Fort Callibus (IN HEAVY REPAIR)

Chapter 14

I woke up in the morning nuzzled into Yuki’s bare chest, breathing in his minty scent. He cradled me in his arms. I looked up at him and smiled. His sleeping face was peaceful. I slowly removed myself from our mold and got up. The birds sang their love songs in the trees, nature was humming with life, like when we were together, we made everything teem.

“Up already?” I jumped at the sound of Candor’s voice. He was sitting across from me, sharpening the edge of his knife with a stone.

“Uh, yeah… How long have you been there?” I asked, a little spooked.

“It doesn’t matter. Come with me.” He got up and dropped his tools, reaching out a hand for me to hold. I took it, a little curious as to what he wanted. I looked back at my lover one last time before walking off with Candor. He took me into the trees, far beyond where I’ve ever been. They seemed to get closer and closer together until eventually it became a chore to get past most of them. He didn’t seem to have a problem with gliding between them. My hand slipped out of his somewhere in between weaving my way through tightly packed nature and getting hit with branches. He stopped suddenly, so that I almost crashed into him. He half turned to me. I stared into his eyes, almost lost in them until he grabbed my arm and yanked me into his body.

“What are you-“ I was cut off by his gesture. He pulled my face closed to his and snaked his arms behind my legs and back. He picked me up bridal style, his face now closer to mine than it was before. I swallowed. He gazed into my eyes.

“Trust me.” He said gently. I let my head fall back slowly, tired and entranced by him. He kissed the base of my neck, making me shudder.

“Close your eyes.” He whispered against my skin. I let out a breath of air and did as he commanded. He continued passing through the trees, not once letting anything touch me. He kept going on like this for a few minutes until he stopped. A soft aura made its way to my nose. It was familiar. He placed my feet gently down in warm water. I heard a rush of crashing aqua in the back round. Sweet mist fell gently on my face. I leaned back on Candor, my body going limp with peace.

“Open your eyes.” He whispered into my hair. I did as I was told. I had heard about a place like this. In the Geographic Oddities And Wonders book that Titus gave me for my 9th birthday. I remember bookmarking this page so I could open to it every night before I went to bed. Every time I looked at someplace new, I would dream about it, only fantasizing what it would be like to be standing right there, staring at it with my own eyes. Oh, the dreams I had.

In front of me was a waterfall surrounded by vines and leaves. The green was reflected in the clear pool, mimicking every detail of its surroundings. The water itself poured out from another pool of water above it that probably came from a stream somewhere from the hills.A cave was just barely visible behind it, leading to a place where I could only imagine. I gasped, remembering a picture like this from that book.

“It’s beautiful.” I told him honestly. He put his hand on my shoulder, spinning me around. I came face to face with him, my lips inches from him. My eyes lifted to his. They reflected the color of the sky perfectly, crystal clear and sparkling. They captured me. He pulled his shirt over his head, showing off his impressive biceps. I stared at where his eyes were. He peeled off his sweat pants, only his boxers remaining. It went by so fast, all I remember is him slipping his hands under my shirt and taking it off and him shrugging off my sweatpants. I was left in my undergarments, just like him. I was so consumed by him, so lost in his presence. There was something so captivating about him. The way he looked at me, how gracefully he moved. It was something that I couldn’t explain, but it felt so nice to get lost. I forgot when I was with him. And it was satisfying. It felt good to forget.