A silence grew between us, but at the same time I had a heavy heart. My head was still resting against Noah's chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my cheek, thoughts swirling faster than I could hold them in.
I had to tell him, I thought. Not because I feared what would happen if I didn't, but he deserved to know before we took that last step.
To be able to see the full picture of the woman he's now holding in his arms. I lifted my head slowly.
"Noah," I said with a low voice, "I… need to confess something."
He didn't move or even tense up, just watched me with a calm expression as if he would accept anything I said.
"You don't have to." He advised gently. "Not unless you feel it's truly needed."
"I do." I reached out, fingers tangling in his as I drew a shaky breath.
"I want you to understand everything about me so that you know who you're really holding and maybe… to help me in the future, too. I have a desire I wish to fulfill, but I'm not sure how to do it alone."
Noah kissed my cheek. "Whatever it is that you need, I will do it. You're stuck with me now, no matter what you say."
I couldn't help but laugh at his words, wondering if he would still feel the same way after I'd come clean. The tightness in my chest did loosen a bit hearing his words, though.
After we kissed a few times in quiet affirmation of each other, I began.
"I'm sure from the very beginning you must've thought I was pretty weird."
Noah tilted his head at my words like he was weighing how honest he should be.
"You did say some strange things, yes."
"My stories probably sounded… Not just strange, but out of this world, right?
He gave a small shrug. "They were interesting."
I smiled, probably still with a lot of hesitation written all over my face.
"That's because…" I paused, gathering some courage. "… I wasn't born in this world, but somehow my soul found its way here. For reasons I still don't understand, I woke up in this girl's body about a year before I met you."
Noah's stoic face was unreadable as I started to explain in detail.
"I got all of her memories the moment I arrived; her pain was something I wasn't ready to accept. The trauma this poor girl lived through was inhuman, and I guess in a way I also experienced it through her. But lucky me, I got firsthand experience of how terrible her life was for the next year."
I swallowed hard.
"It's always been me since the day we met, but this body somehow became completely mine. I can't help but still mourn for the original owner sometimes. She was such a sweet girl craving love, but as you know, this family is pure evil, so they only gave her pain."
My eyes started to tear up as I talked about those past memories that still haunt me to this day.
"I think she really did die just before I entered this body. But you know, sometimes I wonder if I was brought here for her or maybe…"
I hesitated.
"…for you."
Noah smiled gently. "I like that version."
I half smiled at Noah's comment, but I was still anxious about telling him the biggest elephant in the room. This was the hardest one.
"Do you know what the even crazier part of that ridiculous true story is?" I said, nervously tugging at the edge of my robe. "In that other life… I wasn't a girl."
Noah's stoic face broke at that. "Huh?"
I laughed, feeling the weight of my previous words. "Yeah, I was born a male and lived my whole life that way until I was brought here."
His head tilted again, as if trying to realign that puzzle piece.
"At first it was a complete shock being somehow reincarnated into the body of a female. I couldn't wrap my head around it and rejected everything, which also included you when we first met. That's probably why I tried so hard to trick my mind into thinking you were a heroine."
I couldn't help but look down. "It was really hard to open my heart up to you at first, but this body being a female has changed me deeply."
My eyes lock with his.
"The longer I live as Seraphina, the more I realize I have become her. This isn't a disguise anymore; it's who I am. I don't even think of myself as the person I once was. That old life feels like a memory that belonged to someone else."
My eyes stung. "I just hope it doesn't change how you view me."
I dropped my gaze, afraid of how he would respond.
But Noah reached forward and gently tilted my chin up.
"I don't know this other person," he said quietly but with conviction. "I've only ever known you, the girl who fell into my arms that day."
His thumb brushed a tear under my eye.
"The one who laughed too loudly, cursed too often, and somehow made me want to smile more than anyone ever has."
He gave me a reassuring smile. "I love the person in front of me right now, no matter who they were before."
I broke; tears spilled down my cheeks before I even realized it. My arms were thrown around his neck, and I held on tightly, burying my face into his shoulder.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice trembling.
Then I pulled back just enough to look him in the face, eyes glassy.
"Do you seriously, like for sure, believe everything I just said?"
He let out a soft chuckle, that deep chest laugh that made me feel a little weird inside. I very much enjoyed it.
"I mean… Have you heard your stories? The machines, moon rockets, and talking boxes," Noah leaned forward, putting his forehead against mine.
"It's hard not to believe it; with an imagination like yours, anything is possible."
I laughed through my tears.
Noah wiped my cheek once again, trying to comfort me the best he could.
I let out a deep breath, my chest rising and falling as a wave of emotion passed through me. The weight I'd been carrying for so long… it finally lifted.
"That felt good," I whispered. "I've been holding my breath since the day we first met."
Noah brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his gaze never wavering.
"I had so much doubt in my mind, afraid that if I told you this, you would turn away from me."
His arms wrapped around me, strong and steady. "Sera," he said softly, "we're in this together. You're not going anywhere."
I laughed, muffled, against his shoulder.
