Trust is a powerful thing. You can trust people in different ways. Trusting somebody with an important secret. Trusting someone with friendship. Trusting someone that they'll never leave your side and that they'll always be there when you need them. Or even trusting someone enough to see you naked.
That one was a big one for her.
Honestly, to her, it was terrifying to think that someday she'll trust someone enough to see her naked. She'd probably blush a thousands shades of red, painting her cheeks as red as a rose losing its petals. And that person, that person will take it all in. She wondered if they would reassure her. But mostly, she would wonder if that person will even see anything worth reassuring about. She would hope that person would see the freckle on her back as a star and that she was their whole universe.
But that only happens in fairy-tales.
And the words 'trust' and 'love' were the only things running through her mind right now as she stood in front of the person that had said the words, "I love you" to her.
His black hair was drenched in the rain that had been pouring five minutes ago, his electric blue eyes hidden behind his black shades, his heart laid out on the metaphoric table, and his mind wondering if it would shatter in this moment or soar.
Her magnificent emerald eyes were pleading for this to not be some messed-up dream, her fury red hair had lost its curls because of the rain, her heart was jumping off the wall, and her mind was trying to process everything.
Moments before his confession of love to her, he was kissing some random girl in a bar and she had stormed off in anger. But she had no reason to be angry at him because they weren't dating. He had followed her out trying to apologize as if they were together, but when reality hit him that they weren't together in that moment, he let it out. Just wanted her to stop running away and he told her the first thing that came to his mind.
"Kori, I'm in love with you." He repeated the words, stepping closer to her as he did. "I honestly didn't want to fall in love with you because I don't like getting close to people, but I remember seeing you smiling the most genuine smile I had ever seen and, holy shit, I blew it."
She let out a small laugh and let him continue.
"Remember that time you left for two months because you had family business to do on Tamaran?" He asked her, not moving any further.
She nodded her head. She remembered that time quite well. She had been extremely miserable those two months, her heart had yearned for him.
"Well, I didn't realize how attached I was to you until you left. I ended up etching your name into my floorboard so I'd have to get over you everyday." He confessed. It may seem pathetic to him, but to her it was the sweetest thing she had ever heard. "I have to admit, I missed you terribly those two months. The world had been too quiet. I would go to bed early and wake-up late and feel as if I hardly slept at all."
She chocked back a sob at his sincere words. "Really?"
He nodded, looking directly into her eyes even if she couldn't see his. "Yeah."
She took the step forward this time, and now it was her turn to spill her heart on the table. She could do this. She had waited so long for one of them to confess their feelings. It was a relief to her that he did it first because she'd probably start crying and apologizing for loving him, but now she didn't have to embarrass herself with these crazy emotions that she felt for him. But why was she tongue tied now? Why out of all the days she couldn't find words, why did today have to be one of them? She moved her lips ready to speak and say words, but nothing came out. She inwardly cursed at herself. This was just great.
He stared at the beauty in front of him, but she wasn't doing anything. Multiple times it appeared she was going to speak, but nothing would come out. Did she not share the feelings? Did she not feel the same way towards him? Was she trying to find a way to let him down easily? But if that was the case, then why would she look so happy when he confessed? It wasn't adding up in his mind. Anger started building up inside of him. Did she just lead him on? "You led me on, didn't you?"
What? Did she just hear properly? Why would she ever do such a thing? She would never. Why would he even think such a thing? It was probably because of her lack of speaking, but that wasn't her fault. "What?"
He threw his hands up in exasperation. "What the hell is your problem? I thought you were nice, but obviously I got my facts wrong."
Her eyes widened. This honestly couldn't be happening. The moment she had waited for three years was getting ruined because he took her silence as rejection. Her window of opportunity was closing and she needed to make sure it didn't. With one last bit of hope, she let all the words fly out of her mouth. "No! You got it wrong, I just, I could not form any words and I was hoping this was not one of my wildest fantasies happening, but, X'hal, Richard, I am hopelessly in love with you. Believe me when I say I am always thinking of you, no matter how busy I am, no matter what I am doing, my mind is constantly thinking of you because I am in love with you."
He stopped moving, the anger stopped flowing, he stopped breathing, and he could have sworn that for a second his heart stopped beating at her words of love.
They stared for what seemed like forever until he took more steps towards her until she was only inches away. He could hear the rhythm of her sweet heartbeat. Her heartbeat meant more than a lot of things to him. It meant she was really standing here. It meant that she wasn't a hallucination and that this moment, this feeling wasn't just a dream that he has had many times.
She reached up to his face, trailing her finger until it hit his sunglasses. She treated his sunglasses like a delicate item that was almost never touched as she took them off. Her happiness filled eyed stared into his dreamy blue eyes. It was very rare for anyone to see his eyes because he almost never took his sunglasses off so, to her, it felt like an honor to be one of the lucky people that got to stare into his endless blue eyes.
Emerald and blue. Their eyes seemed to be sharing a thousand kisses before their lips met. And in that moment, when their lips finally met, it felt like lights were flickering on, fireworks were exploding in their hearts, butterflies were going crazy in their stomachs, and time was endless.
Loving someone means to give that person the power to destroy your heart and to trust that they won't.
Authors Note: I hope you all enjoyed. Make sure to review your thoughts to me. Constructive criticism is welcomed.
