Kiss the Stranger

…….
I woke with the irregular patter of rain on the roof. Eyes closed, I tried to pinpoint the sound, but it simply went on and on. I frowned unconsciously—and then a flash of lightning illuminated the window, and sleep fled entirely. My eyes snapped open just before a deafening crack of thunder shook the room.
“…!”

I heard Kamar catch his breath sharply. I turned and saw his back. He always seemed so strong, but in that moment I realized it was trembling ever so slightly—and I forgot everything.
“Kamar!”
I scrabbled to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. His huge body stiffened, but I didn’t let go.

“It’s okay. I’m here. I’ll protect you. Don’t be afraid.”
Lightning struck again overhead. Panicked, I covered his ears with both hands. Boom! The thunder cracked almost at our heads, and I flinched—but I couldn’t let go of his ears. I don’t know how many flashes and roars we endured before Kamar covered my hands with his own. He gripped my wrists, then whispered,
“I’m scared.”

His voice trembled so softly it mingled with the rain.
“What if I hurt you? What if, when I come to, you’re… wounded… or worse, gone?”
“Kamar.”
“I shouldn’t be near you.”

“Kamar!”
I called his name again, forcing him to stop. Seizing the moment I’d missed before, I blurted out,
“No matter what you were, I don’t care, Kamar.”

Each word found strength in my lips.
“I love you. I think of nothing else. I can’t bear losing you. I never could.”
Kamar slowly turned to face me. His gaze wavered wildly. In a voice as unsteady as his eyes, he said,

“I may have done something horrible.”
“Even if you’re a criminal, it doesn’t matter. I…”
I shook my head, voice falling away. He blinked, waiting for me to finish, but I was too afraid to speak. After a moment’s hesitation, I whispered,

“I’m more afraid if you had someone precious. You might not remember—but you could’ve had a lover, maybe been married, had a child, and then…”
I choked on the last words.
“You’d leave me.”

“I won’t.”
He denied it instantly.
“I’ll stay by your side. I’ll never leave. Because it’s you I love. The only reason I tried to step back was fear of hurting you.”

My heart thundered with guilt—and shameless joy snuck in. My pulse racing, I inched backward, wearing the mask of an innocent sinner.
“But what about your wife? And children?”
He said nothing, only watched me. His silence disappointed me as though he should have said the obvious, though I knew I was faulting myself for having asked. Finally, he spoke. I braced myself to hear anything calmly. I wondered what expression I wore—just as Kamar said,
“Then shall we die?”

In the sudden hush I realized I’d stopped breathing. In his calm face I saw conviction:
“Let’s die. Together.”
To my stunned silence, he murmured as if joking:

“The world is empty, and I do not wish to live anymore…”
I hadn’t expected him to recall that song I once sang him. Surprised, I looked up; he gave a faint smile and tilted his head. His lips met mine, and I closed my eyes.
I thought I shouldn’t. I should have laughed it off—anything but this. But instead of refusal or denial, I clung to his neck and whispered,

“Let’s leave this country as soon as we can.”
Kamar kissed me again and again, murmuring,
“Yes. Let’s go somewhere else, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) just the two of us. Somewhere there’s no one.”

“Yes,” I nodded, then again. He kissed my cheek and forehead in turn, then pressed his lips to my shoulder, making me giggle.
“Don’t—don’t do that!”
I twisted away, waving my arms, and Kamar caught me from behind. He drew a deep, contented breath and whispered,

“We’ll have children, too.”
I froze. For a moment I couldn’t answer. But he paid no mind to my hesitation, kissing along my shoulder blades and spine as he said,
“I’m so happy you’re an omega.”

I looked back at him, startled. Our eyes met and he smiled, then kissed my lips as though it were the most natural thing. When he pulled away, I found my voice at last.
“Do you really… feel that way?”
“I do.”

He answered without hesitation.

“I’m lucky you’re an omega.”
I could only bite my lip; my throat felt tight. “Thank you,” I murmured, lifting my head. He kissed me again, then straddled me. I wrapped my arms around his neck without thought. My eyes stung. I wanted him so badly—I’d pray to any god, even beg to lose everything, just to keep him.

That morning I woke feeling unwell. A heavy drowsiness and burning heat made it nearly impossible to rise from bed.
“Cough, cough.”
My hacking convinced me it was a cold. I groaned and pulled the covers up to my chin.

Haah… haah…
Kamar watched me with concern and asked,
“You okay?”

“Mm…”
I nodded.
“Just a cold, I think.”

My voice was rough—no doubt about it. Seeing him force a smile, I managed one in return.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, go ahead.”
I lay back and waved him off. He needed to sell tapestries for money, so he left, reminding me once more,

“Stay in bed, Yohan. Don’t move around or push yourself until I get back.”
“I know.”
I lay still and waved. After glancing back several times, Kamar finally closed the door, leaving me alone.

It was so quiet….
“Cough, cough.”
Another fit shook me—it must be a nasty cold. I’d never felt so dizzy and feverish.

Did we have cold medicine?
I wondered through the haze. When Kamar had bought supplies before, there’d been first-aid medicine—but I couldn’t recall cold medicine specifically. Mostly painkillers and digestion aids, so probably not.
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Kamar catch a cold….

I thought blankly. Well, being robust doesn’t mean never falling ill—but in his case it seemed it did. As I pondered that, I blinked.
…What was I thinking?
A soft meow drew my attention. I lifted my heavy eyelids to see Rikal padding into the bed under the covers. I smiled faintly and hugged him. The warmth of the cat lulled me back to sleep.

When I woke again hours later, night had fallen. Only Rikal and I remained in the room.
Is he late…?
I thought, waiting for the door to open.

Kamar did not return that day. Nor the next. Nor the next after that.
And so six months passed.