Chương 28: Chill of the wind

Noelle stared at Thorne, blinking as the words sunk in. "Thorne... we're already married," he said slowly, his voice laced with confusion. Was his brain malfunctioning, or had Thorne somehow forgotten?

Thorne shifted closer, his palm resting over Noelle's. The warmth of his touch spread through the cold air like a gentle heat, contrasting the biting wind around them.

"I know we are," Thorne began, his voice low and soft. "We're married, I'm fully aware of that. But..." He paused, searching for the right words, while Noelle watched him, still unsure where this was going. The tension hung thick in the air, the cold nearly forgotten as Noelle sat quietly, waiting.

Thorne took a deep breath, his hand squeezing Noelle's slightly as he continued. "We're married, yes. But you're married to me, Noelle. I don't feel like I'm married to you." His voice softened with a vulnerability that made Noelle raise an eyebrow, suspicion creeping back into his expression.

"What are you talking about?" Noelle's voice was cautious, but there was a small flicker of concern behind it. Thorne chuckled lightly, his thumb brushing over Noelle's hand, as if reassuring him.

"To me, you're like an angel who appeared out of nowhere. You saved me, pulled me out from the darkest depths, both physically and mentally. I was lost, Noelle. I had given up on everything—on life itself. And then there you were, pulling me out of that despair," Thorne said, his voice carrying a deep gratitude that tugged at Noelle's chest.

Noelle watched as Thorne's eyes softened, the intensity of his gaze unwavering. "These past few months with you, they've been incredible. But now… now I'm greedy." Thorne's voice dropped, his words laced with quiet yearning. "I want more. I want to know who Noelle really is."

Noelle's breath hitched as Thorne's fingers intertwined with his, the gesture grounding him amidst the swirling emotions.

"I know pieces of you now. Little bits of the man who took me in and healed me. But I want to know what makes you laugh, how you grew up, what your dreams are," Thorne said, his voice low, yet filled with sincerity. "I want to know your favorite flower, what scares you, what brings you joy. I want to know you, Noelle."

Thorne's blue eyes, full of intensity and longing, locked onto Noelle's, and in that moment, Noelle found himself unable to look away. He could feel the depth of Thorne's words, the honesty, and the vulnerability beneath them. For all the times Noelle had cared for him, nurtured him back to health, he had never expected this raw desire for something deeper.

Thorne's words hung in the chilly air, his voice trembling slightly with vulnerability. "If you want to," he continued softly, "you can do the same for me. I'm scared that once you truly know me—what kind of person I am—you'll leave." His eyes lowered, and Noelle could feel the weight of that fear hanging between them. "But... well, I'll think about it when the time comes."

Noelle opened his mouth to speak, but Thorne pressed on, his words becoming more determined. "I want to give you a chance to fall in love with me, the way I've fallen for you. And maybe—just maybe—after winter is over, we could head to a temple and get married… as Thorne and Noelle."

Thorne scooted even closer, closing the tiny gap between them until their shoulders brushed. His presence was warm against the biting cold, and Noelle's heart thudded harder in his chest. "So, what I'm saying is… these next three months, I want to spend time getting to know you, and you getting to know me. And after that, I want us to start a family. Just us."

Noelle sat frozen for a moment, staring at Thorne's earnest face. He couldn't quite process the weight of what had just been laid before him. The idea of a real future—a future beyond healing and survival—felt distant and foreign. But in Thorne's eyes, there was hope, a spark of something more.

He swallowed hard, his voice coming out soft. "Okay," he said, almost testing the word. Then, more firmly, "Okay."

The word felt strange on his lips, but the warmth in his chest grew with every breath. Suddenly, it all seemed so real, too real. "Okay," he repeated, a bit louder, realizing just how much this meant. A shy heat spread across his cheeks as he noticed how loud he had been. He wanted to curl into himself, hide from the overwhelming emotions swirling inside him.

Thorne exhaled sharply, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as the tension in his shoulders melted away. He breathed a deep, long sigh of relief, and Noelle felt the butterflies swarm his stomach in response. The moment felt delicate, fragile even, as if acknowledging it too loudly would shatter everything.

The wind was ruthless, howling through the branches above, but Noelle didn't feel the cold. Not with his heart beating so loudly in his chest, drowning out everything else. Without thinking, he let himself fall back onto the blanket, staring up at the sky as the world seemed to spin around him. The chilly breeze tugged at his clothes, but all he could focus on was the wild fluttering inside him.

A shadow fell across his face, and Noelle blinked up to meet Thorne's blue eyes, the intensity in them nearly stealing his breath away.

"We should get going. It's too windy up here," Thorne murmured, though he made no move to leave.

Noelle sat up slowly, the wind immediately whipping a few strands of hair into his face. Before he could brush them away, Thorne's hand was already there, gently tucking them behind his ear. His fingers lingered, and instead of pulling away, he cradled Noelle's face in his palm. The moment stretched between them, unspoken words hanging in the air like the gusts swirling around them.

Noelle's heart pounded, his thoughts racing, but before he could process what was happening, Thorne leaned in. His lips brushed against Noelle's in a soft, hesitant kiss, as if testing the waters. Noelle gasped, more from surprise than anything else, but that seemed to encourage Thorne.

His hand slid from Noelle's face to the back of his neck, pulling him closer with a firm, but gentle grip. The kiss deepened, slow and tentative at first, but quickly growing more certain. Noelle's mind spun, the chill of the wind forgotten as warmth bloomed between them, spreading from where their lips met and radiating through his entire body.

For a moment, time seemed to stop. The biting wind, the looming winter—all of it faded into the background. All that existed was the two of them, wrapped up in each other, in the intensity of a kiss that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken promises.