He laughed. "No, Beth. Even after all this time, we're mates, aren't we? I tried to forget you. I tried to move on. Everyone told me we must have been wrong about being mates. But it never felt wrong. I had to believe to survive, otherwise, I wouldn't have."
This time, when he extended his hand out farther onto the table, Beth placed her hand on top of his. Her fingers were cool and yet warm at the same time, and softer than silk. Her touch sent a shiver winding through him; it was the briefest sensation of being at home.
"Will you tell me where you've been this whole time?" he asked.
"I ... I felt like I was a zombie, living a life that wasn't mine, but I had to make it work because it was what I had," Beth admitted. "Funny enough to find out now that I was right all along, I just didn't know it."
"What did you do?"
"I moved to the city and got a job, trying to rebuild my life from scratch. Every day was like walking through a hazy dream ... I didn't think it was real at times."
They fell into an easy rhythm, talking about the ebb and flow of the more than a decade time they'd been apart. At times she spoke with such animation and happiness that Ken felt a rush of jealousy that he hadn't been there with her. Looking at her now, he could see the sparkle in her eyes that he remembered from all those years ago. She had always filled him with joy and wonder; that was one of the reasons he'd fallen for her so fast when they were younger.
At times, they reminisced about their time together, long before this tragedy pulled them apart. Nights together in the forest, camping by the river, where they would hunt and then make love beneath the stars. Then, when they bought their house together, planning a family together ... he noticed how Beth tried to steer away from some of the memories around the future they'd planned together.
He understood. They were painful for him, too. Everything they had lost, with the time that had gone by ...
And yet, through it all, Ken felt as though she was keeping something from him. Something big. A piece of her life that she was holding dear to her. A boyfriend? A husband?
Someone she had left behind?
He couldn't bring himself to ask. After already accusing her of so many lies, he didn't want to create more bad blood between them. He wanted to give her a chance to tell him everything in her own time, even if it pained him right now that she didn't trust him with everything.
"I'm glad you had a good life," Ken said quietly, "even if I wasn't there to experience it."
"What about you? What trouble have you gotten into these past few years?"
Ken took a deep gulp of his coffee. The truth was grim, and he knew if he told her all of it, she would feel guilty. But was it worse for him to lie to her?
"It hasn't been good," he admitted. "It's been hard without you. I thought I would break under the weight of it all. I drank too much and hurt too many people. I lost everything that ever mattered to me. There were times when I didn't think I could keep going, but I had to. For us. For the dream that we would be together again one day."
Tears welled up in Beth's eyes as she took in his words. "I ... I'm so sorry, Ken. Truly. I wish I had known sooner. I would have come back as soon as I knew, but I didn't."
Through the tears brimming in his eyes, Ken saw a bright future ahead of them. A life filled with love, hope and happiness. Because even through the darkest times, fate always found a way to bring two hearts together again.
He couldn't waste this chance. He couldn't ignore the love brimming in his heart, the solidarity of the pain they shared, of a love lost and found again. They both had shed enough tears, both alone and together.
What Ken wanted was to start over again. All the feelings he had been trying to hide came rushing back at once.
So he leaned across the table and kissed her.
Beth didn't respond at first, and for a second, he thought he'd read the situation all wrong. But then her lips parted against his, and a surge of electricity ran through his body. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as they sank into each other. Slow and sweet, their lips met in a passionate embrace, their tongues swirling in a dance of desperation and desire.
Finally, after so many years apart, Ken's dreams had all come true. He had Beth in his arms again, her full lips against his, and for the first time in a decade and a half, he feltalive.
"Beth," Ken gasped into her mouth. "Is this really happening?"
"Yes," she panted. "Don't stop."
Ken's heart pounded in his chest with newfound life, the desire and passion coursing through him like wildfire. He kissed Beth harder and deeper, unable to get enough of her. She was his salvation from all the pain and turmoil he had experienced over the years.
At that moment, nothing else mattered except for the woman he had loved since he first laid eyes on her, the woman who had come back into his life at long last.
The kitchen seemed to melt away around them as they lost themselves in the moment. For a brief second, nothing else mattered but the feel of her body pressed against his. The smell of her perfume lingered on his clothes. The feeling of utter joy overwhelmed him at being reunited with the love of his life after all these long years apart.
Their kisses grew more frantic as they began tugging at each other's clothes in their need to be closer. Ken could feel himself getting hard, and he knew then that he needed to keep going. He needed more. He needed Beth as much as he needed fresh air to breathe.
With another firm kiss, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, their mouths never parting for even a second. He gently placed her down on the bed, admiring the way her golden hair spilled around her head. Her chest heaved as she looked up at him, her skin flush with need.