A/N: Olá meus amigos! As I promised, the first chapter of this rewrite is coming out soon, and so here it is.
For those you are new to read. This story basically a mix-up of Love's Eternal Light combined with Next to You theme, the result is this story and I hope you savor it as I did. Since I will try to make the story as best as I can.
I would like to personally mentioned Bluetech and Hspar for making this wonderful installment (Go check 'em out) and inspiring me to write (as well as the consent to use the title) a mature romance... which I'm still doubt that I capable of doing so.
Anyway, I will stop before the author's note become the story itself, without further ado... Next to You: Tales of Bia and Frost!
Chapter 1
I Promise
~Beatriz~
I really never expecting myself to be immersed in the sea of the intoxicating feeling called love, nor I believe such matter will become something really important within my life… for such emotion is incredibly unfamiliar for me, until the day when a little epiphany on how romance work struck me like a sprawling thunder, the beginning of my romantic life.
I have to admit that I never really understand the concept of what is "love" back then; the only source of explanation over this emotion was simply how my Mom and Dad really devoted towards each other. It was something delightful, I must say, considering how Mom had always been smiling whenever Dad near her, sharing the kind of affectionate acts – mushy stuff, as Tiago never failed to express it – that sometimes made me ponder of the real taste of love.
Of course, life has always had a little trinket for us, who wanted to seek, that it will surprise you where you least expected... and for the real thing that became the premiere of my romance life. For I never been so devoted aside from this very bird that standing next to me, the one that I love with all my heart and soul.
It was roughly ten years ago when I met him for the first time (under odd circumstances, I must admit) where he brought me back after I got knocked unconscious by the pursuing jaguar. I never foreseen that he would play a major part on my love life; that he will be the only person that I love with such passion I never know exist within me…
Our first meeting was… awkward, I admit. He was a very shy and closed bird, barely talked to his peers and seemed so gloom most of the time, as the world itself declared a war towards him…
Even with such flaws he had, I was intriguing by the enigmatic visages he carried behind his so-obvious-masked face. Somehow, my soul imposed me an explanation over his mysterious demeanor, like a jigsaw puzzle Dad used to let us play, pieces of his personality that allowed me to gain the whole picture on who he really is.
It was also when the unfamiliar feelings befallen upon me. Basically, the more I spent my time with him (with his curiosity over some of the human things) the more that ticklish sensation within me intensified… his smile, his eagerness to learn and his vibrant blue eyes mesmerized me… it was something bizarre, as never in my life I got such emotion being conjured.
I couldn't help but to repress such emotion, shielding it within an impregnable wall and trying to convince myself that he was only a friend; he was only someone that will become my best friend as the time flies by… for a reason that I believe that our relationship is platonic, and there's no way our friendship would escalate into something else…
But oh boy, I was wrong.
I regretted myself for not so aware about how I already developed a seedling of love within my heart. The emotion that I repressed was merely a tiny bang over the grander version of this adamant feeling, that it would hit me with the tidal wave of what love really is… and when I saw for real that he was ready to leap into the abyss just to be with me…
Sacrifice was more than adequate to make my impregnable wall crumbled to dust, and the pressure from the searing passion of this "love" finally take over me when I accepted him to be with me… because after all that he done to me, I can convince myself that he wanted to make me feel secure…
But it was ten years ago, how could I know?
I will be a hypocrite if I told you that I trust love all the way over the period of our relationship. As how volatile love is sometimes, with the addition from my lack of experience over romance stuff… you wouldn't expect me to trust it one-hundred percent, would you?
Nonetheless, the jittery sensation was strong, and I let myself to savor all the moments I had with him, without any confirmation on just how long this "puppy" love would survive the harsh reality. But for the extent of that time, I knew that he loved me with all his heart.
And so did I.
Three years later passed away like a wind, and we entered our teenage years. I didn't know that the kind of love would manage to survive in the last three years… but I knew that our love had been stronger than before; pulsing with a much stronger passion as we get to know each other more.
It brought me a smile when I recalled the day he proposed me back then in Rio, such sweet memories will never going to wither from my head. It was also another form over how our love already formed a pillar over the next stage of our relationship. I was more than happy to accept his pure love; taking the promise, that one day, we will become mates.
Sure is, for the duration of our relationship that time, arguments had started to become more frequent. It was something inevitable for us to have some incompability, but thankfully, never we got into an argument where we swore an eternal hatred towards each other. As for such cases only strengthen our tethered heart...
And I accepted it for one sole reason… I love him.
If you ever asked me about the feeling of being loved, I will likely to say that the majority of it is warm, both physically and emotionally. As succulent as it is, love is incredibly warm like a hearth during winter time.
