Tomorrow

Chapter six

As I walk towards the couch his eyes never leave mine, slowly making their way down my body searching every inch of me. I sit a couple feet away from him trying to remain calm as he scouts a little closer to me. He pulls out the paper bag and in it are two bowls, some drinks, and a loaf of bread. He sets out the bowls and turns to me holding two drinks.

"Which would you like." He says holding a strawberry soda in one and in the other strawberry lemonade.

I smiled and grabbed the lemonade "how did you know I enjoy the taste of strawberries?"

"I just guessed" he said shrugging nonchalantly turning his attention to the food in front of him.

I began to eat the chicken soup he had brought; it was perfect for the weather and the temperature of the soup helped warm me from the inside out. We sat there eating while watching a show. My nervousness slowly disappeared as he seemed to be more interested in the show than me. His eyes never left the screen and I laughed at myself for letting my mind run wild just a second ago.

"Hey what's up those stairs." He said looking to one side of the room.

"That's just my art studio, want to take a look" I said standing up limping my way to the stairs.

He rises from the couch and slowly follows me up the stairs. When we reach the top, I flick on the lights, illuminating my loft. The vibrant colors of the paintings on the wall come to life, and my sculptures are highlighted, showcasing every detail crafted by my hands.

He pulls over one of the chairs "Here take a seat" he says motioning me to sit.

I sit down and he walks around the room taking in every detail from my work. He suddenly came to a stop at one of my sculptures.

"what's the story behind this one" he says looking at me and the back at the sculpture.

I go stiff as he looks at a sculpture of an angel who is falling to thousands of hands and a singular hand that reaches out from the heavens. I let out a breath and smile weakly.

"That's a sculpture I presented in my exhibition last year."

"Hmm, what does it mean" he said walking towards me and sitting on the chair next to me.

I hesitate for a second trying to compose my thoughts. I haven't spoken about this to anyone other than Yoon, and Jen.

"it's a long story." I say fiddling with my thumbs and then looking at him.

"I have time." He says never losing eye contact.

I paused and then started to speak.

"Last year, I was in a relationship that lasted about four years. He was my first love; he was all I knew. It started off great; we were so in tune, always laughing and having fun. But everything changed after two years. He became distant and accusatory, convinced I was cheating on him. He made me cut off friends I'd had for a long time. At times, I feared for my safety because of how upset he would get, and one day, he lost it. He threw me out of the apartment we shared, and I was left alone, picking up my stuff off the street. Thankfully, I have amazing friends who helped me get back on my feet. But he came back, begging for another chance. And I caved."

My eyes begin to water, and I turn my head to wipe away the tears.

"I was so blinded by the need to be loved that I forgave him and moved back in. He changed for a while. It was like before—I felt loved and heard. I was happy. But it didn't last. He reverted to his old ways, and it got worse. I found myself changing too, yelling, and letting out my anger every time he accused me of cheating. One night, we had a terrible fight. He threw a lamp at me. Luckily, it missed me, but it was something I couldn't forgive. Yet, he begged for forgiveness, and I told myself this would be the last time. He convinced me he could fix it and took me out to dinner. That night, we fought in the car on the way to the restaurant."

I am now crying, trying to finish.

"He was speeding down the highway, not paying attention, and out of nowhere, we hit another car. We flipped over and I was in the hospital for a month due to my injuries, I still have scars to remind me that sometimes you just need to let go."

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

"The creature falling from its heaven represents me. The thousands of hands reaching up, trying to tear a piece of its body, represent the thousands of possibilities my life could take. The hand reaching from the sky is the only option I chose for years. It represents me leaving the place I once believed to be heaven and falling into something new."

Throughout the whole story Mins eyes never changed his face still showing no emotion. He stood up and walked to me and knelt beside me. Tears were still running down my cheek, my eyes drifted to my hands and back to meet his eyes. He stared at me quietly, gently wiping away tears and strands of hair away from my face, never breaking eye contact.

"Seems like you've been through a lot more than most people can handle." His voice was low and smooth, tinged with a hint of something deeper. "It's good that you finally let go. Not everyone has that kind of strength." Saying with a casual air but still searching for something in my eyes.

His sudden touch gave me goosebumps and my heart began to pound so loud I feared he might hear it. He's still looking at me so intently yet looking uninterested as if I was the only one feeling this way. His hand still caressed my face, his eyes dropped to my lips and back to my eyes. My breath became shallow as he inched closer to my lips. I can feel the warmth of his breath mingling with mine, the anticipation making my heart race. His eyes locked onto mine and slowly, his lips brush against my lips... They're soft, full and I felt a shiver go down my spine. The kiss is gentle almost as if he's scared to go any further, he pauses as if savoring the electricity between us, before pressing his lips more firmly against mine. The kiss is gentle at first, exploring, testing, but it quickly deepens as our mutual desire takes over. His hand softly caressing my cheek and the other grabbing my waist pulling me into him. Then he pulls away hanging his head down as if regretting what he just did.

He speaks "I should go." His voice is husky and low.

He walks down the stairs and across my apartment I hear the front door close, and I am left alone.

Authors note:

How do you guys feel about this chapter it took me a while to write this one. There was so much I wanted to do with the chapter but decided it would be best to hold back. I want you guys to learn more about Rayra and give you a sneak peek of what's to come and hopefully you start to love them as much as I do.