"Your personality is part of your charm. Honestly, I think I love you more because of the way you see the world, whether that's from this life or the last."
My eyes stayed fixed on him for a moment before I smiled.
Without warning, I knocked him down flat against the bed, crawling up on top of Noah's chest and straddling him like a conqueror.
"You're too sweet," I whispered against his ear as I leaned down.
Then I kissed him with all the built-up emotion I had been carrying for a while.
Noah didn't let me stay in that position for too long before he flipped me over, now taking the top spot. His shirt fell away, revealing the body that had protected me so many times before.
His hands cradled my face. "Are you ready?" He asked.
I nodded with open arms, a clear invitation that I wanted him to continue.
"Yes," I whispered. "Please… make me yours."
Noah's smile turned predatory as he stripped my clothes away.
Suddenly one more thing popped into my mind. I held him back for just a second.
"Wait… If fate allows it and I get pregnant tonight or in the future, I hope with all my heart our first daughter carries the soul of the original Seraphina. Just please keep that in your heart, Noah, as we make love tonight; you never know, it might come true!"
Noah didn't speak; he just gave me a wry smile and nodded.
When we finally met skin to skin, heart to heart, I felt a deeper connection between the two of us than I could even comprehend. Like a puzzle piece finding where it truly belonged.
The moment we became one, it was literally fireworks exploding within my mind.
I gasped, not just from the sensation but from how deeply it touched something within me. It pulled everything raw and real to the surface, stripping me bare. In that moment, I finally understood what it meant to surrender yourself entirely to someone else.
Noah moved with reverence, like I was something so precious he didn't want to break it. I held him like he was my anchor in a world that had never made sense until now.
The sweet kisses, soft words between breaths, and moans that filled the room. It was an experience that I would never forget.
We weren't just making love but stitching two lives together forever.
When it was all over and the world had finally gone quiet, I curled up against his chest, completely satisfied. The experience of pure ecstasy as he looked down at me from above is something I very much look forward to doing much more in the future.
I couldn't help but giggle.
Noah whispered into my hair, "I love you."
"I know, next time… Try going a little harder; you were so gentle that I felt annoyed."
He just laughed. I had fallen asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, the rhythm that had become my home.
The next morning I stirred with a soft groan, my body aching in places I didn't even know could hurt. Muscles I'd never used made themselves loudly known.
Noah hadn't taken me just once last night, but six times.
Although he'd been gentle, considerate, and impossibly sweet throughout the entire night… I still hurt.
But it was the good kind of pain; something meaningful had happened.
I turned my head, feeling the weight of his arm still wrapped around me.
His blue eyes were already open and staring.
"How long have you been awake?" I asked, my voice a little hoarse.
He smiled faintly, "An hour or two, probably."
My brow lifted. "Why didn't you just wake me up?"
"I didn't want to disturb you." He brushed a thumb along my cheek. "You looked so peaceful, and after last night, I was too restless to sleep anyway."
My face turned scarlet as I remembered what had happened for multiple hours last night. I pressed my face into his chest, groaning.
"Don't say things like that. I'm already sore enough from how thorough you were."
He chuckled.
I truly felt like a woman now.
There was a real future ahead of me. One filled with children, a home, and maybe even a crown one day, depending on how wild life got.
That thought stirred something deep inside me.
"Noah," I said suddenly, raising my head.
His eyes focused on mine.
"Is there a way to put a soul into a fetus before its born or bring back that soul from the dead?" He knew magic, and with that kind of knowledge, impossible things could happen, right?
After a short pause at my sudden impossible task, Noah spoke.
"I'll look into it. There is soul magic, spiritual transfer, in this world. But it's not something easy to actually succeed with. We could harm her soul instead of freeing it.
I couldn't help but feel depressed by Noah's words.
"So there's no hope?"
Without missing a beat, Noah hugged me. "There's always hope; just look at how much of a miracle is currently in my arms. Maybe whatever brought you here will also hear your words and grant that as a gift."
"That's so true… I hope the entity, whoever it was, could do me this favor!"
Then I exhaled deeply, suddenly remembering some unfinished business.
"Noah," I added softly. "Do you really think we should let them out?"
He already knew who I meant. His gaze held steady, silent and patient, as if waiting for me to say whatever was on my mind.
"Honestly." I said, meeting his eyes. "Can you just… take care of it?"
A pause in the air lasted for a moment as I asked Noah to dispose of my family… Of course he would do it; he's just being dramatic.
"Kill or torture them I don't care. Throw them into the slums, never to be seen again. Exile them to the ends of this world. Just make sure I never see them again. I'm done with that part of my life."
I looked out the window, watching the wind dance through the leaves.
"I've already seen some satisfying sights lately, and that was enough to soothe my heart, but from now on, I just want my life free from them, completely."
Noah nodded without hesitation.
"They won't ever touch your world again."
Relief spread through me like a deep breath finally exhaled.
I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, a soft, thankful one full of unspoken words.
Things like peace, belonging, and, of course, the love between each other that I hope would last forever.