WINNER OF THE @WATTPADSERIES 'SERIES-OSLY GOOD READ' COMPETITION!!!
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NO HUMAN CONTACT. EVER.
In order to survive , this was the rule Pip had to follow. Why? Because human contact was a death sentence. Completely fatal.
So why did the distan...
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+ I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now. +
+ Celine Dion +
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AND JUST LIKE that, he became everything. Everything; all at once.
He was here, and we were alone, and I was certain then that I was never going to let anyone else take him away from me again.
He disappeared for a moment, then to my left, the creaking of a metal door being forced open echoed throughout the room. Charleston stepped through at a loss for breath. He was a metre away, but it still felt too far.
"Charles." His name rolled off my tongue. I never knew before that words could taste so sweet.
He voice was delicate in return, "Pip."
"You came back to me." I moved closer as I spoke. He followed out of instinct.
"I did."
"You're not leaving again."
"Never." Without hesitation.
I wanted to touch him. I wanted to so badly, but there were still parts of me that were afraid to. I was left deciding until I looked at him, more careful now as if I had only been dreaming him before.
It was that moment that I noticed it. I couldn't believe that it took me so long to see, regardless of the fact that I was so depleted in trying to fathom him being here, it was a wonder how my mind seem to skim past it.
The smile I was wearing vanished and a slight quiver occurred in my lips as I studied every inch of his face. All along the left side of his cheek, reaching up to his eye and down to his neck, his dark complexion was covered over by stretches of blue and purple, and dried, red blood on top of that.
The constant flickering of the lights didn't allow me to fully comprehend the extent of his injuries, but in the bursts, I was able to see what he was: bruised, bloodied, and beaten.
Aware of my relentless staring, Charleston looked down. The faintest of smiles tugged at his lips in a seemingly selfless way. "I'm okay, Pip."
I shook my head at his statement. It wasn't enough for me. "Charleston, what happened?"
Then, before he could reply, "what did they do to you?"
The expression he had was unrecognizable, like it didn't belong on him. I could only match it to guilt or shame, but there was no reason for him to be thinking like that. I tried to guess what had happened when he was away, but imagining someone beating him with such force that if left the markings it had done, made me feel weak in every way possible.
"It's nothing."
"No more secrets, Charles, please."
It didn't take much for him to give in to me. "Someone reported me. They found out I-"
"I know."
"What? You know? ...How do you know?"
"It was MiKinley."
He sighed in defeat, almost amused by the situation. "I know."
Before I could apologize, Charleston continued. "They found out that I had tried to touch you. They thought it would stop me from coming back here. To you. And from what I can gather about MiKinley, I'm sure a little something extra was added into the report. Maybe a little bit of exaggeration."
"Don't doubt it." With a roll of my eyes, I dropped my head - still flinching at any reminder of Kinley's betrayal.
"Hey." Charleston whispered. He reached his hand out at that moment as if he was about to tilt my head back up, but he caught himself halfway. It was too late - I had seen him.
Charleston immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't even mean to. I don't even think about it, it just-"
"It just feels normal." I finished for him.
I waited for a response - confirmation of some sorts, but he didn't give out.
"Like it is something so right that it can't be wrong. That it can't kill us..." Was I asking it? Was I stating it? Was I figuring everything out? I was putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, but every breath I took blew them about in the shadows of my mind. No.
No, I couldn't let this go.
I didn't matter that there were parts to him I still didn't understand; he was Charleston, and he was here. I didn't realize why that had never been enough for me before.
"Pip-"
"No, Charles." My words were slow and breathless coming out, but they were certain. More certain than the air in my lungs, more than blood in my veins; more certain than the sense of familiarity that I finally noticed when he looked at me. "I need to know."
"I wasn't going to stop you."
"What?" I asked him.
"I said, 'I wasn't going to stop you.'" His words sparked the flame. It was permission, but it was more than that, too. It was a promise.
My eyes flickered to his hands and then mine. To his shoulders, his chest, his hair, his neck, his face. Skin. Miles and mountains of skin.
"Touch me, Pip."
I closed my eyes.
Then opened them again - I wanted to see it happen.
My right hand ventured up into space between us. Inches down to one - then, centimetres away. The warmth of his life reached me before we were even connected. And then it happened.
