TORTURED SOUL, general kirigan ✔

CHAPTER SEVEN

His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her against him, hugging her tightly. His lips pressed a kiss to her temple and then her forehead before he sighed. Liliya tentatively wrapped her arms around him in return, letting herself relax under his touch. He always had a way of making her feel better and she didn't understand or know how he did it.

"I did not intend to neglect you, milaya. It has just become busy," He said before he pulled back. His hands cupped her cheeks and he then pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "You went to Genya just to impress me. I couldn't deny you now," He mumbled as he began to press soft kisses against her jaw. Liliya was stunned, unsure what to say but then he began to kiss her neck and she let out a soft moan at the feeling. She didn't realise how touch-starved she had truly been. His hands then moved to her thighs and he pulled her legs around his waist.

The two landed on the bed, Aleksander hovering above her as he kissed down her chest. Her shirt was quickly discarded on the floor and he kissed along her shoulders before looking down at her arms. He instantly noticed how the redness had gone and he looked up at her.

"Did Genya heal this?" Aleksander asked as he ran his fingers across the skin at the top of her arm. Liliya nodded and Aleksander sighed so the redhead sat up. Her arms wrapping around her chest as she rested her head back. Aleksander sat back and watched her for a moment, unsure and confused.

"I thought you'd be glad," Liliya said as she tried to relax but she was anxious. Her worries that had been so neatly tucked away were unravelling at the seams and eating her alive. Isaak had changed everything and she wished he had stayed dead.

"What's wrong?" He repeated his earlier question. Though this wasn't just a question, it was a demand.

"Nothing. I just, I'm worried and stressed and I look like a mess all the time," Liliya decided, attempting to conceal her feelings or at least make them less dramatic. She didn't want him worrying, if he even cared. That thought hit her like a bag of bricks and she stared just to the left of his head. Her face contorting from confusion to anxiety to sadness.

"I don't care what you look like, milaya," He responded as he shuffled closer. He reached his hand out but Liliya didn't take it. Her fingers pushed through her hair before she took a long deep breath and looked back at Aleksander again.

"Do you still love me?" She asked. Aleksander nodded. He never liked to say it, he didn't say it often but she needed to know. She just had to hear him say it, "Say it, Aleks, please," She mumbled softly. Aleksander sighed and moved to sit down, his back against the headboard. He then took her by the waist and pulled her to straddle his waist.

His hands cupped her cheeks and he looked into her eyes. The look of adoration that she had grown so familiar with on his face. Liliya couldn't help but melt under his gaze. Her forehead leaning agaisnt his.

"I love you, Liya. I don't care what you look like. I don't care about anything. It's just us. Nobody else," He proclaimed. His words felt and seemed genuine but some part of Liliya still doubted it. The old fears creeping back in, making her wonder and question. It was exhausting but he could help fight them off.

"I love you too," She mumbled before he moved his hand down to rest against hers. Liliya pulled back and lifted her hand so they were palm-to-palm. The black rings on each of their fingers pressing against each other. Her smile widened at that and she looked back at him. Aleksander was staring at the rings, just looking. Liliya wanted to know what was going on in his mind but she didn't ask.

Instead, she leant forward and kissed him. Her lips pressed against his in a slow yet loving movement. Aleksander intertwined their fingers before tilting his head slightly so he could get a better angle for the kiss. It quickly grew intense. His free hand gripping her hip and flipped them over. He just wanted to be with her, be near her. He had missed her and just hoped that she would understand that when they had their bodies pressed together.