Whispers in the dark

Chapter thriteen

Chapter thirteen

The rest of the day went by as usual and I met Marcus outside so he could drop me off home. The car ride went quickly and we chatted a bit before I made to leave.

"Avalon, I'm going to take you on a date," he said as I stepped out of the car.

"When?" I asked, trying hard to conceal my excitement.

"Tonight. I'll pick you up at seven, okay?" he asked. I nodded once in response before he drove away leaving me grinning in my driveway.

I opened the door and announced that I was home to mum in the process. Surprisingly I was greeted by an silence and an empty house. That's weird; mum is usually home from work at this time. I walked into the kitchen, immediately noticing a note on the counter and immediately started to panic.

'Honey I've just gone out on a date with a guy I met at work. I'll be back by 11.'

Letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding I placed the note back on the counter and walked towards the lounge. I was glad that she was finally moving on. My 'dad' didn't deserve to have her in the first place.

I took a quick glance at the clock and read 4:45. Smiling to myself I stripped off my clothes letting them fall to the floor, ready to go for a run.

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When I got back from my run it was 6:30pm, just in time to get ready. Continuing upstairs I felt an all too familiar feeling swell in my chest and butterflies dancing around in my stomach. Entering my room I patted my face with both hands lightly shaking away the nerves. I couldn't afford to be getting cold feet now.

Sifting through my wardrobe I pulled out and slipped on a navy blue dress decorated with rhinestones. Pulling my tangled hair from the hair tie I sat down at my dresser, picking up my tortoiseshell brush, and began to comb through my matted hair. Once I was done I slipped on some black sandals and stuffed my keys and phone into a purse. Staring at my reflection in the mirror a small sigh escaped my lips. I was truly lucky to have a mate, family and friends that I could rely on.

Suddenly I was snapped out of my thoughts by a knock on the front door. Picking up my purse I walked down the stairs to the front of the house. When I opened the front door, I was pleasantly surprised to see Marcus wearing a white button down shirt and suit pants, smiling gently down at me.

He extended his arm for me and I took it. We walked towards his car and he opened my door for me, like a true gentleman.

"You look, beautiful," he said getting into his seat and giving me a brief kiss on my lips.

I blushed a little and he chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"You're really cute when you blush," he replied. That only made me blush a deeper shade of red.

"Where are we going," I asked trying to change the subject.

"It's a surprise," he said winking at me. I stared out the window smiling to myself as we drove off into the young night.

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When we arrived and I stepped out of the car I blinked several times in disbelief. We had pulled up to a seemingly untouched beach. I looked at him in amazement but he just looked away sheepishly.

"I wanted our first date to be special and my mum suggested that we come here," he said blushing a little.

I grabbed his hand and he turned back towards me.

"It's beautiful and I love it here," I said reassuringly.

I let go of his hand and stepping out of the car. He got out as well and got something from the boot. I threw off my shoes and sprinted down to the shore. The soft white sand sank beneath my feet and I practically melted along with it. I turned around to see where Marcus was at and I was once again left shocked.

There he was sitting on a picnic rug laying out lots of different types of food. I walked towards him and sat down next to him.

"Marcus this is amazing," I said.

"It was nothing," he mumbled picking up a plate and handing it to me. I began stacking my plate with food and he set up a lantern.

While we ate we both began to relax and we started talking about random things. It turns out that Marcus has actually never been in a relationship either and he was just as nervous as I was.

At the end of the meal I stood up, stretching before pulling Marcus to his feet.

"We're going swimming," I announced as I started to unzip my dress. He stood there shocked at my sudden out burst, but soon warmed up to the idea and stripped off his top. (I cut out a bit here)

He followed me soon after and waded into the water. The luminous moon scattered silver rays on the surface of the clear water bathing Marcus and I in light. We stood in the water for a few brief moments letting the near still water lap at our bare bodies. And in that moment with only the moon to bear witness and with nothing left to hide, Marcus took me in his arms pressing his body flat against mine. I placed my head on his chest listening to the constant thrum of his heart and the air as it flowed through his lungs. Taking my chin in his gentle hands he lifted my head to meet his eyes.

"I love you Avalon," he said as he suddenly crashed his lips into mine. We stayed like that, stuck in that perfect moment before I pulled away. I stared up at him and looked into his enthralling eyes, before whispering back to him,

"I love you too."