I Do

Epilogue

Zack’s Point of View

I pulled her closer to my chest and kissed her forehead. "I don't want to scare you." I whisper, struggling not to shudder at the thought. I was almost certain I didn’t scare her, at least, not the version of me she knew. But that was only a fraction of who I am, and to think that she isn’t a part of every aspect of who I am kills me. 

"I know." she pulled away slightly and looked up at me and something inside me broke. Her eyes shone in the fluorescent light and I didn’t understand how someone could look so flawless, sexy even, under the godawful lights. She caught my stare and flushed, squirming. 

“What?” she asks. 

“Nothing,” I say quickly. 

She traces my chest with one finger; this new side to her I’ve never seen is almost too much for me at once. “Don’t lie to me. You know how I hate that.” she says almost under her breath, but it’s just audible enough for me to take in. 

“I’m thinking about how much I want you,” I finally say. Her iridescent blue eyes widen and I watch as her pupils enlarge with them. If that’s not a good sign. I can feel my heartbeat unceremoniously pump blood in an offbeat rhythm. 

Thump, thump. Thump. Thump, thump, thump. 

Can she hear it? She’d have to be deaf not to. “Say something?” I request. 

She shakes her head, eyes downcast. “I--I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything, just come here.” I reach out and pull her to me again, and this time I don’t let go. I graze my teeth on her bottom lip, and she shakes visibly in my arms. Soon, though, she has control over both of us. 

The next thing I know, several minutes have passed, her hands are tangled in my hair, and we're both gasping for air. 

"That was intense." she muttered, as we held our heads close, breathing in each other. 

And it had been. She had never kissed me like that before, never not held back. Just when I thought I couldn't love her anymore. 

"Yeah," I agreed, reaching up to twirl a stray golden curl between two of my fingers. It felt like a dream, honestly. It couldn't be real. How many times had I dreamed of holding her in my arms, like this, kissing her perfect lips and just... 

"Zack?" 

"Yeah, bunny?" She wrinkled her nose at me and I leaned in to kiss it. I couldn't even help myself. 

"What are you thinking about?" 

"Remember how in How I Met Your Mother they said the moment right before the kiss was the best? I'm starting to doubt that now. The drumroll is pretty good, but you know, I kind of liked that tropical thunderstorm just now."