Emotionally, the sense of being treasured by someone within his/her heart is simply inexplicable by words or fancy explanation. It is purely the sense of warm you'll get when someone you love really regards you as something incredibly precious; the titillation it invokes that can make you implode for just beloved by your love.
I would expect no less from Frost either. His love for me was somewhat exceeding what I was expecting to have. His love is pure, something that will make you crave for it every minutes in your life like the second oxygen. Never had I imagined someone like him could give me the sense of being so loved, as I was the rarest diamond on earth.
While physically, love is warm in a different way. A mere hug can give you a sense of security that someone you love is here for you; a kiss can tell you that he/she wanted you in his/her life; and with the last stage being the ultimate seal of love when she/he devoted him/herself just for you, when someone you love choose you to be his/her family.
Sadly for me, I still couldn't bring myself to enter the quintessential stage of our relationship… as cloud doubts still shrouded my heart the moment I realized that was one-way journey; that once you give yourself in, it was something irreversible.
It didn't falter the physical warmth he emitted when he hugged me, for the sense of security within his clutches had involuntary whispered that he will stay with me forever, plus in a more logical side, if he really wanted to get some "advantages" from me, I would expect him to give up a long time ago.
As demonstrated whenever I found myself waking up within his wing, something that so familiar to me, but never gets old either. My hazy vision was glimpsed over the periwinkle-colored blob that existed in front of my eyes when my internal clock alarm anchored me back from the realm of slumber.
The vividness soon befallen upon my eyes as consciousness finished assimilating itself back into my body, revealing the sleeping form of someone that encased me tightly within his wings, radiating the sense of warm that managed to overpower the chilling morning breeze.
My beak couldn't resist to form a beam when I saw the sleeping form of my mate… maybe not really mates… rather in still in the terms of lovebirds but in a more deeper way… since I hadn't yet give myself to him completely and became his mate for life.
I had reasons though, for why I wasn't yet ready to enter the final frontier of our relationship. With the tendencies of my logic to eclipse my emotion inside its umbra, I wasn't surprised with the decision that I made for this grand step over my life.
It was a ninety-nine to one ratio over my preparation to tell him that I was ready to be his real mate. But rather, that mere one percent already built an exaggerated barrier that withhold the full extent of our love, and I couldn't help myself to pay attention over the one percent, only to just make sure everything is perfect – for such matter as this big step in my life – before I could put the "naïve" label away; bear with me that title of "mates" is much heavier than "lovebirds"
Nevertheless, his warm love exists in such form on both physically and emotionally, intact even as I never felt this warmth waver… only got stronger as sun rise and set in the horizon, that I knew that he would love me with all his heart.
My eyes admiring his sleeping form with a wide grin etched on my face, inhaling his intangible aura that drifted me into the state of tranquility. His plumages contacted with mine blasted me a sense of euphoria of pure ecstasy; a sheer ripple of heavenly waves swept over me.
I dug my beak into his chest succulently; titillating my olfactory sense with his natural scent as I awaited his blue eyes sprang to life from his eyelids. His occasional mumbling evoked a little joviality and my beak couldn't resist to stifle a giggle.
His blue-and-white orbs soon greeted me with a tender gaze when he returned back into the real world. A smile he donned on his beak when he saw me and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Ah, bom dia, meu amor." He tightened his clutches, pressing me into his warm body while he nuzzled my head. "Did you sleep well last night?" [Good Morning, my love]
Of course, as long as you are with me… I believe nothing will disturb my slumber.
"Yes, I did," I rubbed my beak onto his chest. He kissed me one more time on my forehead before roused from his slumber, stretching all the numb limbs and yawning occasionally. "What a great morning isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. But aren't you forgetting something?" I said impatiently, looking at his confused face. It took around five more seconds before he could decipher my rhetorical statement and promptly his beak formed a devilish smile. I wasn't expecting that he would lunge towards me before gave me a sugary kiss, the one that saturated with such eloquent passion that involuntary conjured the rather unwanted hormonal lusts from our make out session… and I almost lost my common sense if our lungs didn't crave for dear breaths.
My nostrils were intoxicated with his steamy breaths as he remained on top of me, smiling akin to a crescent moon while his chest moved up and down from expiration. "Want another one?" He asked rather seductively. "Hmmm?"
I was fully aware that he wouldn't push me further than that, considering that we had talked about my unreadiness to have chicks, which I was greatly thankful that my mate possessed a large precondition of ifs and else hardwired into his algorithm and allowed him to understand my condition while still loving me stronger than ever. Even I had to admit that it wasn't about chicks the entire problem was about; it was about us, the sense of security whether I could trust him or not.
