"Heka, I told you I love you more than anything else," I cupped her cheeks with both my hands, forcing her to look me in the eyes. Her skin was warm beneath my palms, her cheeks flushed with the heat of her frustration. "I have even gone to another timeline for you once, because I love you... Huh? Another timeline?"
"Hm? What timeline?" The question fell from Heka's lips, her head tilting slightly to the left, a crease forming between her brows.
But honestly?
It was a slip of the tongue. A complete and utter accident.
I don't know why I said that.
"What I mean is," I began again, forcing my voice into something softer, calmer, more deliberate—the kind of tone you use when you're trying to coax a frightened animal out from under a porch, "every single time you get hurt, a part of me also gets hurt."
I lifted my hand, the motion slow and intentional, and let my palm settle against her cheek.
