The gift.

His heart, it would appear, has been handed to me on a platter. "Be gentle," he pleads with his sky-colored eyes, "the last person who held this, as you can well see, tried running it through a blender and it's not so pretty any more. The bandages have helped some, but the scars will forever remain."

Ever so carefully, I lift my gift from the platter and hold it cupped in my hands. The sunlight streaks down on it, giving it a warm glow. I can feel it beating, can feel so much life still inside, hidden in the little crevices where she couldn't reach to kill.

I press my lips against his heart and give it a gentle kiss. Heat rises to the surface, warming my cheeks. It begins to beat a little faster and, as I pull away, I can see a healing taking place. I kiss it once again before tucking it inside of the safe next to my own.

"I have a secret," I confess to him, "but I'm afraid to say it."

"You know you can tell me anything," he says as I fall into his embrace. "You don't have to be scared."

I close my eyes as I rest my head against his chest. A tear escapes from my eye into the cotton of his shirt. I take a deep breath and sigh.

"Tell me, baby," he pleads. "I want to know."

I open my eyes and tilt my head upward to look into his. The moment feels so powerful, the silence between us so telling. I don't want to say this, I'm absolutely terrified, but I can't not. The words slip out before I even realize I'm saying them: "I love you."

A smile spreads across his mouth as he brings my lips to his for a kiss. "I love you, too," he whispers, "and you have no idea how long I've been hoping you'd say that."

I hug him tighter, crying freely now. "Why didn't you tell me then?" I ask.

"Because I was as terrified as you." I can see that he's crying now, too. "I love you."

"I love you, too."