[Amber]
It would take her a while to get used to waking up to the sight of her naked soulmates snuggled close to her body. That and the tingling throb of a muscle ache deep within her body. They were all there, she counted. Her men were draped over one another in an adorable mess of limbs, soft snores escaping opened lips; a lullaby of sweet sound to her ears.
She sat up blinking dazedly, her eyes roaming over each beautiful face. Then her mind jolted awake, kick-started by the sight of a bare ass and glimpses of morning wood, hard, thick and rosy. She'd met her parents and Miri, played strip poker with her soulmates and—Oh damn, she lost her virginity.
She flushed, pressing a hand to her cheek as she hastily pulled the duvet over MinJae's naked ass and draped another blanket over Ezra's exposed cock. She closed her eyes, bracing for the wave of second-hand embarrassment only to be slammed by a deep hum of pure joy. And so, so much love.
There was no space in her heart for shame when it was already filled to the brim with so, so much love.
Amber swept her hair back, her eyes tender as glanced at the gorgeous faces of her soulmates, traced the dips and turns, and the puffs of swollen cheeks. It was warm, sitting in the heap of her loved ones and her heart felt so full at the sight of them that she quivered, unable to contain it all. If this was her life from now on, she might just cry from happiness.
She was just so, so damn fucking happy.
She brushed her fingers over Hikaru's face, giggling softly as he squirmed and nuzzled his nose into her palm. His eyes fluttered open, sleepy and dazed as she untied the soul band, twisting the knob. "W-wha—"
"I'll come back in a bit," she whispered, shushing him with a finger to his swollen lips and rubbing his sleep puffed cheeks. They were softer than silk and squishy to the touch. "The timer's set for an hour." He quietened at her words, his eyes heavy as they fluttered, dozing into deep sleep within seconds. Her soulmates did not rouse even when the bed dipped as she left, their hands clumsily grabbing about for her only to resort to fisting the sheets.
They were exhausted; they probably slept a lot later than she did. Amber furrowed her brows, trying to remember what had happened after sex. She'd fallen asleep a few times when they sponged her clean and she distinctly recalled Oliver coaxing her to slip her arms into pyjamas. They probably changed the sheets too. She bit her lips, glancing down at the oversized shirt.
That wasn't part of her plan at all. She considered going at it a few times, maybe at least take the virginity of Sieon and Hikaru. She had fantasised of a damn 'fuckathon', dreamt of taking as many as she could. Amber nibbled on her lips, sulking a little. She didn't expect for the afterglow to take her by the reins and pull her into la-la land before she had her fill.
Her eyes drifted to Ezra's adorable face. The softness in his pretty features and the glow of his skin from their soul bond was so unlike the dominant that had fucked her last night. He was good at it too, maybe too good. Her insides throbbed at the reminder of what his cock had done to her and her clit ached, pulsating a little as she squirmed. She would be feeling him for days.
Not that she was complaining at all.
Amber brushed her teeth, blushed at the sight of hickeys trailing up her neck, breasts and thighs. Evidence of their love making. She pressed a hand to her inner thighs, parting her legs and grimaced at the red tender marks that didn't go away. Did they really have to mark her like this? She snorted; a soft blush on her cheeks.
It was cold outside, and a fog sat heavy and thick in the air obscuring her sight as she pushed open the door to the rooftop terrace. The sun was still just barely over the horizon and while the sky was a soft orange, the world was still dark and barely lit by the sun. The remains of night life clung to the edges of each towering skyscraper, desperate to stay as long as they could, like traces of glue on post-it notes. She shivered, trotting forward to lean against the railing feeling a little sentimental.
It was then when she heard him.
The splash of rippling water from the pool, the patter of droplets from the slam of a hand on water, the swish of water flowing into the drain. The scent of water was heavy in the air, lacking in the smell she was used to at public pools, formed from a mixture urine and chemicals. She squinted, barely making out the movement of a dark silhouette swimming in the pool. Who was that?
And it was as if the heavens were listening to her questions because immediately the sun ghosted its fingers of the figure. It illuminated the man in the pool, cutting through the fog of darkness that obscured his features, revealing him to her. He was a blur of movement as he sliced through the water with strong powerful strokes, and Amber's mind grappled for the term to his technique. Freestyle. He turned in the water, fluid and majestic, fast and efficient.
