Chan watched the sunlight stream through the soft blue window curtain. It was still pretty early in the morning. One look at the bedside clock told him that it was six-thirty.
He was lying on the bed, half propped up on the pillow. Veronica lay over his legs, her hair spreading around like a halo. She was wearing his white shirt that was a size too big on her and hung from her left shoulder carelessly.
He pulled out his phone and took a photo. Veronica looked up, her big brown eyed gazing at his face.
"What are you doing?" She asked, turning around and getting up.
Chan didn't reply for a second, then turned the phone around to show her his phone screen.
She stared at the photo of her lying in his shirt on the duvet. "Did you just put me as your lockscreen?"
Chan nodded, looking at the photo for a beat before putting the phone back. "Now people will wonder why I keep staring at my phone. Little do they know it's my hot girlfriend."
Veronica laughed before laying back down on his legs. She was playing with a loose curl, wrapping and unwrapping it around her finger.
Last night was still fresh on his mind. He could still feel her under his fingers. How it felt to hold her. To touch her. To have her touch him. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't craving it right now. Craving her.
The idea that he could lean down and kiss her right this moment and she would kiss him back was still surreal.
"I have something for you," he said, voice thick.
Veronica looked at him. "You do?"
Getting up from the bed, he grabbed his pants from the floor. Rooting around in the pockets, he pulled out a velvet box and wrapped his fingers around it.
Turning back, he concealed the box behind his back. Veronica had gotten on her knees, eyes trained right at him.
"Close your eyes," he instructed.
Veronica smiled giddily and did as he said. Stepping forward, he pulled out the box and asked Veronica to open her eyes.
Her mouth opened into a soft 'oh' as her gaze landed on the necklace before her. He had seen the pendant a couple of days ago, and it reminded him so strongly of Veronica that he knew he had to get it. The pendant was a golden chain with a red stone sitting in the middle of it. As the sunlight fell on it, the stone gleamed as if it was a tiny ball of fire.
She lifted it up gently. "Oh, this is beautiful, Chan."
Getting off the bed, she walked towards the vanity and held the necklace against her throat.
"Thank you so much."
Chan came up behind her and pressed a kiss on her bare shoulder. "I didn't get you anything for your birthday. So, happy birthday, Veronica."
He took the necklace from her hands and placed it around her neck, clasping it close. She looked at him through the mirror, her gaze flicking between the gift and him. Turning around, she kissed him lazily. As if they had all the time in the world. Chan's hands came around her waist, pushing past the cloth of his shirt.
They crashed against the bed, giggling as if they were in high school. It was when Veronica was pushing her hair to the side that he saw the faint scar running down her left arm.
"What happened here?" He asked, circling her wrist.
The question must have caught her off guard because he could see Veronica's fight or flight expression clearly. He waited for her to choose if she wanted to confide in him right now or have this conversation some other day.
She exhaled a heavy breath. "My mom's boyfriend smashed a beer bottle on my arm in a drunken rage."
It took Chan five seconds to fully absorb her words. "What?" He asked, even though he had heard her well enough the first time.
Veronica played it the sleeves of his shirt, eyes fixed on the duvet. "He gets into these episodes where he just starts smashing things. I was good at avoiding the damages most of the time. This was just," she gestured to the scar. "A miscalculation on my part."
Chan didn't know how to respond. 'I am sorry' sounded so lame, especially knowing that the scar must not be the first time Veronica had sufferent through the hands of this man. White hot rage churned in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to hurt this guy like he had hurt Veronica. But Veronica didn't need to hear about his anger. Or how this affected him.
"How old were you?" He asked instead, moving closer to her.
"I don't know," she replied, squinting. "Probably fourteen? My mom liked drugs. Eddie was more than happy to supply them to her. It was worse when I was young. When I couldn't predict if he was high or drunk. If he was just going to shout his lungs out or start breaking things. It got better as I got older. I rarely stayed at home, and when I did, I was locked in my room."
She was looking at him, waiting for his reaction. He could almost hear her thought process: Was he going to bolt? Was this the moment he realized that she was too much?
Chan just pulled her in. Pressing her against his chest, feeling her heart beat in rhythm with his. He couldn't imagine growing up in the conditions Veronica did. Facing what she did at such a young age. It could alter people. Change them forever. He wondered how she had been before moving to South Molton. How she managed to stay soft and kind and not obliterate everything in her path.
"You are extraordinary," he pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you. You don't have to say it back or anything," he started, intertwining their fingers. " You are not obligated to. I just want you to know this. The world might end tomorrow for all we know. You are loved, Veronica Lovejoy. And this love makes me a better person."
Chan didn't expect her to say it back immediately. That would not be fair on her. But he had been meaning to say this to her, so he did. She could take all the time she needed. He was ready to wait.
Veronica blinked a couple of times. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Can I hug you again?"
Chan wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing away the distance. As he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her in, he wanted to stay like this forever.
When they broke apart, Veronica looked right into his eyes before kissing him. Chan kissed her back with a ferocity that was almost overwhelming. He wrapped an arm around her waist, flipping their positions.
Veronica lay under him, his arms caging her on either side. As they both came up for air, Chan ran his fingers on the edge of her underwear's waistband.
"I have to say," Chan said, watching Veronica breath rise up with his every touch. "You look nice in my shirt."
"I thought you liked me without it," she breathed out.
Chan leaned in close to her face, their noses touching. "True, but I also love the fact that I get to take it off." His lips ghosted over her, barely touching but enough for her to chase after the kiss.
He pulled back an inch, making her frown. "You are teasing me."
As his fingers slipped further past the waistband of her underwear, she squirmed and let out a sigh. "Am I?"
He watched Veronica's eyes harden as she pulled his body down on hers, crashing their lips together. He smiled against her touch. The greediness of her fingers mirroring his. It was not a battle but a dance. They fit together. Perfectly. Riding the high, coaxing the other. Just them. And nothing else.