Chapter 25 Chapter 25 71 55 vouchers Ten months . Ten gloriously chaotic , sarcastic , kiss - stained , life - altering months . Ten months since I first knocked on the door of the most expensive penthouse in Manhattan like I owned the place - armed with sass , thrift - store sneakers , and a resume that basically screamed " don't hire me unless you like attitude . " And now ? I live here . He walks now . I kiss him . Often . He doesn't complain . ( Shocking . ) But also .... he doesn't say it . The L - word . Not that I need it - not like I used to when I was sixteen and hopelessly in love with the idea of love . Now ? I just want honesty . A sign . A label maybe . A roadmap . Not because I'm clingy . Hell no . But because ... I've fallen . Hard . Steven McLeon - the ex - racer , ex - underwear model , ex - brooding mess - is now the man I make pancakes for in the morning while yelling at him for not wearing socks . The man I kiss before bed and pretend I don't want to drag into said bed for reasons beyond PG - 13 . And what are we ? Something more than friends . Not quite lovers . Kissing - roommates - with - emotional - support ? It's weird . Wonderful . Confusing . I told him last week that I wasn't expecting anything . And I meant it . Kind of . Maybe . Sort of . But I'm not blind . I see the way he looks at me when he thinks I'm not watching . Like I'm not just the woman who helped him stand . But the one who helped him rise . And that's terrifying . Because what if he wakes up one day , fully healed , and realizes he doesn't need me anymore ? What if I was just a chapter in his comeback story ? Today he stood two full steps without my help . I didn't scream . I didn't cry . I just smiled - that big , watery smile that betrays everything I pretend to hide . Then I made him mint ice cream ( gross ) and pretended not to watch his every move like a proud momma bear- slash - situationship girlfriend . But God , I'm proud of him . Not just for walking - but for surviving. For letting me in . For letting himself smile again . Even if he hasn't said the words yet ... Even if he just kisses me like I'm the air he breathes and says nothing after ... I know . I know what it feels like when he touches me . I know the love in his silence . The confession in every kiss . The truth in the way he lets me hog the blanket and wear his shirts . So where do we go from here ? Wherever the hell he wants . Because whether he says it or not ... 11:33 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 25 : I'm already his . Now I just need him to admit that he's mine . 71 E55 vouchers It was past midnight when I heard it - the softest knock . Barely there . Like hesitation wrapped in hope . I was curled up under my blanket , already half - asleep , the room dipped in moonlight and quiet . But something told me - it was him . I didn't move at first . I just lay there , heart starting to beat a little faster . The door creaked open an inch . Then two . " Madison ... " His voice was low , rough with something that felt like longing and disbelief . " Are you awake ? " I could've pretended longer . Let him stand there awkwardly in the hallway , murmuring to the dark like a lovesick Shakespeare . But then he whispered : " I don't know when it happened ... but you changed everything . This place used to feel like a tomb . But now I see colors . Flowers . Light . You brought it all in with you ." God . I melted . I sat up , blanket falling from my shoulder as I met his gaze in the half - light . He was already walking - no wheelchair , just him and that cane , like some brooding romantic hero with wounded pride and a heart he never thought he'd give away again . He froze when he saw me awake . " You heard that ? " " Every word ," I whispered . And then , without waiting , I kissed him . Not a teasing kiss . Not a peck . Not an accident . It was real , full , raw - like we'd both been holding it back for far too long . His jacket slid from his shoulders like it was never meant to be between us . I tugged him in by the front of his shirt and whispered against his lips , " Stay ." There was no hesitation . We moved through the dark together - fingers tangled , breath shared - until we reached the edge of the bed . He touched my cheek like he was afraid I'd vanish . But I didn't . I stayed . And when we sank into the sheets , it wasn't just about passion . It was the feeling of belonging . The way his forehead rested against mine as we whispered things we were too afraid to say in daylight . The Chapter 25 55 vouchers way his hands traced my skin not with hunger , but with reverence . Like he needed to remember every curve , every line , not because he wanted to possess me - but because he wanted to never forget . We undressed slowly , like peeling away fear and history . Every touch was