The Confession

Shaira's POV

My hands brushed against Angro’s chest—strong, broad, and bare—burning with the warmth of his skin, almost searing, and my back shuddered as I felt his hands settle on my waist. I lifted my gaze and met his hard, scrutinizing eyes, which made me feel vulnerable and protected at the same time. I parted my lips, knowing that his were seeking mine.

The contact with his mouth was far more intense than I had imagined. Suddenly, I felt as if my feet had lifted off the ground, and an army of butterflies were pushing me upward. I didn’t want our lips to part. I wanted them with me forever, our mouths united, playing until the end of time, and by the intensity with which his hands began to tighten around my waist, I knew Angro felt the same.

His lips moved with an urgency that echoed deep within me, as though every second we’d spent apart had been a mistake we were both determined to correct. My breath hitched, caught between desire and the wonder of having him so close, of feeling him as mine, if only for a moment. I could hear the rapid beating of his heart beneath my palm, and I realized it matched the frantic rhythm of my own.

Angro pulled his lips from mine, just a few inches away—enough for air to flow between us—but his forehead rested on mine, not letting me escape. His breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling quickly, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes before his words broke the silence of the cave.

“Shaira…” he murmured, his voice rough and laden with emotion. His grip on my waist softened, but he didn’t let me go. “I can’t… I can’t keep pretending that I don’t love you.” His words seemed to come out with difficulty, as if they’d been buried deep inside him for too long. “I love you desperately, with a force I don’t understand, that I can’t control.”

A shiver ran through me, but not from fear—rather from the intensity with which those words pierced through me, reaching every corner of my soul. I tried to speak, but my voice failed me. He continued, his tone now lower, almost a whisper.

“When we return to Azuwa, I’m going to break off my engagement with Amari.” His confession hovered between us, like a promise that changed everything. “I can’t go on like this, knowing that my heart belongs to you. Every time I look at you, every time I’m near you, everything else disappears. Amari… she deserves someone who can love her the way I love you, but I can’t be that man.”

His gaze locked onto mine again, waiting for a response, something to tell him that he wasn’t alone in this whirlwind of emotions. I caressed his cheek with a tenderness I didn’t know I had in me, while I tried to process what he had said.

“Angro…” I finally whispered, feeling the weight of his confession. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear those words.” My heart pounded so hard that I was sure he could hear it too. I didn’t know what would happen next, or how everything would change once we returned to the village. But at that moment, in that cave hidden deep in the jungle, only we mattered.

Angro closed his eyes for a moment, as if my words were a balm soothing the chaos inside him. His fingers slowly traced down my back, carving invisible paths that sent shivers across my skin. There was a mixture of need and gentleness in his movements, as though he were engraving every inch of my body into his memory, as if he feared this moment might fade away and become just a dream.

“You have no idea how hard it’s been,” he murmured as his hands moved along my waist, sliding up to my ribs, stopping just before my shoulders. “Fighting against this… against what I feel for you. From the first day I saw you, something inside me changed. Amari has been a part of my life for a long time, but with you… with you, the world feels different, it makes more sense. It’s as though everything I once thought was important no longer matters.”

Angro opened his eyes, his pupils dilated, and I could see a mix of torment and desire in them, but also a resolve that hadn’t been there before. He was ready to face everything: the traditions of his people, the expectations of his family, and the inevitable pain that breaking off his engagement would cause. And he would do it all for me.

My breath quickened at the thought of the consequences, of how our lives would change once we returned. Azuwa wasn’t a place where decisions were taken lightly, and breaking off an engagement was more than personal—it was a scandal that would affect the entire community. But at that moment, with his hands holding me close and his words ringing in my ears, nothing else mattered but the present.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” I said, my words coming out in a barely audible whisper. “But I can’t deny what I feel for you, Angro. It’s always been you… even when I tried to convince myself otherwise.”

I moved closer to him, as if somehow our physical closeness could express everything words couldn’t. Our bodies fit together with a natural ease that surprised me, as if we had been made for each other, like puzzle pieces finally finding their place.

The air in the cave was thick, charged with a mix of humidity and electricity. The soft drip of water from the stalactites was the only sound accompanying our ragged breathing. Outside, the jungle was still alive with its own rhythms, but inside that cave, time seemed to have stopped just for us.

Angro lowered his forehead to mine once more, and our lips met again, but this time it was different. There was no desperation or urgency in the kiss. It was deep, laden with unspoken promises, a mutual understanding. Our lips moved slowly, as if we wanted to savor each second, each sensation.

His tongue brushed against mine, and a sigh escaped my lips—a soft sound, almost inaudible, but it resonated deep within me. I felt his hands exploring my back, sliding up my shoulder blades, until they tangled in my hair. The warmth of his skin against mine was comforting, almost addictive.

When we finally parted, both of us were breathless, not just from the intensity of the kiss, but from the weight of the emotions that had surfaced. Our eyes remained locked, as if we were communicating in a language beyond words.

“Shaira,” he whispered again, his voice rough and broken. “I know this won’t be easy. I don’t want you to think everything will change overnight. There will be people who won’t understand, who will reject us. Amari… her family… even her father, they expected me to fulfill my duties, to marry her and assume the role I was given. But I can’t. I can’t go on, knowing that each day would take me further away from you.”

His hand slid down to my cheek, his fingers tracing a soft path along my jawline, holding me with a gentleness that made me feel fragile, yet infinitely strong at the same time.

“I promise you, Shaira. We’ll face this together, no matter what. I’m not willing to lose you.”

The commitment in his words sparked something inside me. I was aware of the stakes, but I also knew that if I lost him, if I let him return to Azuwa without me, a part of me would break forever. I couldn’t imagine a future without Angro in it.

“I promise you too,” I replied, my voice firm, though inside I was trembling. “No matter what happens, no matter who opposes us. If we’re together, we’ll face it. I don’t want to live a life without you.”

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but not from sadness—rather from relief, from the certainty that we had finally acknowledged what we both felt. Somehow, we had reached this point, no matter the path full of obstacles we had taken to get here.

Angro wrapped me in his arms again, this time without the unrestrained passion from before, but with a tenderness that made me feel completely safe, completely loved. I rested my head on his chest, and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear was the melody that quieted any remaining doubt or fear I might have had.

For a long time, we stayed like that, in silence, letting ourselves be carried away by the peace that only the other’s touch could bring. Outside, the day began to fade, and the light filtering through the cave entrance turned golden, soft, almost magical. It was as if the universe knew that this moment needed to be immortalized, surrounded by the warmth of the setting sun and the distant murmur of the jungle.

Finally, I broke the silence, my voice barely a whisper against his chest.

“Angro… what if they don’t let us be together?”

I felt his chest rise as he took a breath, and then his fingers gently stroked my hair.

“It doesn’t matter what they say, Shaira. I’ve made my decision. I’m willing to face anything for you. If I have to leave Azuwa so we can be together, I will.”

His words sent a shiver through me. I knew he was sincere, but I also knew what it would mean for him to leave his home, his people. And although the thought scared me, at the same time, it gave me the strength I needed to move forward, to face whatever was to come.