章 25: Free to express

I love you…

The words kept repeating in her head like a broken record. It was the only thing that registered in her brain, hardly noticing her surroundings. The waves that slowly increased their strength as it crashed to the rocks, the wind that was slowly picking up speed, and the clouds that were growing darker every second was lost to her.

She wanted nothing more than to say the same words to him. Proclaimed her love just like the way he did, but it was never that simple. Under a different situation, she would be the happiest and luckiest girl in the world, but that was not the case.

Sabrina and Sky to her were the same. Either one loved him with the same passion, but Sabrina was her true identity, which was the problem. She knew that he did not even know her, so he could not have loved her. Sky was a fictional character that would soon vanish into thin air, together with his declaration of love.

I love you…

He too found himself unable to stop himself from uttering what was written in his heart. Seeing her in the center of the magnificent sight, with her eyes sparkling with the bright lights, he knew that nothing would be more than perfect.

He could not explain why he felt the way he did, knowing it was too soon as they hardly knew each other. However, the few things he had learned about her, the little time they had spent time together were enough for him to conclude that she was the right girl for him. Even his heart agreed with his decision.

He wanted her, not just today, but for the rest of his life. It might sound insane for someone who had no idea about love, but to him, it made perfect sense.

Love strikes when one least expects it, and when it does, one never had a chance against it.

Not that he wanted to fight against his feelings for her. He welcomed the fluttering of his heart when she was near, enjoyed the enchanting voice when she spoke, and adored her little quirk. She liked to twirl her fingers around her shoulder as if she was playing with her long hair.

He moved a little closer to her, placing his hands on either side of her hips, as they continued to lock eyes, not wanting to break free from the magical spell enveloping them.

Slowly, he lowered his head to hers, slightly grazing her lips with his, tasting the sweetness and its softness. When he felt her hands slide towards his shoulder for support, he took that as a sign to deepen the kiss, encircling her into his embrace.

When they broke apart, trying to catch their breaths, it was her who first came to her senses. She suddenly realized that creating more memories with him was a big mistake because it was starting to backfire on her. She could feel her heart starting to break as the thought of losing him became more apparent.

"I think it is getting dark. We should be going or the rain might catch us. It's still a long walk from here." She made an excuse, finally noticing the darkening sky and the slight chill in the wind, although the weather was the least of her concern. She needed some space to compose herself. Or else, she might not be able to do what she set herself to do before the night is over.

He detected a change in her demeanor, but she was right, it was best to get back to the house. He guided her out of the cave and to the open air.

She walked ahead of him on the rocky sand with him trailing behind in confusion. He wondered if he did or said something that might change her mood. Then, the only thing he said was what he truly felt. Maybe that frightened her. She was not ready for such a big commitment. Just like he said earlier, it was too soon.

"Hey, wait up." He said, noticing her picking up her pace.

"I think it is about to rain," she answered back, walking faster now as she cleared the rocky formations. Then, her foot caught up with one of the stones that she did not notice was protruding on the sand. She found herself falling on the sand, landing on her palms and knees.

"Are you alright?" He was by her side as soon as he saw her trip on the rock, checking her for any injuries.

"I don't think so," taking his hands for support as she tried to stand up from her kneeling position. "Ouch," she cried out as the pain in his left foot shoot out as she tried to move it. A deep cut on her ankle was causing her tremendous pain.

"Don't stand up. Can you try to move and sit while I look at it?" He held her hand, assisting her to a more comfortable position. He shifted his attention to the wound on her foot. There were some minor scratches, but a deeper laceration on the skin was gushing with blood that was causing her discomfort.

He quickly took his shirt off and made a tourniquet around her ankle to stop it from bleeding furthermore. "We better get you to the house to put some antiseptic on it." When he was done with his first aid.

"Ok. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to cause any trouble." She felt like such a big burden to him when all she wanted to do was get it over with dinner so she could end the charade and buried herself in her sorrow.

"Don't say that. Come on. Let me help you up." He stood up and wrap her arms around her shoulder to help her get on her feet. As she tried to put pressure on her left foot, the pain was just unbearable. She was not able to step on it, nor stand on her two feet.

"Wait. I just need a minute." She said, fighting against the pain.

"I have a better idea." He easily picked her up bridal style and carried her as if she weighed nothing at all.

"Put me down. I'm quite heavy." She protested, wiggling a bit, but he ignored her. When her struggle proved to be futile, she gave up and put her hands around her neck for support.

"You are too skinny. I barely felt your weight." He jokingly said, smiling brightly against the gradually darkening light.

She felt her hands tingling from the way it was touching his warm skin. Then, her eyes landed on her bared chest, chiseled to perfection.

He walked quickly predicting that rain was about to drop down any minute, but before they could take shelter in his home, the rain came in a downpour. They never had the chance. By the time they reached his door, they were completely soaked to the skin.

"I told you to let me down, so we can move quicker." She complained, but the pain in her foot reminded her of the impossibility of her claim.

"Really…?" They both knew it would not have made a difference. It was even possible that it might have slowed them more. They both ended up laughing at her statement, finding the humor in it.

"Just let me put you down on the chair so that I can look closely at your wound. We need to clean it before it gets infected." He moved to the lone armchair and settling her down.

"But, your couch will get wet." She stood still, not wanting to ruin his black leathered furniture.

"Don't worry about that. Promise, Baxter did much worse than getting it wet." He laughed as he said all that Baxter did with the poor couch. She eventually sat down, feeling tired standing on one foot.

"Just relax. I'll be quick." He moved to another part of the house. He had stocked some basic first aid kits ever since Xavier started visiting him.

She waited patiently, silently hoping for strength to get through this night. Courage to accomplish what she set out to do. Confess her sins and be done with.

He came back carrying a bag and a towel. "Here, try to dry yourself, while I checked it." He sat on the coffee table across from her. "Let me see." He lifted her foot on his knees slowly, examining the damage on her skin.

Holding a piece of cotton, soaked in the cleaning agent, he started wiping the dirt and some of the dried blood clinging to her skin. "It was not as deep as I initially thought. It will sting a little so be ready." He warned as he finally cleaned the wound.

"Ohhh!" She certainly felt the pain, biting her lips to avoid shouting. Subconsciously, she thought that this was less painful compared to what she would feel later.

"This is not that bad." He kept assuring her, but she did not believe him as the pain spread from her wound and throughout her legs.

"You say that because you don't feel it." She refuted his statement.

Finally, the pain steadily subsided after he had applied a wound ointment and a bandage to cover it up.

He looked up at her face and see her staring at his hands as he applied the final bandage on her foot. Just like before, he could not look away from her face.

Slowly, he moved closer to her, making her look up to meet his eyes. He did not wait for a reaction, he acted purely on instinct. It told him to make a move because it was the right time.

She wanted to move away, but she was paralyzed on her spot. She knew what he was planning to do but in a way, she wanted it too.

Finally, the long-anticipated kiss again happened, more intense than before. As if all the inhibition they restrained for a long time was finally removed and they were finally free to express their hearts innermost desires.