Her hands holding his arms, legs wrapped around him. His hips give one last, shallow thrust, he trembles, she pants. He finds himself drowning in her, the red on her cheeks, the marks his fingers left on her breasts, a scar between them, another one close to her collarbone and the small, shy freckle on her neck.

Her eyes shine and she looks at him, lips parted as she tries to catch her breath. And where she's beautiful, he knows he's a mess. But he can't resist it when she smiles, and he kisses the tip of her nose before touching her forehead with his. She moves one of her hands, caresses his face, traces the scar on his lips with her fingertips.

They linger like that for a moment, losing themselves in their haziness. Her touch, delicate as silk yet strong enough to break, leaves him in a dream-like state. Because she can't possibly be real, this woman, and if she is, will it last? How long until fate tears them apart? And so he moves, a tattered plaint when he slips out of her, the comfort of being close no longer there. He turns on his side, she doesn't bother. Then he shifts, showers her skin with kisses, not missing the twitching of muscles and the way she shivers and giggles like a child when he kisses just beneath her navel.

He looks up at her, that boy smile on his face. He kisses her there again, only to hear the sound of her giggles once more, and she tells him to stop, laughing as she pats on his shoulder. He complies, moving back up to kiss her lips.

"Marry me," he says, staring right into her eyes.

She shakes her head, still smiling. "You're delusional." And he kisses her again, an arm around her waist, lifting her and turning on his back. She finds him to be a comfortable bed, spreads herself over his naked body, resting her head on his chest. She can hear his heart beating.

"Marry me," he tries again. "Be my wife." And his right hand is buried in her hair while the other finds a spot across her back. He can't see her smile this time, but it's different, and she nods her head, "all right."

And maybe it is.