"Even if you ran, I'd find you. And you'd smile when I did."
~Annie Flame~
Chapter 10 – Their kind of love
The night had settled like velvet around them, soft and dark. Reen lay curled under the sheets, her head resting on Eiden's chest, fingers tracing lazy circles over his skin. Everything felt slower now, like the world had exhaled and left them alone in its silence.
"You're warm," she murmured, almost drowsy.
"I'm yours," he corrected, voice low.
Reen blinked, startled, and pushed up slightly to look at him. His gaze was calm—clear. No games. No walls. Just him. And for once, he wasn't hiding behind smug smiles or teasing lines.
"You're serious?"
He nodded once. "Deadly."
She swallowed, heart flipping like a coin in her chest. "Why now?"
"Because I can't fake it anymore," he admitted. "I've been trying to stay in control. To act like I didn't need you. Like I could play this however I wanted and not get burned."
Her fingers paused on his chest. He caught her hand, holding it between them.
"But the truth is…" He breathed in. "I fell for you. Somewhere between your teasing and your fists, somewhere between your silence and the way you looked at me like I was more than what they made me… I fell."
Reen's throat tightened. Her heart was kicking against her ribs.
"And I know what I did," he continued, softer now. "The lies, the manipulation, the guilt… I used it. I let it keep you close. But none of that was ever stronger than what I felt for you. What I still feel."
Reen closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. The past pulled at her. The secret job. The betrayal. The fact that she was paid to protect him… and ended up losing herself in the process.
She opened her eyes again, met his. "You know," she whispered, "you're a bit of a bastard."
"I do," he smiled faintly.
"But so am I," she added. "I was supposed to play a part. But you… you made me forget the script."
"So," he said carefully, "what now?"
Reen tilted her head. "You want an answer right after all that?"
"Yeah." He looked nervous. It was rare. And it suited him.
She leaned in, brushing her lips against his with the softest touch—just enough to make him hold his breath.
"Then fine," she whispered. "Here it is. I love you, Eiden. I think I always have. Even when I hated you."
He kissed her like a man starved. Like he needed her breath in his lungs to survive. And she kissed him back like he was her punishment and her salvation all at once.
The morning light leaked through the curtains, touching the bed like a secret.
Eiden lay there, tangled with her. No more masks. No more guilt. Just two broken people who found something sharp and soft in each other.
She traced letters into his skin with her fingertip.
"What are you writing?" he asked, eyes still closed.
"Nothing," she smirked. "Just marking you."
"As yours?"
"As mine."
He smiled, sleepily, possessively. "Then don't disappear."
"I won't," she whispered, curling closer. "Not unless you stop making me tea."
Eiden laughed at Reen's remarks
"Even if you beg me to stop loving you, I'll carve you into my bones first."
Reen smiled.
And with that, the chaos quieted. The shadows didn't vanish, but they curled around them like old friends.
She stayed.
He healed.
And love, dark and dazzling, finally took its throne.
Well it was just "Their Kind of Love".
They never wanted a fairytale—They wanted a tragedy with their name bleeding through every page.
______________________________________
The End