Violet - Book Two

three

My heart swells in my chest at the sight of him. I roughly wipe my tears away which leave my under eyes stinging, but that is the least of my worries. My legs carry me down the steps and I launch myself into Enoch's arms, allowing him to lift me off the floor. My head becomes buried in his shoulder as he holds me tightly against him, and I throughly enjoy feeling his arms around me again. A couple of very unattractive sounds escape my mouth but, thankfully, he does not seem to care.

After a minute or so, I rear my head from the comfort of his shoulder and stare into his eyes -  I am almost certain I can see a tear or two in those gorgeous dark orbs. His face somehow appears more chiselled and masculine than when I last saw him, and a long gash slices it's way underneath his eye. My brows furrow, concerned.

"It's nothing." He murmurs, his voice wavering slightly - he must have seen me looking. "Don't worry. Come here."

As he utters the final word, Enoch leans towards me and softly pecks my lips. Taken a little by surprise, I jump, before sliding a hand onto his cheek and kissing him back. Bliss is the only word to describe it.

"Enoch's back!" A voice which can only be Horace's cuts through my ears like a knife. I pull my face away and unravel my arm from around his neck; with a slightly disappointed expression Enoch puts me back down in turn. Upon turning around, I see that all of my housemates have gathered at the door and Claire is already halfway down the steps. I step to one side while she runs towards him, arms outstretched. The soldier slides his hands around her tiny body and lifts her up, resting her on his waist. The two converse for a moment or two, before the others follow the little girl's example, crowding around the soldier like he's Frank Sinatra himself.

I continue to watch from the sidelines while Enoch struggles to greet everyone at once while simultaneously trying to answer the queries being bombarded at him. Olive stands towards the outside of the crowd, looking over smaller children at what is happening. Her mouth is shaped like a shy smile, however her eyes are swimming with sadness. I feel a sudden pang of guilt, for I took her first love away from her. Then her own words replay in my mind : 'Believe me, Violet. I would be happiest if you were happy with him.', and the feeling softens.

Once Enoch had gotten through all the younger ones, I watch his smile drop the tiniest bit when he meets eyes with Olive. He moves towards her and I hear him say the politest "y'alright?", before sharing a slightly awkward yet somewhat amicable embrace.

"Enoch, my boy." Miss Peregrine rushes to his aid, appearing a the base of the front steps. The scot struggles past Olive to shake hands with Miss Peregrine. I catch the girl's eye as she looks about anxiously. She flashes me a put-on grin before looking down at her feet.

"Violet, go and make a pot of tea, please." the headmistress orders, and I happily prance across the lawn and beam at Enoch as I walk past him.

After I've put the kettle on to boil in the kitchen, I loaf onto a chair and sigh contently. I feel lighter than air, all of a sudden. Enoch is home, safe and sound, and now we just need to make up for lost time. Exchanging letters weekly just was not quite enough to properly replace seeing him in person.

"Kettle's boiling."

I am drawn from my thoughts by the husky voice of the man himself. He leans against the archway, jacket unbuttoned to reveal a matching shirt beneath, a grin on his lips. I jump from my seat and remove the vessel from the stove top, putting it atop a tea towel on the unit. Before I even turn back around, I can hear his boots against the tiles coming towards me.

"What's your business here, soldier?" I ask playfully, spinning around only to find he is right behind me.

"Well," he takes hold of my waist, pushing the silk of my pyjamas against my skin - he runs his thumbs along the curve of my middle, then back again. He leans in close to me, our noses are almost touching. "I would like one, uninterrupted snog from the most gorgeous girl I've ever laid eyes on."

Flattered, I begin to giggle, however I am silenced when he suddenly interlocks our lips together. His strong hands push my body close to his; everything seems to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. I let my fingers wander into his hair, they comb through the back section. His kisses begin gently, slowly, as if he wanted to savour every moment of contact we had together.

And then, accidentally, my teeth graze against his bottom lip. For a moment, I freeze, worrying I've hurt him. However, on the contrary, he responds with such enthusiasm that I find myself elevated onto the corner unit. One of his hands rests on my thigh, gently rubbing up and down against my muscle which creates a tingling sensation down my spine. Tiny sounds, reminiscent of when the taste of a meal is just too divine not to share, escape my mouth between kisses, which are beginning to increase in pace.

"Violet, when will - oh!"

My eyelids wrench themselves open and my lips reluctantly detach from Enoch. I crane my neck to look over his shoulder; Fiona stands in the entrance to the kitchen.

"Miss Peregrine wanted to know how the tea was coming along, but you're busy." She simpers, embarrassed.

"Tell her it's almost ready." I reply, equally as mortified - maybe even more so. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I look back at the boy with whom I shared the most passionate moment of my existence. He beams, proud of himself.