บท 181: Kiss and tell

"Oh, Diana, please, don't cry. There's no place for tears on a face of a beautiful, strong-willed woman like you."

I took a deep breath and tried to hold myself together. But I was just so relieved, so overwhelmed with emotion, that it couldn't all fit in my head and the excess had to go out in form of tears. I put my hands on top of his, where they cupped my cheeks. "I'm fine, I'm fine. As long as you trust me to… to talk to me."

JJ exhaled. He still looked hesitating, but the wall between us broke like it wasn't ever there.

I smiled at him with as much encouragement as I could convey with my face and my eyes, and added, "You don't need to talk if that's uncomfortable for you. Just… well…" I stumbled, unable to find words that would fit, but wouldn't be too insistent. I wanted him to share more with me, more of himself, but was afraid to push more than I already did, and my ability to form a coherent sentence failed me in expressing this.