Healing Takes Time

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The man watched the people in the resort from across the lake through a pair of binoculars. They were all laughing and having fun, kayaking, fishing, things like that. But none of them interested him very much. Only one group of people did. The one with the teenage blond, the freckled one, the young boy with the green eyes, the young girl with the black hair, the small child that looked like a tiny monk, and the lady. They all looked familiar. So familiar. Well, most of them did. He'd never seen the three youngest before.

But the others... They looked familiar. Especially the one covered in all those freckles. But he couldn't remember where he'd seen these people. He couldn't really remember anything from before...

I have to have him, he decided. And he started formulating a plan to do just that.

* * *

We stayed in the water for a long time. Eren had taken Mikasa back, and Mom took Connie back shortly after. Before she left, I asked her if Marco could stay in our cabin for the night. She'd winked and said yes as long as we "didn't engage in anything remotely sexual." I'd blushed and ducked under the water as she laughed.

Now it was the end of the sunset, and we were sitting on the dock, watching it. I had my head on his shoulder, and his head was resting on mine. We were both individually wrapped in our respective towels that Mom had left for us. Thank God she'd thought ahead.

Marco's hand was laced with mine. It was really warm and soft. I scooted closer to feel the warmth he provided. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I used the opportunity to scoot even closer. I sighed. "So warm," I murmured.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing," I replied, blushing like crazy.

He laughed and smiled, his freckles seeming to dance on his cheeks. "Okay. Sure."

I smacked his chest playfully. "Hush it, Mister."

He laughed again and kissed my head. We settled into another comfortable silence, the both of us watching the sun sink below the horizon. "This is probably the most romantic thing I've ever done," I admitted. I wanted to take it back once I'd said it, feeling a bit embarrassed, but it was a bit late for that.

"Then I'm going to have to change that."

I pulled away some and looked at him to find him already looking right back at me. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes, loving the feeling of contentment that was washing over me. It wasn't really new, but I hadn't felt it in such a long time...

I rested my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him. His hand moved up and brushed lightly through my hair. I closed my eyes again and relaxed against him totally. I guess playing with my hair was my weakness because it was all I could do to keep from humming with content.

He tugged my hair in a way that made my head tilt back until we were face to face. Our lips met somewhere in the middle in a soft, gentle kiss. It didn't last very long, and it wasn't rushed, but I was just as breathless as if we'd been kissing passionately for a long time without a pause for air.

"Come on," I said as we pulled back. "It's getting dark and cold."

He nodded and stood, offering his hand out to me. I took it and let him pull me up. He kept his hold on my hand as we walked to his cabin for him to ask if he could stay, and I was glad it was dark enough that he couldn't see me blush every time I realized that he was still holding my hand.

I heard a branch snap behind me. It made me jump.

"Are you okay, Jean?" Marco asked with amusement. The little shit was fucking grinning!