Aren had let his hand fall away easily enough as the elf had pulled away, not wishing to make him feel trapped or uncomfortable if it had been the cause of it. His words saddened the man, though. It was clear enough to him that there was something on his mind but he had no idea what with the way he'd been denying all attempts at drawing it out and hinting at how badly he felt about what had happened between them in the past.
That was all he had time to reflect upon, though, before he found himself wide-eyed with shock as the elf's lips met his own. Perhaps his confession had not been so poorly received after all, or at least he could hope so.
Aren grew flustered quite quickly once he realized it had not been a mistake, that Ocarern was not tearing away from him after a mere moment. He grew a bit panicked, never having thought such a moment would come to pass between them after all their time apart. He knew, too, though, that it was exactly what his heart was yearning for.
The man relaxed after a moment more, allowing himself to indulge in the sweetness of the lips that touched his own as a happy and quite relieved sigh escaped him. Never in all his life had he felt such jolting flips in his belly nor such a sudden weight and excitement in his pounding heart. It was a feeling he was certain he would always keep close in memory, but he mourned the thought of its end.
Aren did all he could to prolong their kiss, but he had a hunch the elf would be pulling away to hide and pretend it never happened at any moment. Even so, he pleaded with him silently, his lips hungry against him as he fought the urge of the tears of haunted happiness that threatened to spill.