Red took Fang’s tap on her chin as permission to plant kisses all over his face, and so began immediately. She kept them gentle and soft and slow, being methodical about it. One swipe across his nose, one along his cheek, and so on. He seemed to enjoy it, which only encouraged her. After a few minutes, she stopped, and bumped her forehead against his shoulder in a show of affection. As they lay there, wrapped in silence, she sighed happily and stared ahead at nothing in particular.
And then a feeling made its way from her chest to her throat and out her mouth before she could stop it: I love you.
For a few moments, she didn’t even realize that she had spoken, and only continued to stare ahead at the trees happily, and then slowly, embarrassed horror flooded her face. Her ears went back against her head, she whined, and turned to look with wide eyes at Fang. Oh God, she thought. Why the hell did I just say that? And out loud, too.
She swallowed and tried in vain to look away, but it wasn’t happening. It seemed her eyes and head and body were all locked into position, so that she could only continue to stare in terror and excitement at the half-breed whose feelings to whom she had just laid bare. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What then? And did she really love him? Is that what all those awkward feelings had been? Why hadn’t she realized sooner? She took a shaky breath, finally tearing her eyes away from his face, but remaining silent. Now, she waited to see if he would break her heart, or make it swell with joy.