For when you need that quick fix.
A collection of romance short stories: including fluff, drama, and smut (18+; there will be a disclaimer on the respective chapters!).
***Taking requests! Just DM me a prompt/trope and any details you have in mind...
Themes: Childhood friends to lovers, nautical, 'who did this to you', 'i would tear the world apart to find you'
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Nepenthe (n): (1) a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow; (2) something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering
–PART ONE–
Santiago's POV (5 years ago)
"Santi, el viento [the wind]," she cried out, laughing as the pearl white sails fluttered against her porcelain face. Her slender artist's hands came up to push her unruly curls out of her face. I snapped out of my reverie, tightened my hold on the ropes, and grimaced at the cotton cloths wrapped around several of her fingers.
The small boat rocked precariously as a strong gust of wind battered against its side. I grabbed the ropes readjusting the sails to catch the breeze. Like clockwork, the boat surged forward towards the small island in the distance.
Izan grabbed the sides of the boat leaning slightly to one side to watch the waves sluice against the side of the wooden surface. She closed her eyes, a blissful smile on her face as some stray droplets landed on her cheek.
Izan. She hated the name– a boy's name– but I thought it suited her. It meant 'to be.' And no matter what anyone said, what anyone thought, she was always exactly whoever she wanted to be.
It didn't matter if her father wanted her to stay home and learn the art of homemaking to secure a potential suitor. Izan wanted to make jewelry. And she made the most beautiful creations I had ever seen.
That was another thing about her I admired. Her unrestrained passion meant that she excelled in all her endeavors.
But these creations came at a price: the wounds on her fingers from shaping the metal wires.
I tried to learn her craft to try and prevent at least some injury but my fingers were too large, too clumsy, too rough.
I continued to manipulate the sails, bringing us closer to the small island. I had no interest in manning ships but it was hard to convince my father to allow me to pursue anything else. We did not have enough money for me to explore scholarly pursuits.
My one motivation to practice sailing was taking Izan to find jewels and sea glass to use for her jewelry.
As the waters turned shallow, I grabbed the anchors to secure the boat in place.
The water was cool against my legs when I jumped out of the boat and waded over to a nearby tree to further secure the boat. If something were to happen to it, there would be no telling when we'd be found. It was better to be careful, especially since Izan was with me.
