Emily’s pov
I couldn’t hold back.
Seeing the pain in Xavier’s eyes as he told me about what clearly was one of his most traumatic experiences just to make me feel better was enough to rip my heart open. His weak smile, and his eyes full of tears, made something snap inside of me.
I didn’t know if it was maternal instinct, or gratitude, or sorrow, or a mix of all three, but I felt a push to show him how much what he just did had meant to me. How much his choice to remember something like that to ease my guilt meant.
I shoved my problems and loads of s**t aside and hugged him, doing what my heart was telling, yelling me to do. I held him tight, burying my face in his shoulder, and after a moment of surprise, I felt him doing the same with me, his nose gently brushing against the sk
