𝐄𝐙𝐄𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

8

The morning sunlight filtered in through the cabin windows, and I slipped quietly from the bed, careful not to disturb Akira. She was still asleep, her breaths steady, her expression serene in a way I wasn’t used to seeing. A quiet smile crossed my face as I took in the sight of her—so different from any woman I’d been with before. It felt strange, stirring something unfamiliar, something that went beyond a simple night together.

I made my way up to the deck, deciding to bring the yacht back to the marina. The ocean was calm, and the early hour meant there was a peaceful stillness in the air as I steered us back toward the docks. The motion of the boat, the gentle hum of the engine, and the rhythmic sounds of the water felt grounding. But my thoughts kept drifting back to last night, to Akira.

Once we were securely docked at the marina, I turned off the engine, letting the boat settle into the quiet morning. I figured Akira might still be asleep, giving me a little more time to clear my head, to sort through what I was feeling. It was strange—normally, bringing someone along on a casual morning sail was just that, a part of the routine. But with her, it felt like something more, something I wanted to hold onto.

As I stood at the helm, taking in the marina and gathering my thoughts, I heard someone calling my name from the dock. I turned to see Suzette making her way toward the yacht. Her face lit up as she spotted me, and within moments, she was up on the deck, reaching out to hug me. I returned the gesture, distracted, my mind still partially with Akira below deck. But Suzette’s hand lingered on my arm as she leaned in, her voice soft, her fingers tracing a light touch.

And then, I felt it—a change in the air, the heavy stillness of someone’s presence behind me. I turned and found myself face-to-face with Akira. She was standing at the edge of the deck, looking at us, her gaze cool and unreadable as she took in the scene.

“Akira…” I said, my voice caught between surprise and a sinking realization of how this must look. But her expression was a careful mask, her face giving away nothing, though her eyes held a flicker of something deeper, something raw.

Suzette noticed her too and offered a bright, polite smile. “Akira! I didn’t realize you were here.” Her tone was casual, her hand still resting on my arm. But Akira’s eyes flickered briefly before she forced herself to look away, her face neutral, almost too calm.

“Yeah… I was just heading out,” Akira replied, her voice steady but with a hint of distance that made my chest tighten. She spared Suzette a nod before turning, stepping off the yacht without looking back.

“Wait, Akira!” I called after her, but she kept walking, her pace unyielding, her form disappearing down the dock.

🤍🤍🤍

The warm morning sunlight bathed the marina, casting a golden hue over everything as I watched Akira’s figure retreating, her back slowly disappearing into the distance with each step. A knot tightened in my chest, a feeling I wasn’t used to—guilt, maybe, or regret? Every step she took away from me felt like a piece of myself slipping further and further out of reach. I should’ve stopped her, tried to explain, but the sinking feeling in my gut told me I’d already screwed it up. Had I already lost her?

Suzette, still standing beside me, seemed completely unaware of the weight of the moment. She casually squeezed my arm, her voice breaking through my fog of thoughts. “I didn’t realize Akira would be with you, Ezekiel,” she said, her tone light and amused, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. What was she amused about? I barely registered her words, my mind consumed by what I’d just witnessed—the way Akira had looked at me, the hurt in her eyes, the distance she’d put between us.

“I think you should go, Suzette,” I said, my voice coming out colder than I intended. Her expression flickered with surprise, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My gaze was still locked on where Akira had been moments ago, my thoughts clouded with the hurt I’d caused. Suzette didn’t matter in that moment. I wanted to explain myself to Akira, to make her see that what she’d witnessed wasn’t what she thought it was. That it was meaningless. But the way she had looked at me, that betrayal in her eyes, was all I could think about.

Once Suzette had left, I was left alone on the deck, my hands gripping the railing as frustration simmered inside me. Normally, I wouldn’t care about what anyone thought or felt, least of all a woman. But Akira was different. There was something in me that I couldn’t ignore, a feeling I couldn’t explain. She was my mate, and it was suddenly clear to me just how much that meant. How much she meant.

I exhaled deeply, trying to calm myself before I left the yacht. I had to find her. I couldn’t let this moment slip away. I made my way down the dock, the sounds of the bustling marina around me, but I wasn’t really hearing any of it. My only focus was on finding Akira, on making her understand.

As I reached the hotel she’d been staying in, I saw her outside, her back to me as she rifled through her handbag. I quickened my pace, desperation starting to rise in me. “Akira, wait!” I called out, my voice sounding raw even to me. She hesitated, her shoulders stiffening, but she didn’t turn around. When I reached her, I stopped, unsure of how to bridge the gap between us. I hadn’t been unsure of anything in a long time, but now I was at a loss for words.

“Let me explain,” I finally managed to say, my voice softer, trying to convey how much this mattered to me.

She turned to face me, her eyes unreadable. Her expression was closed off, but there was something in her gaze that cut through me, a mixture of hurt and anger that made my chest tighten. “There’s nothing to explain, Ezekiel. I get it. It was just another night for you, wasn’t it?” Her words hit like a slap to the face, raw and unfiltered, breaking through the walls I’d built around myself.

“No,” I said, my voice firm despite the ache in my chest. “Akira, it’s not like that. You’re… different. Last night meant something to me.” The words came out clumsily, but they were the truth, even if I’d never said them before. I needed her to believe it.

For a moment, she just stared at me, her eyes softening, but there was still a flicker of doubt there that made my heart ache. “Ezekiel, I can’t be just another girl who falls for your charm, only to be left behind when you’ve had your fill.”

Her words were sharper than I expected, cutting into me with a force I couldn’t ignore. I wanted to reach out, to make her see that for the first time, I didn’t want to let go, but I couldn’t find the right words. She didn’t understand, not yet, that she was everything I wanted, everything I needed. But I was terrified that I’d already lost her.