Only, Always, and Forever You

18 - Dream Come True

Amara's POV:

I feel the car stop and hear the gearshift move, and I can tell we've finally parked.

"Don't take the blindfold off yet, I'll walk you," he says before I can untie the cloth from around my head. I groan in response, but he just laughs.

I'd groan a million more times if it meant I could hear that laugh again.

I hear the car door besides me open, and I put out my hand. It is quickly met with Cole's rough, warm one, and he gently leads me out of the car.

Once I'm standing, Cole moves one of his hands to the small of my back while keeping the other wrapped around my hand. I feel goosebumps at the weirdly intimate contact.

He slowly leads me up a flight of stairs and through a revolving door, but I still can't see anything around me so I can only gauge the setting through my other four senses.

I taste the pastry that Cole got me, which I had right before we left.

I smell Cole's incredible scent, which is warm and woody.

I hear his infrequent chuckles when I stumble, and I hear his heavy breathing, as if he were nervous.

I feel his large hands: one on my lower back, the other in my grasp.

I'm enveloped by him. He's all I can think about, and I have no problem with it at all. It's like him ignoring me, shutting me out, yelling at me, all of it is forgotten in this moment.

Before I know it, Cole stops, and I feel him standing behind me.

"Where are we? Can I look yet?" I ask eagerly.

"Shhh... You have to be quiet in here, Amara," he whispers into the crook of my neck, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.

The sudden feeling of his breath fanning over my bear skin and his body so close to mine sends shockwaves throughout my body, and butterflies are released in my stomach.

He pulls me closer into his body, "You can look now," he whispers, staying behind me with his arms wrapped around me and his face beside mine.

I slowly untie the blindfold, trying not to get too distracted by our close proximity. However, when I can finally look around, he is not the only thing that has my attention.

My mouth drops at the sight, and I stand there in awe of my surroundings.

We stand in a large hall, adorned with antique brass light fixtures and murals on the ceiling. The walls are at least 20-feet tall and filled top-to-bottom with books, ladders leaning against the shelves so that the higher books could be reached.

The hall goes on for another 50 meters (≈55 yards) before branching off into more rooms.

We must be in a very, very old library, but I have never been here before. It is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I can't help but acknowledge every little detail in awe.

"You might want to close your mouth before a bug flies in there," Cole jokes, still wrapped around me from behind.

I hold onto his hands, which rest comfortably on my waist, and squeeze them tightly, not having any words to express how amazed I am right now.

He seems to understand this and squeezes back, not saying a word, just nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. This takes my attention from the room around me back to his closeness.

I swiftly turn around, but I make sure not to lose any distance between us. His hands comfortably wrap around my waist again, as if the position were natural, and our eyes lock. I get lost in his deep green eyes for a second before remembering how to form words.

"Cole, this is... it's beautiful," I manage, breathlessly.

For a minute he's silent, not responding but instead just analyzing my face as if he's memorizing every one of my features. I can't help but shy under his gaze.

"Yeah," he sighs, as if his mind is somewhere else, before returning to reality, "It's nothing big, I guess, but I usually just come here to hangout when the library at the school isn't open."

"This is probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," I mutter, still in awe of what's around me. I turn away from him to get a better look.

"It comes in second to you in my book..." I hear him whisper under his breath behind me, making me believe he didn't intend for me to hear it.

But I did.

And now I'm blushing even more than I already was, trying to hold back the giant smile that is making its way onto my face, but I'm failing miserably. I'm glad I'm not facing him so that he can't see my reaction...

"Come on, I want to pick out a book for you," I say adamantly, grabbing hold of his hand and leading him further into the grand hall.

He follows me with a smile, staring at me as if he were admiring me. He couldn't be admiring me though, right? I shrug it off and keep dragging him in a random direction.

I'm like a kid at Disneyland— being here is like a dream come true for me.