Her Greatest Treasure

Chapter 5:

Christian and I are exhausted when we awake the next morning only to have to walk ten miles down the road to the old abandoned church. God, this locket better be here.

The church itself is creepy; there's cobwebs everywhere, it's dark, and I'm almost positive I heard bats flying around the ceiling.

Christian and I carefully walk up the ladder leading to her apartment before I literally gasp out loud. It looks like nothing has moved. There's a bed in the corner, a mini stove against the wall with a sink. If you open the door it'll reveal a teeny powder room. Even her nightstand and dresser look untouched.

"Look through the dresser," Christian tells me. "That's where I would put a necklace."

"Nothing," I tell him once I rummage through it.

"I can't find it either. Damn it! We've searched this place, where could it be?"

"Wait," I gasp when I see a piece of ripped wallpaper in the corner of my eye. I rip through the wallpaper to find a map. What is it with my family keeping important things in walls behind wallpaper?

"Woah." I giggle at Christian when the map points in the direction of Grady's Way, the marsh in the woods.

"Look at the oak, the one that blossoms most," I read from the map.

"The Fairy Tree," Christian chuckles.

"What?"

"I came here once on vacation when I was little with my parents, and we named the biggest oak tree in the marsh the Fairy Tree because they wanted me to believe fairies lived there. I know, stupid."

"Not stupid," I tell him with a smile. "Then to the Fairy Tree we go."

...

By the time we walk to the Fairy Tree it's dusk. It's honestly really freaky around here, just wading through the marsh trying to find a random tree.

"Flashlight?" I say to Christian, and he nods before turning his phone flashlight on. "That's really dim, you know."

"I know. I have a shitty iPhone 8. Can't afford a new one."

"Do you hear something?" I whisper as I hear a rustle in the bushes ahead of us. "Christian—"

Christian comes up behind me and puts a hand across my mouth before I can get another word in. I nibble on his finger and he lets go with a small wince.

"What the hell?" I gasp.

"There's people up there and you wouldn't shut up."

"There's other ways to shut me up, you know," I whisper cheekily as his cheeks flame.

We crouch behind a tree together and listen in to a small group of men ahead of us. "There's nothing here," a man bellows as another one sighs. "Let's go."

Their footsteps fade into the distance as Christian and I creep up to the Fairy Tree.

"They have to be after the treasure too," he tells me.

"No shit. And just because they didn't find it doesn't mean we won't. Look around." 

"Oh my god," Christian chuckles as I stride to where he's standing. "Look." He points to a heart engraved with EG ❤️ LQ in the tree.

"If it's closest to her heart, EG must stand for Elizabeth Grey. The locket has got to be here somewhere. Wait..." I stick my hand in the nearest hole in the tree. "There's something in here!"

"What is it?"

"Ow, ow! Something's biting me! Ow!" I groan.

"Avalon!" Christian grabs me by the waist and pulls me backwards. "Are you alright?" he asks as I start laughing. "You asshole!" he yells jokingly when he realizes I'm kidding.

"What? Can't a girl have a little fun?" He keeps his arms wrapped around my waist. "Look what I found," I wave the locket between our faces.

"I have never loved you more," he whispers.

"Um—"

"Sorry, wrong use of words. I've never liked you more."

"Much better. Now let's go. I don't know what we do after this, but we won't be much good on no sleep."

...

"I would say today was a successful day," Christian whispers as he takes off his shirt and climbs into bed with me.

"I would say so too. We make a pretty good team."

"We do." Silence stretches between us as he cups the side of my cheek.

"Christian?"

"Avalon."

"After this is all over... I wanna explore..."

"This?" he says, waving a finger between us.

"Mhmm. Us."

"I wish we could see where it goes starting now..."

"Christian—" I whisper inching closer to his lips.

"What?" I hook my arms around his neck and drag him down towards me as I crash my lips against his. He slithers his arms around my back and leans on top of me, never breaking the kiss.

"Avalon, we don't have to—" Christian whispers before I cut him off by kissing him again. I tangle my fingers through his hair as I hear him make a cute little sound in the back of his throat. My entire body tingles with sparks as I feel the bats in my stomach go insane.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that... how many times I've wanted to..." he groans as he chuckles and nuzzles his face into my hair.

"You wear your heart on your sleeve. I like that about you," I tell him.

"So now I can kiss you whenever I want?"

"Maybe. But no life or death experience kiss. I hate those."

"Well, I hope there won't be any life or death experiences that I need to kiss you for."

"Let's hope," I tell him as I give him one last kiss on the lips before I drift off to sleep.