Chapter 3: A Fading Echo
The air felt thick between them, a blend of longing, regret, and a desperate desire for something more than what they had allowed themselves to believe was possible. Marissa pulled back slightly, the contact between them, while comforting, also stirred up emotions she wasn't sure she was ready to confront. She had spent so many years locking away pieces of herself, refusing to let them see the light of day, and now Mason had a way of pulling it all to the surface with just one touch.
"Marissa..." Mason's voice, low and raw, trembled as he whispered her name. He was so close—too close his breath mingling with hers, his lips just a breath away.
It should've been enough. They had been through this before, this dance of desire, this delicate balance of push and pull. But it wasn't enough. Not this time. Not after everything.
Her heart raced in her chest, the familiar ache of past wounds pulsing beneath her skin. She wanted to reach for him, to press her lips to his and erase the years of separation, but her body betrayed her. The walls she'd built up over time were still too high, still too strong to break down just like that.
"I can't, Mason," she whispered, her voice strained. She pulled away from him, putting distance between them, though every inch felt like a wound, a slice of space she couldn't bridge no matter how hard she tried. "I can't just pick up where we left off. It's not that simple."
His eyes darkened, but there was no anger in them, only understanding something she wasn't ready to face. "I'm not asking you to forget," he said softly, stepping back but never fully pulling away. "I'm asking you to stop running. Stop pretending it never mattered. Because it did, Marissa. It always has."
The words hit her like a stone, each one sinking deeper, carving out a place inside her that she didn't know she had left. She had spent so many years convincing herself that what they had was a fleeting moment, a chapter in a book she had long since closed. But Mason, damn him, was making her believe it was never truly over. It was a truth she wasn't ready to face.
"I don't know how to trust you anymore," she said, the words feeling foreign on her tongue, but they were the only ones that seemed to make sense. "You walked away. You left me without a word, without a single explanation. And then, when I needed you the most... you were gone."
Mason flinched, as if her words had struck him harder than any physical blow could. "I never wanted to leave you," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "I thought... I thought I was doing what was best for you. But all I did was push you away. And I hate myself for it."
There it was..the vulnerability in his eyes, the pain he had carried for so long. She could see it now, clearer than ever before. He had never wanted to hurt her. He had never wanted to be the cause of her heartache. But no matter how much he apologized, no matter how much he regretted his choices, it didn't change the past. And the past, for her, was a wound that refused to heal.
"I'm not the same person I was back then," Marissa whispered, looking away from him. "And I'm not sure I can be that person for you anymore."
Mason's heart clenched. He had always known this moment would come, but he hadn't anticipated just how much it would tear him apart. "You're still you, Marissa. The girl I knew, the girl I loved. I don't need you to be the same. I just need you to be here with me."
Her eyes welled with tears she hadn't known she'd been holding back, and she turned away, unable to face him as the floodgates opened. The weight of everything the years apart, the loneliness, the love they had shared and lost it all came crashing down on her in a single breath. "I've spent so long burying everything inside me," she said softly, her voice cracking under the strain. "I don't know how to let it all out."
Mason stepped closer, his hand gently cupping her chin and guiding her face back to him. "Then let me help you," he murmured, his voice full of tenderness and a fierce need to heal what had been broken. "Let me be the one to help you carry it."
For a long moment, Marissa didn't speak. She simply let him hold her gaze, his warmth and strength pulling her closer even though every part of her wanted to pull away. But there was something in his eyes that made it impossible to ignore the same love, the same depth that had been there all those years ago.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "But I want to. I want to learn how."
Mason's chest tightened with the weight of her words. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in the kind of embrace that spoke louder than anything words ever could. It wasn't about fixing everything right now. It was about being there, about showing her that he was willing to fight for them no matter what.
Marissa let herself sink into him, allowing his presence to calm the storm inside her. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. Not because everything was perfect, but because, for the first time, she was letting herself feel everything every emotion, every memory, every desire and not running from it.
"I'll wait," Mason said softly, his lips brushing her hair. "As long as it takes. I'll wait for you, Marissa."
The words hung in the air between them, as fragile and beautiful as a promise written in stardust. And for the first time in years, Marissa let herself believe it might be possible to start again.