A/N: Below.

Chapter 8

"Wow!" Christian mouthed the moment he saw his girl step out of the silver car. He was dressed like himself: shirt, jeans, leather jacket, and boots (except for the ripped parts). Christian insisted he'd look appropriate and true-to-himself for their first date. The hands of the clock ticked at the same pace Ana's feet took steps towards Christian. She was wearing flats and like him, there were no pretentions in her part.

"I honestly don't know why we're doing this," that was the first thing she said.

"Why?" Christian raised his brow then he added, "It's not like we do this every day and it's not like we're going somewhere over the top like what usual couples do."

Ana smiled, "Well, all I want is to sit somewhere with you and talk to you for hours and hours and never get to feel boredom at all. We could be anywhere, you know. As long as I'm with you then we could be anywhere."

Christian couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her. Every word she spoke was accompanied by butterflies and they just go straight to his stomach and up to his chest, like they've taken residence of it. Not only do they linger in his chest, but also to his brain. He'd always remember the words no matter how years may pass.

He reasoned out with a blooming smile, "You've spent years dealing with my crap and putting so much effort on us, so let me treat you specially."

"Really?" Ana smiled before she hooked arms with Christian all the way inside the wooden restaurant.

Christian wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to make her feel special. There were no other customers in the restaurant. In fact, there was only a single table in the middle of the room and two chairs with it. Everything was fancy, and a grey haired man was playing the violin, eyes elated upon seeing the young couple purely in love. He was a true gentleman when he pulled the chair for Ana and sooner than later, her skin transformed into red fabric.

"Why are you smiling to yourself, Love?" Christian asked her, despite having the idea of the reason behind the upward curve of her lips.

Inhaling deeply, the young girl answered dreamily, "It's just that I've imagined this moment since the day I learned that dates exist. Whenever I go to sleep, I would pretend that the black ceiling was the dark theatre room and I would project the film of our love story and the dates we'll go to. I just . . . can't believe it's real."

How was this possible? She was bewildered because the scenarios she mentally projected turned real and here he was, bewildered how she's real—how someone like her existed. Christian used to think that he didn't deserve anything good in this world, as a son of a crackwhore and as a boy who acts like he's unworthy of his adoptive parents' love. But when he looked into her eyes, he realized how wrong he was. How could he ignore a divine gift since he was a child? How could he ignore true love on a silver platter?

Then he realized that his guard was down a hundred percent and inhibitions weren't allowed, not even the shadows of it. He was giving it his all, like what she had always done from the very beginning, even at the age of five.

He shared his thoughts, "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, Chri-"

"Not just tonight but every day since I met you. You are more beautiful than you could ever imagine. The years passed by and I just fell deeper in love with you even when I couldn't admit it. I'll only say this once, so please listen."

She listened to his spontaneous poetry:

"I've always thought that I've held the clouds in my lungs and the constellation of scars on my chest, and I've got nowhere else to go, but you stood by me and you wore the galaxy for a dress and the satellites for your shoes. Each time you arched your brows, it reminded me like hilltops underneath the endless sky and each time you opened your mouth, Halley's Comet words would roll out your tongue. I could be anywhere when I'm with you, my Ana: eyes closed, lips shut, and gravity gone: I could be anywhere when I'm with the sun."

Ana felt her eyes tearing up. That was the confession she has long wanted to hear: a sweet devotion of sincerity. Those words weren't easily spoken especially with a boy in a leather jacket.

"I love you," she said with natural force.

"I love you too," he wasn't afraid anymore.

Silence secluded the two from the rest of the world. It was as if their eyes transpired the words they wanted to express to each other.

But then the waiter cleared his throat and the two were back to the world where they existed with billions of other people. The waiter with a clean moustache asked, "What's the order?"

Ana opened the menu book and speedily decided, "Spaghetti with meatballs."

Her boyfriend made a puking sound effect and Ana was concerned. "Are you okay, Christian?"

"It's just that . . . Leila tried to kiss me with it when we were twelve years old."

She reacted by slamming the menu book in full force and the waiter took one step backward. Christian smirked to himself then, "There goes my territorial girlfriend," he thought.

~HH~

The two then sat on the cemented bridge that overlooked the light of the street. Yes, they had fancy dinner but they were still just two teenagers. With canned sodas and chips, they watched the city lights spread its colours over the gloomy waters.

Ana randomly started, "The sky loves the sea and the sea loves the sky too."

"How?"

She smiled, "Because when the sky is dark, the sea is too, and when it's blue, the sea is too, and when it's crying, the waves crash too."

"Clever," he was impressed but he had another idea in mind, "But I think the sea loves the sky more because it sings for it. Just listen to the waves and you'll hear the sky's favourite song."

"Just because it sang for it doesn't mean he loves it more. I mean you sang for me but it doesn't mean you love me more than I love you."

Christian laughed, "We sound so cheesy."

"But you love it," Ana smiled before she pecked him on the lips. When she pulled away, she said, "You're the sea and I am your sky."

She then rested her head against his arms and thought of how perfect things were. There are fancy dates but nothing could ever compare to that rare moment when you could talk about anything to anyone. You could give objects feelings and you could just share your insane thoughts without being deemed as weird. Ana loved him not for the private dates and the money he had but she loved him for the moments—good or bad, and not all people can find a love like theirs.

