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“You’re going to have to tell me,” Cornell whispered, his nose brushing against hers. A small, soft whimper escaped his throat. “You need to tell me what’s too much because I don’t know.”
Suddenly, the anticipation of what Ali had planned to be a simple, sweet kiss had her legs shaking. But not the way they would’ve weeks ago. They shook with sadness and Ali felt the need to swallow the new feeling that hit her—unfairness.
Weren’t we just talking about our future? Marriage? Kids? It’s not right that we’re like strangers when we really are soulmates. It’s never enough with you,Ali wanted to scream.
“I promise.”
What she vowed to Cornell in that moment wasn’t about boundaries. Instead, she swore in her heart she would win it all back for them—the heat and passion, the touching and feeling. Because it wasn’t just physical between them.
It was downright soul touching.
And his lips on hers in the softest way only reminded Ali of that. Because the first brush brought a sound from deep within—relief. The way Cornell’s other hand came up to gently frame her face elicited a whimper that was far from anything scary or painful. Instead, it was the sound of Ali’s heart receiving pure joy when it had only known painful anger for weeks.
And Cornell’s mouth on hers, the smell of his soapy skin was feeding that to her. Ali’s hands came to his wrists, holding him there—clinging to him, to it, to every beautiful thing that illuminated out of him in hopes she could embed it deeply into her own skin. He tasted like a cure—something certain and true, full of promises that everything would be alright.
He tasted like a tall glass of healing.
Ali was so lost in the kiss that she found herself leaning forward in search of Cornell even though he pulled away. She sighed when he leaned his head to hers.
“Forehead to forehead still on the table?” He kissed her again softly before Ali smiled against his mouth.
“Still on the table,” she said, a content sigh leaving her body. We’re still in this game.
* * *
Ali made it a point to arrive at work after the first class of the day had already begun. She wandered down the quiet hallway of Brady Hall, into the computer lab, and over to Beth’s office first. Her colleague was bent over in her chair, rifling through a filing cabinet at her desk.
“Knock, knock.”
Beth shot up and squealed. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be back until Monday!” She clamored around her desk.
“I figured you could use an extra set of hands.”
“Oh, Ali.” Beth stopped just in front of her and pushed her glasses onto her head. “Can I hug you?”
Ali nodded and embraced Beth. “Thank you for covering for me. I know you already have a full plate.”
Beth shook her head and stepped back, squeezing Ali’s shoulders. “Anything for you. But I’ve never been happier to see you. And I know about three dozen young men who will feel the same. How are you feeling?”
“Good,” Ali said, adjusting the strap of her bag. “Feels good to be back. And home.”
Smiling sadly, Beth sighed. “Cornell told me. I just… ” She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper, “It’s just unthinkable.”
A small ball of anxiety began to roll around in Ali’s gut.
“I mean, that pole came down on your car. Do you know how lucky you are?”
The pole. She’s talking about the car accident.
Ali cleared her throat. “Yeah, very lucky.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Would you give me an hour to kind of catch up on emails? Then you might need to fill me in on everything.”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks,” Ali said with a small smile before she left Beth’s office and made her way to her own. The door was closed and she pushed it open, flipping on the light and taking a breath.
Everything was the same. Or at least, it was the same as after Graham had come in and wreaked havoc on the small space. She glanced at her new monitor and phone, things she had only used for a day or two.
Dropping her bag on the desk, Ali sat in her chair, finding it odd she had to adjust it. She pushed the level to raise it and switched on her computer, her eyes landing on a Post-it stuck to the middle of her monitor.