I rolled my body sideways, such abrupt motion resulted him to land with his face into the floor. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard him groaned before I took my revenge and lunged towards his unsuspecting condition. His eyes glinted with playfulness the moment I rested my body on top of him, fixing my eyes to his blue-colored eyes and smiled. "It's my revenge." He winced playfully and faking a desperate respond. "No, please…"
It was under gravity's aid that my beak could touching him and induced ourselves in the world of our love. Frost's wings then pushed my head down to his beak and we kissed with the searing passion that would make anyone jealous. His wings then drifted to my spine, caressing my back softly as we lost ourselves in the rhythm of our tongue waltzed with each other.
I didn't expect the mere beak-lock could become a catalyst for such tidal wave of sexual cravings; almost I lost within the sea of lust if my self-control didn't bang my head hard enough and rather abruptly terminating our make out session, caging such unwanted outcome from crashing down to us.
I probably never know what my lovebird was feeling when I clipped our kiss in a sudden motion, but his eyes flinted me the former playful looks while he panted for dear breath. I could feel his wings still caressing my back and he sighed blissfully. "Oh, Bia. What fate allowed me to have someone as beautiful as you in my life." He fixed his gaze with mine. "I love you, really I love you."
A shade of peach was probably the most noticeable feature added on my face. I rested my head on his chest while remaining on top of him. "I would likely to ask a same thing, Frost. I never know how I can get someone like you as my mate." A gleaming light lighten my heart intensely.
I really wish that my belly wouldn't disrupt our romantic moments with its loud rumbling, but my energy reserves were incredibly low when I roused from our nest. Frost then noticed my condition, chuckled. "You really are that hungry, perhaps we need to take some food." Of course, such obvious statement wouldn't manage to escape my sarcastic reply. "No, we need to race a full turn on the village first."
He then slapped his wings onto his face and groaned. "Okay, fine! I will stop saying something obvious." He rubbed his wings multiple times on his face before walking to the entry of our hollow. "You want to go too or not?" He asked.
I bobbed my head twice and unfurled my wings. I could see he gulped and stated almost inaudibly. "So beautiful…" before he followed my suit and launched himself into the sky.
The morning was simply bliss; I could see some macaws and wildlife in the Amazon initiating their usual activities. My flight, however, quite impaired thanks to the low reserves of energy, but I know if I ever fall, Frost will be there to catch me – like he will always do. Fortune was on my side when the Brazil nut grove materialized before my eyes and hurriedly we landed on our "favorite spot".
There was a series of memories relayed into my consciousness the moment I my talons touched the woody texture and inhaled the sweet aroma from the hanging goodness that existed before my eyes. I wouldn't forget the first time I tasted the best Brazil nuts in the Amazon, and also, the time when we forged our relationship.
My body was incredibly weak, the hunger had escalated into a starvation and thus I barely could keep my balance on the branch. I was also aware that he kept an eye on me; something that assured me no matter what happened, he will always standing next to me, be my sentinel over the splinter and debris when this world falling apart.
My endeavor to crack open the shell of the Brazil nut was rewarded with futile results. Initiatively, he cracked open his nut and offered me, smiling. "I got that. Here you can eat this one." He snatched my nut and cracked it open while I savored the one he gave me.
You really care for me, don't you?
I was incredibly hungry when I devour the whole nut rather hastily. I could hear small chuckle when I still chewing the nut in my beak. "Whaf?" He shook his head. "Slow down a bit, you can get a stomachache."
I gulped the delicious nut and replied. "Well, I'm just so hungry… and this nut is so good." He passed me another portion of his as he saw mine already barren. "That's not a good argument, you know the last time you ate your breakfast too fast and the outcome, right?'
My logical side soon tickled with his arguments. "Actually, this one is different with the one back then in Rio. You know that Brazil nut's acid is very mild compared to passion fruit, and with that, it won't get me into that terrible ordeal like back then in Rio." I said proudly, looking at his amused expression.
He donned himself a smile and look at me amorously. "Look at you, my mate is not just beautiful, but also smart." He hugged me from my back and cushioned his head on top of me. "What I could ask for more?"
My face was crimson red, even after all this years, never had he failed to make me extremely embarrassed – in a way a mate can do – and I closed my eyes in tranquility, savoring the warmth from his love whenever I got myself inside his embrace. I rotated my body to face him, unaware that tears already tinted my eyes and I saw him frown. "Uh, Bia. Is there anything wrong?"
I crumpled down to his chest, smiling happily as my heart glowed brightly. "Nothing, Frost. Just… I'm so happy; really I said this from the bottom of my heart that I'm so happy that you are with me; that you love me."
The frown then turned upside down, and gently he pecked me on my forehead – the symbol of his tender love for me – and stated. "I love you for no reason, and if you are happy… so will be me, because I will always standing next to you." He caressed my crest feathers lovingly. "You promise?"
"I promise."
A/N: Good people favs, follow and review. So you are a good people, right?
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