Her breath caught in her throat as he finished the lap, pushing himself out of the water with corded arms, water flowing down beautiful skin. Rivulets trailed down a broad, muscular chest and over the narrow, tapered end of his waist. It slipped down to the V of his hips, over the fuzz of hair that thickens at the edge of his swimming trunk and the tightly covered bulge of his cock. Mist drifted from pale skin as the heat of the water met the cold of the morning air.
He was otherworldly as he sat at the edge of the pool, running long fingers through dark, wet hair that curled over his skin and shielded his eyes in wet, dewy strands. And she was in the presence of the god of the sea; a beautiful merman that she continued to have an undeniable attraction to. Her breath lodged in her throat, a sharp exhale that drew his undivided attention.
Doe-eyes darted to hers, wide and startled, confused, soft pink lips parted in an exhale. She couldn't help herself really, her mood lifted by her happiness and her mind echoed with the memory of words. Miri's words, MinJae's words…Give him a chance. It pushed her, unravelled the metaphorical knots of her tongue and she spoke.
"Good morning," she said, her voice awkward and loud in the ambience. He seemed startled by her words, confused by the amicability, maybe a little spooked by her appearance. Those brown eyes darted over her, trying to read her expressions and a flicker of panic danced over his eyes. He was always panicking, always so sensitive, so stubborn. Predictable yet unpredictable. It unnerved her, his actions.
"You're awake," he said. "It's early. Why are you awake?" He blinked and Amber was momentarily stunned by how beautiful his eyes were in their symmetry and single-lidded nature. They dripped with the soft glow of dawn; orange and gold honey.
"I could say the same back to you," she answered, feeling a little defensive. What was wrong about being awake at this time? Did he think she was a lazy bum or something? How did he even know what time she had slept?
"I-I like to swim. It wakes me up."
He licked his lips, nervous. Hesitant. He had changed, once a confident jackass now a meek, quivering little—Amber pursed her lips together, her mind searching for the right animal to describe him. A deer? No, that was female. The male version is a buck— She made a face at the thought of the powerful animal with long, menacing antlers. A rabbit? She glanced at him, eying his twitching lips and the wrinkle of his nose. Maybe.
"I couldn't go back to sleep," she drawled softly, eyes going back to the horizon. She couldn't sleep, not with all those beautiful, naked bodies beside her. Not with the joy that reverberated from her heart, not with the excitement of her future with the loves of her life. "And I like to look at the sky at dawn. It reminds me of what I have."
"Of what you have?"
She gave him a soft smile, a peace offering to their horrible relationship, a gift of thanks to him for being reasonable. And he was being reasonable. Gone was the exploding time bomb she had seen in the hospital, it was replaced by a timid man that seemed to tread over eggshells just as much as she did. "Just a month ago, I was alone, lost and afraid. It was misty at dawn, the sky dark with clouds, the air cold. In my eyes then, everything was grey and sad."
Was that too poetic? She paused, clearing her throat. She was always one to be philosophical. "But now…it's cold and misty out but all I can see is how pretty the clouds look with that little shade of orange and gold. It's funny, how I hadn't seen it then, but I do now."
The clouds were symbols of her mindset now, of how she could look past all the horrible, horrible things. The pain, the suffering, the hatred and just enjoy what she had. Her heart settled into a low thrum of contentment, no longer angry, no longer sad. She decided then and there that she didn't need JieMi as her lover, that he was just a distant memory, an adoration, a crush, a longing that had to end. He was her past and Amber was now in her future.
A future with six of the most loving soulmates in the world.
JieMi was quiet at her words, stewing in his thoughts. "I guess…It is pretty," he whispered, his eyes darting to her. "Amber, I—"
"Say, do you want to do our project now?"
She turned to look at him and his eyes widened, he blinked a few times, his mind spinning with her words. It gave her the time she needed to look in his eyes and fully accept her situation. And she stamped down the flames that kindled in her chest, placed what remained into a box under lock and key. She said goodbye then to the impossible dreams, to the wishes that could never come true, to the words she could never say.
Some dreams were just never meant to be.
"S-sure."
She reached for the towel, draped over the chair, handing it over to him without another word or a glance at his direction. "Come on then, I'll get my camera."