deliberate . Every kiss meant something . And when we came together - wrapped in warmth , hearts pressed close - it was slow . Beautiful . Anchored in something deeper than want . It was surrender . Not to lust . To love . To everything we'd both been too afraid to say . When it ended , we didn't speak . He just pulled me close , arms wrapped around me like I was gravity itself . His lips found my forehead , my temple , the bridge of my nose . Then finally , he whispered into the quiet : " I don't know how I lived before you . " I buried my face in his chest , eyes stinging . " You don't have to anymore ." And we lay there , skin to skin , heart to heart - no labels , no doubts , no masks . Just two people who found something sacred in each other . He didn't need to say the words . Because he already showed me - with every touch , every breath , every kiss . And me ? I already knew . He was it . He was the one . And finally ... we were home . Together . At midnight ... The room had gone still , but nothing about me was calm . His arms were around me - strong , sure , trembling just slightly with something neither of us wanted to name yet . Love ? Longing ? The feeling of finally finding home in someone's skin ? Maybe all of it . The air between us was warm and heavy with everything we hadn't said out loud but had been screaming through every stolen glance and accidental brush of hands . " Are you real ? " Steven asked softly , his voice barely a breath against my temple . " Because this feels like something I've been dreaming for years ." I tilted my head to look at him . The moonlight carved across his cheekbone , softened the sharpness of his 11:33 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 25 55 vouchers jaw . His green eyes - God , those eyes - were staring at me like I was the only thing anchoring him to the earth . " I'm real , " I whispered , curling my fingers at his nape . " And I'm not going anywhere . " His lips found mine again , this time slower . Slower than any kiss we'd ever shared . Like we had all the time in the world now , and he wanted to memorize the taste of my breath . His hand skimmed down my back , fingers sliding over the curve of my spine , and suddenly I couldn't think . Couldn't breathe . Every nerve inside me sparked like fireflies as I pulled him closer , until there was no space between our skin , no question of where he ended and I began . " You make me feel alive again , " he whispered against the corner of my mouth . " Like a man ." " You are , " I said , my voice barely steady . " You always were ." His kiss deepened - hot , searching , reverent . His touch wasn't rushed . It was full of need , yes , but more than that - it was filled with care . His hands moved like he was discovering me , learning every inch , every soft sigh and whispered moan . My back arched to meet him . His breath hitched as his fingers brushed across the swell of my waist , then slid along the edge of my thigh . We moved like music - like the softest , slowest song that only the two of us could hear . Tangled sheets , tangled breaths , hands gripping hands . " I need you , " he said , voice rough , chest rising against mine . " I've needed you for so long . " " I'm yours , " I breathed . And I was . Every inch of me , every heartbeat , every piece that had been cracked or uncertain - he held it now . Not just in his arms but in the way he moved . The way he looked at me . The way he pressed his forehead to mine between kisses like I was something sacred . He entered me like it was a promise . One slow breath at a time . We didn't rush . We didn't chase the high . We sank into each other . He moved above me , our hands clasped tight like prayer , and every brush of his lips , every slow rock of his hips , felt like something holy . It wasn't just desire . It was belonging . His name left my lips in a whisper - Steven - like it was the only word I'd ever known . And when I opened my eyes and saw the look in his , I felt it . He was already mine . Even if the words hadn't been said out loud . We came undone together - slow , soft , complete . Not like fireworks , but like sunrise . Like warmth spreading over skin that had been cold for too long . He stayed above me for a moment , chest pressed to mine , our breaths uneven . Then he kissed me once more , slow and quiet , before pulling me close and whispering , " You changed everything ." 11:33 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 25 I tucked my face into his neck , smiled , and whispered back : " So did you . " 71 E55 vouchers We didn't speak again that night . We didn't have to . He held me tighter than ever before , and I fell asleep knowing - for the first time in my whole damn life - that this wasn't temporary. This was real . This was us . And we were just getting started .