CLAIRE

We lay there afterward, breathing slowly, finding our way back to normal. Julian was on his back. I was curled against his side, my head resting on his chest, his heartbeat was still racing. I could feel it under my ear, gradually slowing down.

"Hi," he said after a while.

"Hi," I replied.

He brought his hand up to my hair, running his fingers through it gently, the gesture was tender and Intimate without being demanding.

We didn't need to talk, just being like this was enough, the silence felt full instead of empty, like we were saying everything that mattered without using words. I could feel the rise...