(Adrian)
We pulled over at a nearby four-star hotel. I let out a sigh as I turned off the car engine, then I unbuckled my seatbelt, so did she.
She pulled out her iPods, and turned to face me. "How do we get passed the rain, Adrian?"
"Uh, I don't know. Run, and maybe send someone to get our briefcase, later? Is it okay?" I asked.
"I'm going to catch a cold, actually we."
I shrugged. "The only way out is if you want us to spend the night in the car, do you?"
"I'd have loved to, but no!"
"Back at square one, let's run. It's going to be fun, I swear," I urged her.
I really loved the earthy smell of the rain. Running in the rain reminded me of my childhood.
Then, mother would always scold me for playing in the rain, but who cared?
I was only a little innocent boy who craved fun, and I wanted to feel like that little boy again, just this one night, if only Aurora would agree.
Maybe a kiss in the rain like how couples do in romance movies, too?
I smirked at the thought, tilting my head side-to-side like a child.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, and crossed her arms over her bosom. "What, now?"
"Let's go."
"Let's? No worries, I think I'll wait for the rain to stop. You can go without me as I wouldn't like to ruin your so-called fun."
This moment, I felt self-centered, all thanks to her.
I assumed she was trying to be the mature one, and right now, she was acting exactly like my mother, annoying. Mother loved when everything went her way.
God. Don't you ever think romantically, Blondie, or at least read my mind for once? I held the urge to say it out, and let out a low groan instead.
Just great, Aurora.
"Here…" I took off my jacket and placed it on her thighs. "Wear it, I will manage."
She threw it back at my face. "Thanks, but no. I can't, and you don't have to do this."
Playlist:
[ZOE WEES– CONTROL]
I knew she'd bluntly refuse, but I wasn't going to let her have her way. I hated when all she did was feel pity for others, but not herself.
She needed to be loved and cared for, genuinely, and that was the least I could do for her.
I hissed. "Stop being stubborn, Aurora. I know you're worried about my health, and you feel guilty that I'll have to suffer a cold for you, but I, honestly, don't mind. Okay?"
"Thank you," she muttered in a faint voice, then she took the jacket and put it on.
"I love you." Those words rolled off my tongue. I didn't mind telling her all day and proving it to her.
Her cheeks turned crimson, then she covered up with a cute laugh. "Quit saying that now and then, will you?"
I decided to play innocent. "Saying what?"
"I love you," she answered in an nonchalant tone. She didn't realize yet.
Leaning closer, I kissed her cheek. "I love you, too, cupcake."
She smacked my arm, lightly. "What was that for? You, cheat!" she giggled.
I pouted, faking hurt. "Tell me you didn't mean it."
She shut her eyes like this was a long awaiting confession, and my ears itched for her response, hopefully positive.
"I did, I do…" I heard her say, more like a whisper, then her long eyelashes fluttered open.
Somewhat relief, huh?
A darker shade of red crept up her cheeks when her light brown eyes met mine, then she continued.
"I love you, Adrian Garcia and I'll keep on loving you until the day I breath my last, and even after my death. I don't care if I'm being selfish, or not, but you're the only reason I want to live. I don't want to lose you, again, and if I do…"
I pressed my index finger on her soft lips, and spoke in a husky tone, "Shh, don't say it."
She shook her head and turned away, looking out through the window. "No, Adrian…" her voice trailed off for the second time.
I knew she was still scared that I may hurt her again, and it shattered me.
How else should I convince her? I thought.
Her fingers traced the raindrops on the window, and she giggled before wiping her tears. "Just letting you know, if I do, I don't think I will breath, again."
I placed my hand on her exposed skin, and she shivered, but she didn't spare me a glance.
"Sorry, I… I think I lost control of myself, and I let out all my emotions," she apologized.
My lips curved into a smile. "I won't judge you for being a crybaby. Just breath, you'll be fine. And the tears in your eyes, let them out… I'm more than willing to cry with you."
She let out a cute chuckle, still sniffling her tears. "You must be kidding."
"I'm not. If you don't believe, then look at me."
She slowly turned around, and bit her lower lip before meeting my gaze, then she laughed. "Men get emotional?"
"Maybe. Not all guys admit, but I do."
"There's a lot I don't know about you, and likewise you," she said, and I nodded.
"Yep," I said, tucking loose strands of her hair behind her ears to get a perfect view of her beautiful face.
