"About thirty of them," Chase added, though with how many people Simms had chained up and beaten their effectiveness was utter shit now. Someone would figure something out, or They'd switch things up again once they got bored of reruns.
The instant Kiley leaned in close enough, Chase inhaled sharply out of fear to tell her not to. Instead, his nostrils filled with the familiar scent of her, and a different kind of hurt hit him. He exhaled out a quiet sigh when her skin met his, and he felt a knot in his stomach unravel for the briefest of seconds. He suddenly felt very, very tired, and the idea that he couldn't keep this for more than a second or two just about killed him. His breath caught on an inhale as she spoke to him, and it took a second for his lungs to remember what they were supposed to be doing. Sure, he'd technically said it first, and meant it, but it was so fucking different hearing it out loud. He couldn't remember the last time, or person who'd bothered. His stupid message felt so horribly inadequate in comparison.
Fuck it. Despite all of the pain in his face, Chase couldn't help but smile. A little lopsided and diminished due to the swelling and bruising, but fuck that too.
"I love you too," he answered back, leaning into the kiss and closing his eyes and inhaling her one last time before giving her a gentle, meaningful nudge with his cheekbone. "Stay safe."