My smart girl 3. Rewriting our stars

I pulled her as close as physically possible, kissing her soft lips that willingly parted under mine. A ragged breath escaped me as I buried my fingers in the golden silk of her hair. Everything felt like a dream — but not the nightmare from yesterday. This was a dream I never wanted to wake up from. Rose’s slender fingers tangled in my hair, gently tugging at the strands exactly the way I loved. I carefully lowered her onto the pillow, hovering over her without breaking the kiss for even a second. I was afraid to miss even the smallest, quietest sigh that left her lips. Mine… mine… mine… The word echoed in my mind like a captured bird. …I won’t give you to anyone. Not even death. You’re mine forever… My heart whispered desperately, trying to reach hers. Stay… stay with me, my love… My lips begged silently as they kissed her — the most desired lips in the world. And she wanted just as desperately to stay with me. I could feel it in every kiss she returned, and I knew that she would never leave me willingly… …We completely dissolved into each other, losing all sense of time. I wished I could stop it forever, so it could never steal another second away from me with her. That was exactly how Ten found us some time later when he came to check on his sister. My hands were still possessively gripping her slim waist, her fingers tangled in my hair as I kissed her like a madman, pressing her into the bed with my body. Rose, thankfully, didn’t mind at all — she pulled me closer, holding me just as tightly. We both knew how easily we could have lost each other in a single moment. “I see you’re already feeling much better, little doe,” Ten chuckled as he approached. “But maybe, for the sake of decency, you could stop kissing this idiot while your brother is trying to talk to you.” Rose’s lips curved into a smile against mine. She pulled away first, though clearly reluctant. I had no choice but to let her go, at least to maintain some appearance of propriety — something I honestly couldn’t care less about. Still, I grumbled good-naturedly as I sat on the narrow hospital bed and immediately pulled my girl back against me possessively: “As always, your timing is terrible, Ten. Couldn’t you have come a couple of hours later? You’re kind of interrupting us, to be honest.” Ten just snorted and rolled his eyes, stepping closer. Rose lightly elbowed me in the side, slipping out of my suffocating embrace, and smiled warmly. She reached out for her brother. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into a tight hug, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “You scared the hell out of me, baby… Never do that again,” he said. Though he tried to sound lighthearted, I caught the telltale tremor in his voice. Rose sighed softly and hid her face in his chest. “Did you two make a pact or something? Jay said the exact same thing.” Ten huffed a quiet laugh and pulled back slightly, stroking her back and tucking a light strand of hair behind her ear. “At least your *husband* and I agree on something.” He emphasized the word “husband” pointedly, still clearly in shock from our impulsive marriage. Rose gave a weak smile, then grew serious. She squeezed his hand and whispered almost inaudibly: “Thank you, Tenny.” “For what?” He frowned, gently holding her fragile fingers in his palm. “For saving me. Jay told me that you…” Ten didn’t let her finish. He pulled her into another fierce hug. For a brief moment, pain flashed across his face — a mirror of my own. “Silly girl,” he whispered tenderly, stroking her hair. “You don’t thank someone for that. How could I have done anything else? Besides… it was my fault that it happened. I’m sorry, little one…” Rose only hugged him tighter, silently letting him know she had already forgiven him long ago. For a while, the three of us sat in peaceful silence, simply savoring the calm after yesterday’s storm. I wished with everything in me that such a nightmare would never repeat. After a few minutes, Ten pulled back, still holding Rose’s small hands in his. He looked at her pale face with concern and asked: “How are you feeling, baby?” Rose smiled gently. “I’m okay, Tenny. Really… Well, as okay as I can be… in my case.” Ten took a shaky breath, probably thanking every god he knew, just as I had done earlier. He leaned in and softly kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you’re better, sunshine. But we still need to do another MRI to see how much your heart was affected after… yesterday.” Rose flinched. Her grip on his hands tightened instinctively. I immediately moved closer, desperate to protect her, to shield her from anything that could cause her pain. I pulled her back into my arms, kissing her temple and whispering against her skin: “Don’t be afraid, my love. I’ll be with you the whole time.” Rose nodded weakly and rested her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes. I met Ten’s gaze. He gave a silent nod toward the door, signaling that we needed to talk. I nodded back. Carefully laying Rose back on the pillow, I kissed her forehead and whispered: “I’ll be right back, darling. Don’t do anything stupid without me, okay?” Rose smiled, looking up at me from under her lashes. “Don’t worry, Jay… I only do stupid things with you.”