The Quiet Process

The compound had finally settled into a fragile kind of peace. Two days after we retrieved the last letter, Colossus woke me up with the gentlest kiss on my forehead. The room was still dark, but his gray eyes were bright as he looked down at me, one big hand cupping my cheek like I might disappear if he let go. “Morning, my heart,” he whispered. “I made you coffee. Black, two sugars, just how you like it.” I smiled sleepily and pulled him down for a slow, sweet kiss. “You spoil me.” “You deserve to be spoiled every single day,” he murmured against my lips. “I’ve been thinking… after everything we’ve been through, I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to build our life now. Not someday. Now.” My heart fluttered. I sat up, pulling the sheet around me as he sat on the edge of the bed, ta