Wildfire

(24)

Mariana Montanari

I was looking in his eyes. So bright so fucking hopeful. How was I supposed to tell him my mother was the one who hurt him so much? She hurt me equally if not more but my mother was the one who made him end up with Christopher and Adam for weeks.

"You're Flawless, Mariana." How do I tell him I was nothing if not full of flaws? "I think you're just blind to my flaws." He leaned in to kiss me. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

I laid my head on his chest. Trying to catch a few moments of peace while I could. "In my defence I tried to fuck the sad out of you but now tell me what's wrong?"

He needed to be less observant. "Just work." His fingers brushed through my hair untangling the slight knots I got from Adam. "What happened to your arms?" He rubbed them trying to soothe them.

"Adam got out of ropes." He looked at me in shock. "He did this?" Technically. "No I didn't like his touch on me so I tried to get it off." I said unable to meet his eyes.

I get startled when Kenneth touches me but anyone else touching me makes my insides feel like an acid tornado. "Did it work?"

"Hm?" He kissed my forehead. "Did you get the touch off?" I shook my head, unable to master my words. I knew 5 languages but in moments like these I had no words in any possible language.

"I tried." I said making him nod. "Think of it as my touch." He said as he touched all over the scars on my arms left by my nails. It was comforting beyond my grasp. Before I could stop myself the words that should never be said on a date slipped out of my mouth.

"I haven't slept in 5 days." As if to further betray myself I let out a slight yawn. "We'll sleep when we get there. It's just 10 mins, wildfire."

It was like when you'd been on high alert and then you suddenly reached a place where you didn't need to be on high alert. The exhaustion caught up to me.

I ignored him and slept on his chest anyways obviously to be woken up again in 10 minutes. "You'll sleep more comfortable inside, baby."

I wanted to move but my body refused to. It refused to let go of the shred of rest I'd let it have in weeks. I didn't fight when he picked me up. I was too tired to check my surroundings but I knew he put me on a bed and started doing something calming to my shoulders.

"This isn't the best date I know-" my sentence ended up as a moan when he hit the spot on the base of my neck. "No second spent with you will ever be anything less than perfect, wildfire."

I was asleep before he could get a response. Since when had I started to be trusting enough to be asleep with men around in an open area. We were at the beach but it was empty and there was a shack turned bedroom which I assumed was his.

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I woke up to the sound of waves and breeze on my back. Why are there waves in a bedroom? I felt arms wrapped around me but for once they didn't make me feel like I was in danger. My eyes fluttered as the waves felt more real.

I was sleeping in an open room on the beach. Oh god no. What if someone saw me? The panic started catching up to me. "Kenneth?" He let out a sleepy hum.

"Yes, wildfire?" He said as his arms tightened around me. "We're sleeping on a beach." I looked around to see no one. Which was weird because it was beach season. "Someone could see us-"

"I bought it." Now this was insanity. "You bought a beach?" He sleepily nodded. "For a date?" He nodded again. I wouldn't say I was a billionaire or something but I surely was filthy rich. This was too much even by my standards.

He had picked me up in the evening and it was night now. I checked my phone. The private one, not the work one. Aliyah, Elijah, Evelyn, nothing I had to urgently respond to.

I got up to see flip flops near the bed. I wasn't gonna wear heels on a beach. I skipped footwear all together and got up to stretch and walk around.

I wasn't exactly a fan of beaches but I loved water. For a minute I forgot all about the situation at hand and breathed. It felt serene. I hadn't been on a beach for a while.

Kenneth walked up behind me. "You like the ocean?" I nodded before continuing to walk. "Tryna run away again?"

I turned to him. "I don't run away." I said rolling my eyes. "We'll see." He splashed water on me. "Oh for hell's sake" I splashed him back.

Our little water fight turned into him dragging me into the water. "I hate you."
I said splashing more water on him. "Forever?" His voice lowered as he gripped me by the waist and pulled me closer.

"Forever." I replied, kissing him. My arms wrapped around his neck. "I love you too," he breathed.

I didn't know if I'd ever be able to say it to him. I love you, Kenneth. I sure as hell couldn't say it now.

I twisted his curls around my fingers tugging at them a little. I didn't know how I'd tell him that whatever happened to him was my fault. My mother did it.

Another part of my brain was too focused on her being back. That could not be good.

"You know I've never had a splash fight before." I had never done a lot of things before. "You know I've never had a girlfriend before?" My eyes stilled against his.

"Mariana, will you be my girlfriend?" This was one of the things I'd never done before. "Yes."

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