"Adrian…" she called out, slightly above a whisper. My left brow rose in response. "What if I lose you to someone else? What if I lose the entitlement to call you mine? What if–"
I leaned closer, and I pulled her into my arms, breaking off her 'what if' questions.
"Shh, not another what if from you. You are scared now, and I understand. I'm never leaving you again, Aurora Garcia. I promise that I'll always be here for you as a best friend, a confidant, comforter, and a life partner. There's nothing that will come in between us after this phase of our lives is over, and no matter what happens in the future, I'll never give up on us."
She stuck out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise?" she asked.
I laughed, then I interlocked mine with hers and kissed our hands. "Yeah, pinky promise, baby."
Neither of us spoke afterwards nor broke the hug. I shut my eyes and ran my fingers through her soft, straight hair.
I could say this was my best moment in a long while.
We remained in that position until she spoke up. "Look out, it's just drizzling, now."
"Oh, right. Can we?"
"Sure."
I walked out of the car and ran over to the other side to get the door. I held out my hand for her, she gave me hers and walked out.
I grabbed our briefcase from the backseat and locked the car. Then we left for the reception hall where I paid for two nights, just incase.
We got access to the last available room in the hotel, and finally, we settled down.
…
"So…?" Aurora asked after exploring the room.
The room contained only a bed, a dresser, beautiful paintings hung on the wall, then a blue chandelier light hanging from the ceiling and a big white towel folded on the bed.
Whereas the simple setting of the room, I admired the theme.
Now, she was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, perhaps she was waiting for me to say something.
I couldn't come up with something sensible, just then a silly thought popped up in my head. "You aren't feeling sleepy, are you?"
She shook her head, and I smirked.
"Let's shower."
She jerked to her feet instantly. Her eyes were wide as a saucer, with her jaw hanging in the midair.
"Me and you?" she asked.
"I guess. What's wrong?" I asked, taking off my Rolex watch.
"N-nothing. It's just that–uh… Adrian, I–"
"You're shy because it's our first time, I know. But I bet, we'll get used to it," I assured her.
In a thin voice, she replied, "Okay."
"Okay what?"
She let out a heavy breath. "I will shower with you."
"Thank you."
"Why? I'm not doing you any favor."
I smiled. "I know, just that I didn't expect you to agree. We usually don't go a day without arguing. So, I'm–"
She cut in. "Surprised?"
"That's an understatement. I'm flattered."
"Well, then I think you have a short-term memory."
"What?!"
"How could you forget? We had a fight in the car few hours ago, and you almost threw me out." She rolled her eyes.
"Because you were acting stubborn and annoying as usual."
She frowned. "As usual? Wow…."
"Where is the lie?" I asked, trying to match up with her serious face.
"And you, what did you get after throwing a tantrum around like you always do?"
I chuckled. "Tit for tat."
She stuck out her tongue, playfully. "That's right."
I began stripping myself down to my underwear while she stared at me, awkwardly.
"Peel off your clothes, or should I do it myself?"
With knitted brows, she asked, "Wait. Were you serious all along?"
"I wasn't joking. Regardless, I won't force you if you don't want. I will respect whatever decision you make."
Still, I hoped she'd say yes.
Her gaze fell to the ground. "Okay."
"Is that a yes, or no? Look here, don't do it for me. Just listen to what your heart says and tell me. I'll be fine, I promise."
A beautiful smile lit up her face. "My heart says yes, Ryan."
New nickname? Cool.
"And what do you say?"
She displayed her pearly white teeth. "Yes, of course."
"Well then, take your time, and disrobe yourself."
She nodded, and began with pulling off her shoes. I watched her strip herself off her clothes, slowly, then she tossed them into the laundry basket.
Now, she was left in only her panties.
My eyes traveled from her head down to her toes, examining her tiny, but perfect curves. I was turned on by merely staring at her body.
"When was the last time you got laid?" I heard myself ask.
She looked at me, puzzled. "W-what?"
"The last time you got laid?"
This time, she laughed which I found cute. "Where did that come from?"
"Don't sweat it. Just answer me, honestly."
Her cheeks flushed red, then she met my gaze and averted her eyes from me the next second. "Uh, you."
Are you a human?
Four fucking years and counting?!
Those were the question I wanted to ask her, but I decided to not.
"Was that your first?"
She shook her head. "Nah."
"Who was? Who touched you, my love?"
She erupted in a loud laughter. "You sound like your insecure girlfriend, now."
