Chapter 16: Heat Against Frost
The city groaned in the distance.
Sirens wailed like dying gods.
But in the apartment, there was only breath—
And fire.
⸻
Selene had fallen asleep beside her.
Sitting up, head leaned against the bed frame, one hand still touching Aria's arm.
She should've moved. Should've pulled away.
But Aria needed her.
And maybe Selene needed that too.
⸻
Sometime past midnight, a soft sound stirred her.
A sigh.
A breath.
Then her name—barely a whisper.
Selene opened her eyes.
Aria was awake.
Dazed.
Eyes glassy with fever, pupils blown wide.
"Selene…" she breathed, voice like ash and silk.
"You're cold."
Her hand reached out—clumsy, gentle—touching Selene's cheek.
Selene froze.
"I feel like I'm burning," Aria whispered, eyes searching her face. "It hurts. Please…"
She leaned forward, lips brushing Selene's.
At first, it was barely anything.
Soft. Like instinct. Like a cry for help.
Selene inhaled sharply.
Aria kissed her again.
A little deeper.
A little longer.
Seeking comfort—seeking the cold that soothed her skin, her fire, her trembling soul.
Selene's hands tightened at her sides.
"Aria…" she rasped, pulling back just an inch. "You don't know what you're doing."
But Aria only pressed closer—hot hands curling behind Selene's neck, fevered breath trailing her jaw.
"Don't go," she whispered.
"You feel like snow."
⸻
Selene's restraint cracked.
Because gods—she'd waited too long.
Loved her too much, two years of agony.
And she knew this wasn't what Aria meant.
But it was still her lips,
Her voice,
Her hands reaching for her like Selene was salvation.
So she kissed her.
Not gently.
Not like she should've.
⸻
She leaned in, one arm catching Aria's waist, the other cradling the back of her head like something fragile and forbidden.
Their mouths met—heat and frost colliding, fevered skin and cold breath melting into something that neither of them could name.
Selene tasted desperation.
And longing.
And something she hadn't let herself feel since before the end.
Aria moaned softly, lost in it.
⸻
Selene broke the kiss first, gasping, forehead against Aria's.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I shouldn't have—"
But Aria only clung to her tighter, lips brushing her throat, half-asleep and burning still.
⸻
Selene stayed there all night, holding her.
Knowing this wasn't love yet.
Not again.
Not really.
But it was the beginning of something—
And this time, she would not let Aria burn alone.