CHAPTER 230: WHERE I SUFFOCATE, YOU LET ME BREATHE

The gravel crunched under the car’s slow roll up the drive. I was already waiting in the foyer, pacing once, twice, before the distinctive sound of the engine cut out.

The silence that followed was thick with anticipation, pressing in on me like the humid summer air. My gaze flickered to the front door, a polished mahogany slab that suddenly felt like the gateway to salvation.

Every instinct screamed at me to fling it open, to run out into the twilight and claim her, but I held myself in check. My chest tightened. Too long. Even a day without her was too damn long.

The door opened and she stepped out, a gentle breeze lifted a few strands of hair, framing her face─a paper bag tucked casually in her arm, as if she hadn’t just stolen the breath from my lungs.

I opened the door before Thomas could, my body moving before thought. My eyes drank her in, every unguarded detail. My fiancée. My queen. My everything. The air in my lungs hitched. It was a physical blow, the sheer, overwhelming beauty of her.

She was dressed simply, almost carelessly, in soft grey sweatpants that clung to her hips and an off-shoulder crop tee that hinted at the delicate curve of her collarbones, and her hair—God, her hair—pulled into a careless knot, a haphazard creation that somehow amplified her allure. Two rebellious strands had escaped, framing her face like silken ribbons, catching the fading light. She looked... untouched by the world. Unstudied. And still, she was devastating.

And her eyes... her eyes were the color of a doe caught in the headlights, wide and luminous, reflecting the fading light of the day, and holding within them a universe of emotion, a promise of shared secrets, and a silent invitation. And in that moment, as they met mine, I knew the wait had been worth it. Every agonizing minute, every restless hour, had led me to this perfect, breathtaking instant.

"You’re beautiful."

Her lips parted, surprise flickering before soft amusement curved them as she turned around as if to make sure I was referring to her.

"Of course, I’m talking about you, Isabella," I said, my voice a low rumble, laced with the raw emotion that had been building within me. I took a step forward, then another, closing the distance between us. My gaze never left hers, charting the subtle shifts in her expression, the widening of those breathtaking eyes.

"You look... ethereal," I continued. "Like you’ve just stepped out of a dream."

A faint blush bloomed on her cheeks, a delicate rose tint that only enhanced her natural beauty. She clutched the paper bag a little tighter. "It’s just sweatpants, peacock," she murmured, her voice a soft melody against the hum of the twilight settling around us.

"It’s never ’just’ anything with you, princess," I murmured, stepping closer, close enough to breathe in the faint trace of her shampoo, sweet and clean that lodged deep in my chest. My hand twitched at my side, aching to tuck one of those loose strands behind her ear. "You make even the mundane breathtaking."

She offered a small, shy smile, her gaze dropping for a fleeting second before meeting mine again. "And you," she began, her voice regaining its playful lilt, though a tremor of something else, something more profound, lay beneath the surface. "You look... intensely happy to see me. For someone who’s only seen me yesterday."

"And what if I am?" I challenged, my voice barely a whisper. I reached out, my fingers brushing hers in the exchange. "I’ll take that," I said quietly as I took the bag from her, handing it off to Thomas without breaking eye contact. He disappeared soundlessly, but I hardly noticed.

My hands were already on her, one at her waist, the other pulling her against me with a force I couldn’t temper. The scent of her shampoo, the faint trace of vanilla and rose on her skin—it crashed into me all at once. My chest expanded painfully, desperate to take her in, to cage her, to breathe.

She laughed softly against me, the sound muffled against my shirt. "Adrien..."

I bent my head, lips brushing her hair as the words slipped out before I could catch them. "Let me be your vacuum cleaner so I can breathe in your dust."

She tipped her head back just enough to look at me, brows drawn in faint confusion, amusement dancing in her eyes. "What does that even mean?"

My grip tightened, pulling her closer, like I could fuse her body to mine. "Stay still," I whispered, the plea rough and low. "Let me... feel you."

"You look like you haven’t slept in weeks." she whispered, her voice a breath of warmth against my skin.

"Because I haven’t," I admitted, my voice thick with a longing that felt as old as time. "Not properly. Not since you were last here. It’s like a part of me is missing when you’re not around. A vital organ."

She tilted her head, her earnest gaze searching mine. "But I was only gone for a day. We spoke on the phone every hour."

"It’s not the same," I said, the words rough with an intensity I knew must be alarming, but I couldn’t help it. The need to have her here, to feel her presence, was a gnawing hunger. "Seeing your face, hearing your voice... it’s like breathing. Without it, I’m just... suffocating."

She nestled closer, her body molding against mine. The soft cotton of her shirt felt impossibly fragile against my rougher fabric. "You’re being dramatic," she teased, though her eyes held a tenderness that belied the playful jab. "But I appreciate the sentiment. Even if it is a little bit creepy."

I chuckled, a deep sound that vibrated through us both. "Creepy is my love language when it comes to you, Isabella. You make me want to be completely consumed." I finally pulled back, just enough to cup her face in my hands, my thumbs stroking the curve of her cheekbones. Her skin was impossibly soft, like sun-warmed velvet. "You have a way of making me forget everything else. The world ceases to exist when I’m with you."

Her gaze softened further, and I saw the flicker of vulnerability in her eyes that always made me ache. "And you," she said, her voice barely a rustle of sound, "you have a way of making me feel like the only woman in the world. Even when I’m just wearing sweatpants and have a paper bag full of takeout."

A genuine smile bloomed on my face, one that reached my eyes and crinkled their corners. "Because you are, my love. You are, and always will be." I leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Her breath hitched, a small tremor running through her. My nose skimmed the curve of her temple, then down the side of her jaw. I inhaled her, every part of me thrumming with the terrifying, grounding relief of her presence.

"You don’t know what you do to me, Isabella," I murmured against her skin as I hugged her again.

Her hands slid up my back, slow and certain, as if she understood exactly how close I was to unraveling.