I resisted the urge to laugh because my blood was boiling at the thought of another man in her life. One may call it jealous, or whatsoever.
I took long strides to the point she stood, breathing furiously. "Just tell me every fucking thing I want to know!" I yelled.
"Easy, Adrian. You're hurting me," she cried out.
Until now, I didn't realize I gripped her wrist, causing her to wince in pain.
"Tell me who he is, and I'll leave you."
"It's some guy from my past. Nothing more, okay?"
I tightened my grip, and bent closer to her left ear. In a raspy whisper, I spoke, "Is he better in bed? Did he make you feel things, butterflies in your stomach, anything?"
She threw her head back, fidgeting from my touch. "Can we not talk about this?"
I trailed my fingers across her cheeks. "No, tell me, cupcake. You don't feel something for him anymore, or do you?"
"Yes, I do–"
"Did you ever love me?! Don't you dare lie to me, Aurora."
"Are you serious, right now? How could you even question my love for yo–?"
"Fucking answer me, woman! Did you ever love me?!" I repeated myself.
She ruffled her hair, screaming. "Yes, yes, yes! I loved you, Adrian, and I still do."
"What about the other guy?" I couldn't help but ask.
"You have to believe me. I feel the exact opposite for him: hatred, hurt and anger, not love. He ruined me, and I detest him till this day."
I dragged her to the bed, then I loosened my grip. "Tell me more."
"He's worst than a psycho, and has a higher rank than the Devil himself, if there's any position like that," she chuckled.
"How did you meet such a heartless person, and get rid of him?"
"After the death of my parents, everything they owned was taken away from us. My sister and I were raised in an orphanage for about three months. His mysterious parents adopted us, then they both left the city after a year, leaving us behind with their abusive son. He molested me when I was only 12, and he was 19. He threatened to kill Annabel if I ever told our little dirty secret to the police or a third party. That ungodly act continued for weeks, and one day, I chose to be a coward. I ran away, leaving Annabel behind…" she trailed off.
"Go on." I pursed my lips in full concentration.
She nodded. "For a couple of months, I spent my nights on the streets while I spent all afternoon hunting many jobs. In the space of that time, I never heard any news about my sister. Fortunately, I secured the job of a waitress in a 3-star restaurant, and also worked as a stripper behind the mask for a few years. I didn't want anyone to find out about my second job, so I hid my age and identity from the public."
"Wow," that was the only word that escaped my lips.
"Yeah. At least, I could pay some bills. Well, living in the slums of NYC, I struggled to get through with high school. I couldn't further my education, so I forfeited my dreams of becoming a medical doctor."
She paused to take a calm breath, and continued.
"Then I met Aurelia… story for another day. To cut short, she changed my life positively, and I made up my mind to dedicate my life to my first job. Due to my influential status as a result of our union, and with my consistency and self loyalty, I was promoted to a higher position as the restaurant supervisor."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
She pouted. "The fake divorce incident happened."
"Oh. Anyways, the night we met, were you a regular clubber, or still a stripper?"
She smiled, embarrassingly. "The second, and that was the last night I stripped in a club."
"Cool."
Her brows knitted in question. "What's cool about that?"
I took her unaware and pushed her back to the bed, pinning her hands above her head. I nuzzled my nose against her neck, and soft moans escaped her mouth.
"Do you still remember your captivating moves? Cos I want to watch you pole dance for only me… without the mask," I whispered and bit the tip of her ear.
"The heck, Adrian?!" She made a failed attempted to push me off, looking amused.
"Please, just do it for me, baby. You'll pick a date, I'll choose the nightclub. Trust me, I have great tastes."
"Alright."
I planted wet kisses on her stomach and she let out an uncontrollable laughter.
"Get th-the f-fuck o…off m-me, Ryan! I'm going to pee on myself if you keep doing this. It's ticklish," she screamed in-between her laughter.
I crawled up her body and kissed her lips before rolling off to the other side of the bed.
Now, she was calm and breathless.
"Aurora…" I called out.
She tilted her head to my direction. "Yeah?"
"Will you forgive me? I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier," I gave an apologetic look.
She smiled. "I even forgot about it, but I already forgave you. Let's blame it on love."
"Thank you, bunny."
"Do you not want to still shower?" she asked, and I was surprised. Maybe she wanted it as bad as I did.
I gave a blissful smile. "I want. Shall we?"
TO BE CONTINUED…