The doorbell rings, and my heart leaps into my throat. It's him. I know it without checking the peephole. Five months of half-hearted texts and broken promises to meet have led to this moment. My hands tremble as I approach the door, the lingering effects of the whiskey making my thoughts fuzzy but my desire crystal clear.

I pause with my hand on the doorknob, suddenly terrified. What if he's changed his mind? What if he doesn't feel the same anymore? What if this was all just a drunken mistake? The uncertainty nearly paralyzes me, but then I remember the look in his eyes during our Facetime call - the raw emotion, the desperation, the longing that mirrored my own.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I twist the knob and pull the door open.

There he is.

Tian stands in the doorway, tall and familiar in the dim hallway light. His eyes lock onto mine immediately, and in that instant, all my fears vanish. He looks at me like I'm the answer to a question he's been asking his whole life, like I'm the missing piece he's spent months searching for.

Neither of us speaks. We just stand there, drinking each other in, the air between us crackling with tension and unspoken words. His gaze roams over my face, my messy hair, my tear-streaked cheeks, and I suddenly feel self-conscious under his scrutiny.

Then he moves. Steps forward into my space, closing the distance between us, and wraps his arms around me in a hug so tight it feels like he's trying to merge our bodies into one.

I stiffen for a moment, shocked by the sudden contact, before melting into him completely. My arms wind around his waist, fingers gripping the back of his jacket as I bury my face in his chest, breathing in the familiar scent that haunted my dreams for months.

He's here. He's really here.

Tian's hands press into my back, holding me impossibly closer, and I can feel the rapid thump of his heart against my cheek. When he speaks, his voice is muffled against the top of my head, raw with emotion.

"I missed you too baby... so fucking much."

I start trembling in his arms, silent tears streaming down my face as I clutch him tighter. The floodgates open, five months of pent-up loneliness and longing pouring out in hot, salty drops.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his hands cupping my face gently as his thumbs brush away my tears. His eyes are glassy with his own unshed emotions, his lips trembling slightly. Before I can say anything, he leans down and kisses me - soft at first, then with increasing urgency as all our restrained desire and emotion finally find release.

The kiss is everything - desperate and tender, hungry and loving, a perfect representation of everything we've been holding back from each other. When we finally break apart, breathless, his forehead rests against mine, and I know without a doubt that nothing will ever be the same again.