self-control.
"Elijah, I want you," she said.
"You're so beautiful," he said, looking down at her.
"Elijah," she pleaded.
Maggie pulled on his hand and he followed her to her room without another word. She turned with the backs of her legs up against the bed.
"You were right," he said, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "I do love you. I always have. I always will."
"Do you promise?" she asked, smiling against him as his lips touched hers.
"I promise."
###
Elijah pulled Maggie closer as he woke up. Her body fit against his so perfectly - as it always had. They’d always had a physical relationship, but in a purely platonic way. When they were teenagers and she’d all but moved into his house, she had often found her way into his bed. Hugging and cuddling were the norms for them. It was how they helped each other make sense of their worlds.
But ... this. This was different. Elijah smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Her skin felt warm against his and he was reminded of the night before when he had kissed every inch of its softness.
He rolled slightly so he could prop his head up on his arm and look down into her face. The angles of her face were softened in sleep. Her lines were smooth - well, all but her laugh lines. Maggie had profound laugh lines that Elijah had always loved. It showed that, even through everything that happened to her, she found something to smile about. Maggie could be stubborn and hard sometimes, but Elijah knew her other side as well.
The only time he’d seen her smile lately was when she was with Kimberly. Everything from her past was being dragged back into the open. She was handling it the best she could, but Elijah knew it was taking its toll. She tried to handle it on her own, never needing anyone. Maggie would never be one to talk about her feelings. That's what made the night before so astounding.
As Elijah watched her breathing evenly, a stab of guilt washed through him. How could he be so in love with her, yet keep secrets from her? He thought of Jason and the letter from Maggie's father he’d asked him to read. He wasn't so sure that was the right thing anymore. As soon as he could, he was going to ask Jason to just give her the letter, hoping he hadn't read it yet. That would fix it.
"You know, it's creepy to stare." Maggie opened her eyes and met his intense gaze.
"How did you know I was staring?" he asked.
"I could feel it. You were practically burning holes into my face."
"I would never do anything to this beautiful face." Elijah cupped her cheek and brushed the pad of his thump across it in circles.
"You're so cheesy." She pushed his hand away and moved to sit up.
"Don't you dare." Elijah pulled her down on top of him and circled his arms around her back.
Maggie smiled at him shyly and then reached up and ran a hand through his messy bed hair. "I always loved your hair. Remember how I used to play with it all the time when we were younger?"
"I used to get mad and tell you if you wanted to play with hair, you needed to find a girlfriend."
She laughed and Elijah felt it vibrate in his chest.
"I didn't want a girlfriend," Maggie whispered. "I only wanted you."
"To be fair, you weren't much of a girl back then."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her elbows dug into his chest as she raised herself up to look down at him dangerously.
"Only that you didn't act like one," Elijah laughed. "You were always dirty from playing sports with the boys and, let's be honest, you've never been very lady-like."
Maggie rolled off him, but he rolled with her and trapped her underneath him with his arms. "But I'd never do this with one of the boys." He kissed her. It was slow at first, and then more forceful as he pressed her harder into the bed.
She scraped his bottom lip with her teeth and he groaned before releasing her mouth and raising himself over her.
"I want to go back to the people we were when we were younger," she said suddenly.
"You mean
"Elijah, I want you," she said.
"You're so beautiful," he said, looking down at her.
"Elijah," she pleaded.
Maggie pulled on his hand and he followed her to her room without another word. She turned with the backs of her legs up against the bed.
"You were right," he said, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "I do love you. I always have. I always will."
"Do you promise?" she asked, smiling against him as his lips touched hers.
"I promise."
###
Elijah pulled Maggie closer as he woke up. Her body fit against his so perfectly - as it always had. They’d always had a physical relationship, but in a purely platonic way. When they were teenagers and she’d all but moved into his house, she had often found her way into his bed. Hugging and cuddling were the norms for them. It was how they helped each other make sense of their worlds.
But ... this. This was different. Elijah smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Her skin felt warm against his and he was reminded of the night before when he had kissed every inch of its softness.
He rolled slightly so he could prop his head up on his arm and look down into her face. The angles of her face were softened in sleep. Her lines were smooth - well, all but her laugh lines. Maggie had profound laugh lines that Elijah had always loved. It showed that, even through everything that happened to her, she found something to smile about. Maggie could be stubborn and hard sometimes, but Elijah knew her other side as well.
The only time he’d seen her smile lately was when she was with Kimberly. Everything from her past was being dragged back into the open. She was handling it the best she could, but Elijah knew it was taking its toll. She tried to handle it on her own, never needing anyone. Maggie would never be one to talk about her feelings. That's what made the night before so astounding.
As Elijah watched her breathing evenly, a stab of guilt washed through him. How could he be so in love with her, yet keep secrets from her? He thought of Jason and the letter from Maggie's father he’d asked him to read. He wasn't so sure that was the right thing anymore. As soon as he could, he was going to ask Jason to just give her the letter, hoping he hadn't read it yet. That would fix it.
"You know, it's creepy to stare." Maggie opened her eyes and met his intense gaze.
"How did you know I was staring?" he asked.
"I could feel it. You were practically burning holes into my face."
"I would never do anything to this beautiful face." Elijah cupped her cheek and brushed the pad of his thump across it in circles.
"You're so cheesy." She pushed his hand away and moved to sit up.
"Don't you dare." Elijah pulled her down on top of him and circled his arms around her back.
Maggie smiled at him shyly and then reached up and ran a hand through his messy bed hair. "I always loved your hair. Remember how I used to play with it all the time when we were younger?"
"I used to get mad and tell you if you wanted to play with hair, you needed to find a girlfriend."
She laughed and Elijah felt it vibrate in his chest.
"I didn't want a girlfriend," Maggie whispered. "I only wanted you."
"To be fair, you weren't much of a girl back then."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her elbows dug into his chest as she raised herself up to look down at him dangerously.
"Only that you didn't act like one," Elijah laughed. "You were always dirty from playing sports with the boys and, let's be honest, you've never been very lady-like."
Maggie rolled off him, but he rolled with her and trapped her underneath him with his arms. "But I'd never do this with one of the boys." He kissed her. It was slow at first, and then more forceful as he pressed her harder into the bed.
She scraped his bottom lip with her teeth and he groaned before releasing her mouth and raising himself over her.
"I want to go back to the people we were when we were younger," she said suddenly.
"You mean
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