Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday - Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Late Night with the Doctor (III)

After so many days of continous rush, work, and tension, Grace found herself finally getting lost in the moment that was completely different.

Her usual guarded demeanor fell away as she allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Dr. Kian’s kisses were demanding yet tender, as though he was both claiming her and reassuring her. And she responded with equal intensity, matching his passion with her own.

Neither of them noticed as minutes passed while their mouths and hands continued to explore each other. They shifted on the couch only for their bodies to get further entangled.

Grace let her hands roam over his broad shoulders and firm chest, tracing the fine muscles he seemed to have built during his weekly hours in the gym. He wasn’t as toned as Rune or Davian, but he sure had taken care of the fine body he got.

While her hands were busy exploring him, Dr. Kian was doing the same with her. One of his hand slipped under her woolen top, his fingers tracing her spine and leaving trails of heat in their wake.

Grace moaned softly into the kiss, arching her spine which pressed her even more against his body.

When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily. Grace’s cheeks were flushed, and her heart was racing as she stared at Dr. Kian. His hair was mussed from her fingers, but his eyes were dark with desire as they locked onto hers.

Neither spoke for a long moment, and the silence was filled only with their ragged breaths. Finally, it was Dr. Kian who broke the quiet. “That was… unexpected.”

A smile immediately bloomed on Grace’s lips and she found herself replying – “You can say that again.”

The two of them just stared at each other as the weight of what had just happened slowly sank in.

Slowly, Grace reached up to fix his hair that she had messed up. “I guess this is what happens when you are stuck together during an apocalypse.” The statement was more for herself than Dr. Kian, but she noticed him smirking right before he leaned in to brush another kiss against her lips, this one softer but no less meaningful.

“If this is the result, maybe being stuck together isn’t so bad after all.” He whispered against her lips before placing another soft kiss on her lips.

This time when they pulled away, he was ready with a proposal she wasn’t accepting to face all of a sudden.

“Grace, be my girlfriend.”

He said that so softly and suddenly that she almost missed it, if not for the silence that was filling the living room. She just sat there while staring at him in shock, struggling to believe that she hadn’t misheard.

She knew that she had stretched the silence to an uncomfortable limit, but Dr. Kian still sat there patiently, waiting for her response. Gently and slowly, she retracted her arms that were circling his neck, and felt the disappointment that his body ended up revealing even before he hid it on his face.

He thought she was going to refuse.

Instead of pulling away completely, Grace let her hands found his to hold while she fixed her gaze on his face and spoke, “You are a great person, Dr. Kian. Having you as my boyfriend will be such a wonderful thing to happen to me, but…”

She had to stop for a moment to collect her thoughts and she noticed how he was looking so lost while waiting to hear her excuse for rejecting him.

“… you might already know that… you aren’t the only man in my life right now.” Finally, she said it out loud. She took in a deep breath before continuing, “Though I’m not dating either of them, we are… still very much connected. I don’t want to hurt you-”

“I don’t mind.”

The rest of the words didn’t make it past her lips as she was left completely stunned by what he just said. “What… do you mean?” She asked while her heartbeat once again picked up their speed, but this time for an entirely different reason.

Dr. Kian fixed his gaze right on hers as he explained, “I mean that I don’t mind you having a relationship with either Rune or Davian,… or both of them. I’m ready to accept them in your life. So… don’t use them to reject me.”

Grace could hardly believe him. Even though this was exactly what she desperately wanted to hear, actually hearing it sounded so weird. “Do you know what you are even saying? Polymary… it’s about you sharing the person you love with other people involved. Can you really do it?”

While she did like him and would have loved to accept his proposal, there were still some important matters that she needed to clear before that. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him.

Dr. Kian nodded without hesitation, his dark blue eyes filled with sincerity. “I know exactly what I’m saying, Grace. I have thought about this… probably more than I should have. This world isn’t normal anymore, and love doesn’t always fit into neat little boxes. If having you in my life means accepting Rune and Davian in yours, then so be it.”

Grace stared at him, trying to process his words. The confidence in his voice surprised her, but the vulnerability in his gaze tugged at her heart. He wasn’t saying this casually – he truly meant it.

She searched his face as she whispered, “You make it sound so simple.”

“It’s not,” he admitted while brushing his thumb over her knuckles as he held her hands. “But nothing about this world is simple anymore. The apocalypse stripped away the luxury of waiting or pretending. I know how I feel about you. I have known it for a while now, and I’m tired of ignoring it.”

Grace felt a lump form in her throat. She wasn’t used to this kind of honesty, this kind of vulnerability. The men in her life were usually guarded, keeping their feelings hidden behind walls of duty, pride, or fear. But here was this man, laying it all out in front of her, asking for a chance.

Could she really say yes?