Ye Jun
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. That I could leave anytime. But the words would not come. Instead I just sat there. Close to him. My hand still on his shoulder. His fingers still in my hair. The room felt smaller. The machines kept beeping. Steady. Annoying. But also comforting. They meant he was okay. For now.
I looked at his face. The bandage on his head. The small cut on his lip. The way his eyes looked tired but still sharp. Still him. I felt everything at once. Guilt. Anger. Relief. Something warmer that I did not want to name. I leaned in again. This time slower. I kissed the corner of his mouth. Soft. Careful. He did not push me away.
"Don't scare me like that again," I whispered.
He closed his eyes for a second. "I won't," he said. It sounded almost real. Almost like a promise.
