Evelise continued,

"Because that’s exactly how they made me feel like I deserved pain, like I was a monster."

She drew in a shaky breath, her voice lowering.

"Even though I was alive, I felt just like those creatures... the zombies. They were dead, just like me. I was empty inside, yet I kept moving like one of them. No, worse. It was like the people around me were the ones controlling me, forcing me to keep living a life I didn’t want."

Her hands trembled as she spoke, eyes distant.

"That’s why I let them come for me. I wanted it to end. I wanted them to infect me, to tear me apart, to let me die right there at the altar. Because dying felt like the only way to escape the nightmare my life had become."

Her gaze lifted to Sid, tears glistening in her eyes.

"But then you came. You revived me. You brought me back to the same world I hated but you made it feel different. You made me feel different. For the first time in years, I wanted to live again. Because of you."

She forwarded closer, her voice breaking as she spoke.

"So yeah, when I see you trying to kill yourself, it makes me angry. Because now that I finally want to live again, the thought of losing you... it hurts more than dying ever did."

Sid stared at her, speechless. Her words had hit deeper than any wound, cutting straight through the walls he had built around himself. He swallowed hard,

"Hearing you say that... damn, you really know how to punch harder than any painkiller. You made me feel alive again too, you know that? You— this loud, stubborn, impossible zombie girl who keeps yelling at me every time I screw up... somehow made me want to keep breathing."

Evelise blinked, her eyes wide and glistening. Her lips parted slightly, trembling as if she wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words. Instead, she took a hesitant step closer. The distance between them shrank— first an arm’s length, then a breath. Sid’s voice softened, barely above a whisper.

"Eve... you’re really close right now."

"I know,"

She whispered back, her voice trembling but steady.

He could feel her warmth, faint but real, mixing with the scent of smoke and wildflowers that clung to her hair. Her gaze lingered on his lips, and he found himself frozen, his heartbeat thundering in his chest.

"Are you... about to kiss me?"

"Shut up."

And then, before he could say another word, Evelise leaned in and kissed him... Their lips met, a gentle brush at first, tentative and uncertain. But as the realization sank in, the kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and passionate. Sid’s hands came up to cup Evelise’s face, his thumbs brushing away the tears that still clung to her cheeks.

She leaned into him, her body pressing against his as she poured all her pent up emotions into the kiss. Sid tasted the salt of her tears on his tongue, mingling with the sweetness of her lips. Evelise’s hands slid up Sid’s chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as she kissed him back with equal fervor.

Their tongues danced, exploring and teasing. Sid’s arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he deepened the kiss, pouring all his unspoken feelings into every touch and caress. When they finally broke apart, both were breathless and trembling. Evelise rested her forehead against Sid’s, her eyes fluttering open to gaze at him with a mix of love and concern.

"Don’t you dare let yourself die. If she’s gone... whoever she was then let me be the one to take her place. I can’t lose you, not now. You’re the first person who’s ever made me want to live... really live, as a humanimal."

Sid swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear gently.

"I won’t leave you, Evelise. I promise."

Evelise’s eyes flashed with intensity at Sid’s promise, and she captured his lips in another searing kiss, pouring all her passion and desperation into it. Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging gently as she pressed herself against him, craving his touch, his warmth, his everything. She broke the kiss only to trail her lips along his jaw, his neck, leaving a path of fire in her wake.

"I need you... I need to feel you, to know that you’re real and that you’re staying with me."

Her hands roamed over his chest, his arms, his back, as if she was trying to memorize every inch of him. She tugged at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against hers.

"Please,"

She whispered, her eyes locked onto his, pleading and filled with a hunger that mirrored his own. Sid’s breath hitched as Evelise’s hands explored his body. He captured her wrists gently, holding them above her head as he gazed into her eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation or doubt. But all he saw was the same burning desire that consumed him, the same desperate need to lose himself in her, to forget the pain and the darkness that haunted him.

With a low growl, he claimed her lips again, kissing her with a fierce intensity that left them both breathless. His hands roamed over her body, caressing and teasing, as he slowly lowered her onto the bed beneath him. He broke the kiss only to trail his lips down her neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin as she arched beneath him, a soft moan escaping her lips.

Sid’s hands trembled slightly as he slowly lifting Evelise’s shirt, his eyes never leaving hers. The fabric fell away, revealing the creamy green skin and the lace of her bra beneath. He traced the swell of her breasts with his fingertips, marveling at the softness, the warmth. His breath caught in his throat as he reached behind her to unhook her bra, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

"Fuck, your tits are exquisite."