in such an awkward position.

"I’ll...I’ll come back...later..."

Evelyn immediately left, closing the door behind her. The moment was ruined again.

Alina straightened and stepped back.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Tea," she replied.

"Before that...you were...leaning."

"I was trying to read your report. I couldn’t read the upper part clearly."

Austin didn’t buy her excuse but he didn’t push either. Defeated, Alina, went to bed and lay down. A few minutes later, Austin finished his work, lay down beside her and held her hand, as usual.

She stared at the canopy above. Her heart was thundering now because they were on the bed.

Slowly, she turned to his side .

"Austin."

"Yes?"

She gently pulled her hand away from his grip and put it on his chest. His whole body went rigid.

"Alina, what are you..."

"Shhh."

"I..."

A loud crash shattered the moment, once again. Something had fallen in the courtyard below. Austin sat up instantly. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Stay here," he said, already reaching for his boots.

"Austin, it’s probably..."

"It’s coming from stables. I need to check."

He was already at the door before she could protest. He opened the door and looked back at Alina. She was sitting with her hand still hovering where his chest had been.

"I’ll be back soon," he said and left.

Alina fell back on the pillow and stared at the canopy again.

First Mr. Harrington, then Evelyn and now, most probably, a horse had interrupted her.

The universe is conspiring. Some cosmic force is stopping me to kiss Austin tonight.

Ten minutes later, Austin returned.

"Horse kicked the stable door off its hinges," he said, getting back into bed. "The guards are handling it."

"Of course they are," she replied.

Enough! I’m going to kiss him tonight no matter what. I’m done waiting.

She turned towards him again and propped herself on her elbow. In the faint moonlight steaming through the curtains, she looked down at his face.

"Alina?"

She put her hand on his jaw, her thumb gently brushing his cheek. He froze, finally understanding what she was about to do.

"Alina, I..."

"Don’t talk."

She leaned down slowly, feeling every inch of the distance she had measured since the first night she lay beside him. She could feel his warm, uneven breath on her lips.

And finally, she crossed the last inch.

Her lips met his. The touch was soft and delicate.

He hesitated at first, then melted into her touch. The promise he had made to himself finally gave way.

His hand rose to her face, cupping her jaw in the same way she was cupping his. He kissed her back with everything he had been holding inside for months.

Slowly, the kiss deepened. Her tongue explored his mouth as she gently bit his bottom lip and pulled it into her mouth playfully.

His other hand moved to her back and pulled her closer until she was half lying on top of him. A soft moan escaped his lips, and she answered it with one of her own.

She broke the kiss to breathe, their lips still touching.

"You taste exactly like I imagined," she whispered.

Instead of answering, he kissed along her jaw and down to her throat, pressing slow, open-mouthed kisses that made her shiver. When he returned to her lips, she kissed him harder. Her fingers slid into his hair and her nails gently scratched his scalp.

The whole world seemed to disappear then. There was only the wet heat, the slide of their tongues, and the small sounds they made.

She smiled against his mouth, surprised, delighted and terrified all at once. He smiled back and pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Alina... you were sold to me..."

"And I just kissed you for free," she smiled.

He laughed. She kissed him again, swallowing the sound into her mouth and turning it into something deeper. His arms pulled her fully on top of him until she straddled his hips. The weight of her settled on him, and he groaned into her mouth.

"I’ve wanted to do this for a long time," he whispered, as they paused for air,

"And you never did it," she whispered back. "Even when I lay beside you every night."

"Because of the promise I made to myself," he said, his hand sliding to her nape. "That I wouldn’t be like my..." he stopped.

She pressed her forehead to his and he kissed her again. Her hips moved against him, and his hands tightened on her waist, steadying her.

When her lips moved to his jaw, he turned his head, exposing his throat to her. She smiled and kissed down his neck.

"Alina," he whispered, his voice strained, "If you keep doing that..."

She lifted her head.

"If I keep doing... what?"

"I won’t be able to stop."

She held his gaze for a moment, then let out a small breath. Instead of continuing, she lay down on his chest. Her fingers curled into his shirt, holding on tightly as if he might disappear.

"Then hold me," she said. "Just hold me tonight."

He wrapped his arms around her. His one hand cradled her head while the other rested on her lower back. He pulled the blanket over them both and she snuggled deeper into his warmth, tangling her legs with his.

Within minutes, her breathing became slow and even. Her grip on his shirt loosened as she fell asleep. He looked at her and gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen on her lips.

She kissed me.

He had spent so many nights lying beside her, fighting the urge to reach for her. He was afraid and had built a wall around himself. But she had broken it with just one kiss.

He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I’m completely ruined for you," he whispered into her hair. "And I don’t know... if I’ll ever find my way back."