Lexie was in deep shock; she had expected anything but him not pushing her away for the first time.
For a moment, she remained frozen, scarcely able to believe that Isiah had actually accepted her embrace.
His words, "This... this thing you're doing... do it... longer," echoed in her ears, filled with an unfamiliar vulnerability.
Slowly, she tightened her arms around him, holding him close, her heart pounding with a mix of surprise and tenderness.
She could feel the tension in his body easing ever so slightly, and for the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps, beneath all his walls, there was a part of him that longed for the same connection she desperately wanted to give.
Her fingers found their way into his hair, gently threading through the dark strands.
With a soft, trembling voice, she whispered, "Isiah, I promise... I'll never stop showing you what love feels like. You don't have to be alone anymore."
