Two broken pasts. One summer. One love that could ruin everything.
Can two people scarred by pain learn to heal each other?
Or will the fear of falling in love keep them from ever truly living?
༝ ˚ ｡⋆ 𓇼 ⋆｡ ˚...
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"Follow me"
His voice is calm but there's something unreadable behind it-like a dare.I hesitate but my feet move anyway. "Where are we going?"I ask,keeping a few steps of caution between us.
He doesn't answer.Just keeps walking until he stops besides the motorcycle and picks up a helmet.
"No,no way,I ain't riding that thing."
He turns,one eyebrow raised like he's amused by my reaction.
"Are you scared?"he asks.
He smiles,smiles,and he takes a step closer to me.I feel his hands touching the sides of my face and he's looking at me with a soft expression that it could make me die happy after all.
"No,I'm not."I roll my eyes at his question even tho I was lying.
"I just prefer a safer way of riding."
He chuckles,the sound low and smooth,and it sends a shiver down my spine."I bet you do."
He holds out the helmet,patient."You don't have one."I point out.
"Don't need one."He swings his leg over the bike with ease,glancing back at me."hop on,sweetheart."
I bit my lip,undecided.Every instinct tells me this is reckless.But there's a part of me that is tired of careful decisions.Tired of safe.
So I climb on,awkward and unfamiliar,keeping a respectable amount of space between us.I don't touch him because last time I did I made him feel uncomfortable.
"You are gonna want to hold on."He says,not looking back.
"Huh?"
The bike roars in life and the sudden move makes me cling into him for dear life.
"I told you."He calls over the engine,voice half lost in the wind."Might want to hold on."
"Just don't get us killed,please.I need to finish this chapter from my book!Im telling you it's perfect."
He doesn't respond and neither do I keep going. I tighten my hold on him,feeling his back stiffen under my touch-just for a second-before he relaxes again like he's remembering to breathe.
The city blurs past,all light and cold air against my face.But there's a stange warmth settling in my chest,and I don't know if it's the adrenaline-or him.
I try not to think about how steady he feels beneath my hands.The road bends,and I grip him tighter without meaning to.
"I'm not going to drop you."He chuckles suddenly
"I know."I answer back,even though I still felt kind of hesitant.
The city faded into the night,and I find myself relaxing even more at our close proximity.Eventually the bike slows.We pull off onto a hill that overlooks the ocean down.It was the first time I came up here at night and now I know that I was missing out.
I swing my leg off the bike,helmet still in hands,and step a few paces away to take into the view.
He doesn't follow right away.Just watches me,like he's trying to decide what should he say first.
The breeze off the ocean is stronger here,brushing my hair across my face.I don't fix it.Just stand there,staring out like the waves might offer answers I didn't know I was asking for.
Finally I hear his footsteps behind me-slow and deliberate.
"You've never been up here at night?"He asks,his voice low and careful.
I shake my head."No,I didn't even know it looked like this after dark.Its...different."
He stops a few feet away,hands in his jacket pockets."Most people only come during the day.They want the sun,the warmth.But it's better like this.Feels honest."
I glance at him.He's not looking at the ocean-he's watching me.
"And you like honest?"I ask.
"I like quiet,"He replies."Honest is harder."
I smile faintly,the kind that feels more like a reflex than a choice."So why bring me here?"
He thinks for a second,then shrugs."You looked like you needed to be somewhere you didn't have to explain yourself."
That catches me off guard more than I want to admit.My fingers tighten slightly around the helmet."Maybe I did."I say softly."Maybe I still do."
"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"the question comes out sharper than I meant it to be.
He stays quiet beside me,jaw tight,eyes fixed somewhere far beyond the horizon.
Then he exhales hard,voice cutting through the air like he's being holding back long.
"Because I was a fucking moron,Liliya.And I still am.Because I keep hurting you and I don't know how to stop"
"I keep hurting you."He says again,but this time there's frustration in his voice-at himself,at everything."And you just keep looking at me like I'm worth something."
I shallow,heart knocking against my ribs.
"Maybe because i think that."I say quietly.
"Don't say that,"he murmurs,stepping in closer,touching the side of my face with his hand."You don't know what I've done."
My voice wavers but I don't step back."I know how you make me feel."
For a second neither of us moves.
Then he's on me-his hand in my hair,on my back,pulling me into him like he's starving for it.
And I let him.
The kiss isn't gentle,it's intense,urgent,his mouth finding mine like it's the only way he knows how to ask for forgiveness.I melt into it,fingers tangled into his hair and I press myself further into him.
When we finally break apart I'm breathless.Shaken.
He rests his forehead against mine."Tell me this isn't a mistake."He says,voice rough.
I close my eyes,still thinking about the way he kissed me seconds ago.
