Chapter 312 - 304. Folding Blanket
"Why do you keep crying?" Zein chuckled, wiping the esper’s cheek with the sleeve of his pajama.
But Bassena merely shook his head, and pressed his face on the guide’s chest, holding the man close to him, as close as he could, listening to the steady heartbeat of his most beloved.
Zein kissed the crown of the platinum hair, before pulling the esper back so he could look at the messy face. Not quite handsome anymore with all those tears and scrunching, but still adorable nonetheless. He stroked the stubbornly wet cheek and whispered. "Won’t you give me a reply?"
Bassena flinched, eyes widened as if he were someone who just committed a great sin. "I love you," it was just three words, but Bassena sounded out of breath, as if each word weighed a thousand—no, a million more. "I love you," Bassena repeated, pulling Zein into his embrace, tightly, like his promise to never let go. "Gods, I love you so much."
How long had Bassena longed to hear that word from Zein’s lips? How many nights had he dreamt it; through the sea of darkness and the seaside cliff. He had prepared himself to never hear it all in this life even, looking at how reserved Zein was about such a thing.
How could he receive such a blissful, wonderful, magnificent reward when he was nothing short of useless? Did he even deserve such sweet words, when he wasn’t even there with Zein when the man needed him the most?
And yet...and yet...
Bassena couldn’t let go. Even if he did not deserve it now, all he had to do was to make sure he turned into someone who deserved it. Deserving the love of such a strong, magnificent man.
"What are you thinking about now?" Zein lifted the esper’s face, his eyes were the splendor of brilliant jewels. "You shouldn’t be thinking about anything but kissing me right now."
Ah, every word just sounded like a hymn, like a sacred decree, and he was nothing but a devotee.
It was engraved in him, the way to those red lips. Soft, sweet, sublime. How many times had they kissed at that point? And yet it felt new, as sweet as a first kiss, filled with fluttering hearts and trembling touches.