Ana pulled back when Christian randomly spoke, "It's 11:59 pm. 60, 59, 58 . . ."

"Oh my gosh!" Ana knew what was up!

"3, 2, 1 . . . Happy Birthday, Ana!" He greeted her at the same time the fireworks became the crowd in the sky. Ana's eyes widened and all Christian did was stare back and forth. Upon splitting his time between the sights of both, he realized he was looking at the same image: Ana was a sky full of color. He could look between the two and it's still her.

It was her turn to gaze at him and she couldn't help but let the tears fall. It was very overwhelming. From his words to his actions, they all moved in sync. She grabbed him by his chin and pressed her lips against him hard. His lips fought back with the same intensity. They didn't know for how long but their breaths were taken away so Christian pulled back, leaving a trail of kisses on her flawless neck. She moaned and he had trouble breathing because of the sounds she was making.

When her lips found his ear, she whispered, "Take me, Christian."

He didn't need to be told twice.

~HH~

They were in a hotel room and as soon as the door was slammed close, Ana was pressed against the wall as Christian kissed her lips feverishly. He was so intense that Ana almost doubted if she can handle it. His hands found the zipper behind her charcoal dress and he brought it down, causing her back's exposure. Ana gasped when Christian twisted her in less than a second and kissed her back and sucked on it.

"Christian . . ." Ana moaned.

He wanted her moans to be louder. It sounded like music to his ears but the volume wasn't satisfying. He fully took off her dress followed by her bra and his palms found her breasts. She almost screamed when his thumbs played with it. He turned her around once more that he could lean down and nibbled both with his mouth and Ana was in so much pleasure. When she was almost screaming his name, he shut her lips with his and led her to be bed.

Ana lied down waiting for him to fully undress, while he knelt down the bed. The rhythm of her pants escalated Christian's excitement. He took off everything in front of her and Ana bravely thought that she could handle him despite his huge size. He moved closer, pulling the panties off of her legs.

"Ugh!" Ana suddenly moaned as Christian inserted one finger to her wet folds without warning. The sight of her this pleasured all because of him motivated him to make it all better. He added another finger and thrusted it again and again while Ana felt extreme pleasure. She was on top of the world until she came down from her high.

She could barely see him because of the pleasure. She knew he's a virgin because of the touch issues he had before but he was acting experienced. Ana then looked at the erotic sight when he licked her from his fingers.

Christian's cheeks reddened when he caught her staring, "I was curious."

That reminded her of how young they were. They both turned sixteen years old yet they're ready to physically give themselves to each other. Adults would disapprove when they'll know of this, but no adults know what they really have. Ana thought that love knows no age, and she made her little fantasy that their souls are not sixteen years old. Maybe in their past life in the thousands of years that passed, they met and did this too.

Christian nervously positioned himself and asked, "Are you sure?"

She strongly nodded.

Then he thrusted into her in one snap and Ana moaned in pain. Christian cursed, "Fuck," over and over again. He thrusted and thrusted while he whispered in her ears, "It will get better. It will get better." Ana felt so much pain but the sounds he released were enough to make her hold on. She wrapped her arms around him while he continued pushing into her.

Gradually, so gradually, the pain turned into pleasure and Ana moaned his name.

She can't even express how intense she felt.

In and out. In and out. In and out. They were close and that slowed Christian's pace.

Like the ocean continuously washing up the shore, Christian pushed and pulled in and out of her, their eyes never breaking contact. Then, Ana's hand reached out to his chest and her fingers formed an axis around the orbit of his scars. He was breathless but he didn't push her away. She kissed them, one by one and then she realized that she had scars too. He was the sea and she was the sky, so that meant the scars reflect each other.

Sooner than later, Ana came.

Christian followed.

Still inside of her, he pressed her body freely on top of hers and kissed her on the lips lightly, wordless and dauntless.

~HH~

"That wasn't bad, was it?" Christian was anxious and all Ana did was laugh. They were lying down on their stomachs, covered the Roman battleground of white sheets, faced each other in the afterglow of the bask sensation.

Ana broke their eye contact when she sat up and was able to conceal the soreness.

"What are you doing?" Christian sat so he could see what she was doing.

After she stood up from the bed, she grabbed her black dress from the door and got a small box from the pocket. Still nude, she sat on his lap and opened the velvet box. Christian faced a wristband with wooden grey beads. Ana placed it around his left wrist and explained, "If you look closely, the spirals on each wooden bead are cyclones. I guess you know why."

He wasn't sure how to respond. He was just staring at her so Ana leaned in to kiss his cheek and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Christian."

Christian finally moved and removed the barrier of the white blanket between the two of them. He grabbed both sides of her waist and guided her as she sank so low to him. Just like that, for the second time, they shared the same luminous universe.

A/N: Turns out my errands got cancelled and I was able to publish this. I need to say three things:

Thank you so much to one of my readers who recommended me on Facebook. It MEANS SO MUCH to me and you've already given me the BEST HOLIDAY GIFT . I am not sure if you'll allow me to disclose your name since I'm not sure if you have the same username in Facebook or yeah . . . But thank you so much!

Thank you for all your follows, PMS, feedbacks, favorites, and support!

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