Chapter 61
Amelia’s POV
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I could still feel the warmth of his skin against mine, the rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. The room was dim, only the soft light from the TV flickering across the walls. Outside, Brixton was quiet.
For the first time in a long time, everything felt still, peaceful, as if life had finally decided to take a breath.
Edmund shifted slightly, his arm draped lazily across my waist, his thumb tracing small, absent circles on my hip beneath the duvet. I exhaled, melting deeper into him. It was strange, how natural it felt. Like we had done this a thousand times before.
He leaned in and kissed the top of my head. “I’ve missed this,” he murmured, his voice low and rough, the kind of tone that carried so much emotion.
I smiled against his skin. “Me too.”
For a long moment, we just lay there, no words, just voices from the TV and the rhythm of our breathing. It was almost frightening how comfortable it felt, how easily my body responded to his presence.
I should’ve been thinking about everything that had happened, about Vikki, about the mess waiting once the outreach wrapped up, but for that brief moment, I didn’t want to. I just wanted to exist here, wrapped in his warmth and surrounded by something that felt dangerously close to love.
Or was it love?
“So,” he said finally, his voice breaking through the silence, “the cutreach’s been a success, hasn’t it?”
I looked up at him, smiling softly. “It really has. The turnout today was huge. The free checkups, the awareness talks, even the kids wellness booth, everything went smoother than I expected.”
He nodded, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. “That’s because you worked your ass off for it.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t hide the smile tugging at my lips. “We worked our asses off for it.”
His lips quirked. “Fair enough. But still… you were incredible, Amelia.”
The way he said my name sent a strange ache through me. I tried to ignore it. “We still have tomorrow,” I reminded him, shifting slightly to face him. “The final day before we pack up and head back.”
“Right,” he said, drawing in a deep breath. “And then comes the fundraiser gala.”
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
He gave me a half–smile, clearly amused by my confusion. “The fundraiser night. The one closing the outreach program. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”
“Event?” I sat up, pulling the duvet around me. “I wasn’t informed there would be any gala, Edmund.”
He frowned, sitting up too. “No? You didn’t read the file I sent you?”
I looked away, guilt pooling at the base of my throat. “I… might have skimmed through it.”
His brow arched, and the faintest smirk pulled at his lips. “Skimmed, huh? Then how have you been handling the outreach all this while?”
“One day at a time, I guess,” I muttered, crossing my arms.
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14:41 Thu, Feb 5 BNB.
Chapter 61
54%
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The duvet shifted, and the light from the TV flickered out, leaving us in the dim glow of the bedside lamp. There were no words after that, only skin against skin, and the undeniable truth that, no matter how much time had passed, some fires never really went out.
By the time I drifted into sleep, his arm was still around me, his breath warm against my hair. For the first time in a very long time, I didn’t feel alone.
I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, the gala, Vikki, the messy reality waiting outside this room, but in that moment, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, some second chances were worth the risk.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
