Overview

Hallie and Rio finally cross their no-sex line and reunite physically with urgent, explicit intimacy at Rio’s under-renovation house. Amid foreplay, Rio reveals a heart tattoo over his chest that matches Hallie’s signature and confesses he got it three years after they last saw each other. The chapter culminated in oral sex and an emotional reveal: Rio has not had sex with anyone in six years and has only ever been with Hallie.

Full Summary

Hallie narrated arriving with Rio at his house, still under construction, where the two could not keep their hands off each other. They kissed urgently, and Hallie began a slow striptease at Rio’s request so he could savor the moment after their long separation. Rio touched and kissed Hallie with intimate familiarity, recalling specific details about her body, including a childhood scar and a freckle, and demonstrated he remembered exactly how to arouse her.

When Hallie moved to unclasp her bra, Rio paused and chose instead to take off his own shirt, deliberately revealing new tattoos. Hallie noticed a striking piece over his heart: a heart-shaped rendering of her last name in her own handwriting, matching the way she used to sign mixtapes and CDs. Rio explained he got the tattoo three years after he last saw Hallie, saying it was always them and that love, for him, existed with her.

Turned on by his honesty, Hallie undressed him further and knelt, initiating oral sex despite Rio’s desire to take care of her first. He praised her and encouraged her, and Hallie teased him intentionally, drawing out his reactions and asserting their unique connection. He instructed her to touch herself while she pleasured him, and their mutual arousal built quickly.

Rio warned he might climax too soon after so long without sex, and Hallie continued, using her hands and mouth until he came in her mouth. Afterward, he lifted Hallie onto the bed, still intensely connected, and tried to explain how long it had been for him. When Hallie asked how long “a long time” meant, Rio revealed it had been six years.

The chapter ended with Rio’s final confession: he has only ever been with Hallie, underscoring the depth of his long-standing devotion and raising the emotional stakes of their reunion.

Who Appears

• Hallie Hart — narrator; reunites physically with Rio, gives him oral sex, reacts to his tattoo and his confession of celibacy.
• Rio — Hallie’s longtime love; initiates their first full sexual encounter in years, reveals a heart tattoo of Hallie’s signature over his chest, and admits he has not had sex in six years and has only ever been with Hallie.