AN: Just a friendly reminder that this story is rated T for a reason (namely, this chapter!). If you're not a fan of sensuous/suggestive material, please do not read further. Thanks!
Chapter 9: Moonlight Rendez-vous
Linka threw the bed covers off her body, giving up on sleep all together. The night waswarmer than usual and her thoughts were taking over her other brain activities. She slipped out of her room to get a glass of water and looked up when she heard the sound of the sliding doors opening. William was sneaking out, clad in a t-shirt and swimming trunks, a beach towel in hand.
Linka watched his disappearing figure and sighed, drumming her fingers against the smooth granite of the kitchen counter. She desperately wanted to ask him about the song he had written…for her? She was having trouble believing he felt such deep emotions for her. Lust, yes. Affection, possibly. But love? Admitting that she was no expert in the romance field, she wondered why feelings had to be so complex. Rational thoughts were so much easier to deal with, to sort out. At least she was used to solid facts and figures, instead of this intricate web of hunches and funny feelings that seemed to be haunting her lately. No matter her confusion, Linka needed to speak to William, if anything, to make sure he was ok. She was starting to worry over his erratic behavior. He was actually acting serious for once, which for William, was a clear indication that something was wrong. She tried to reassure herself that her concern was something that any friend would feel for another friend, it did not necessarily mean that she viewed him as anything more…
Reaching to braid her hair, Linka leisurely walked to her room to change into her two-piece bathing suit. There was no use trying to go back to sleep now, since that damn Yankee, everything about him in fact, was clearly instilled in her brain; worse yet, into the depths of her heart.
The air was pleasantly warm against her skin as she made her way down the familiar path to the beach. The sky was clear and numerous stars were shining alongside a full, silver moon. Palm trees were swaying in the breeze as if dancing to a silent melody. The peaceful surroundings lulled Linka's senses and she felt slightly more confident about facing William. When the beach came into full view, she immediately detected the scent of saline water, the sound of the waves rhythmic as they majestically crashed on the shore. She walked on, the sand feeling like cool satin, until she reached a more secluded part of the beach, surrounded by rocks. This, she knew, was William's favorite place on the Island. Skillfully, she climbed the length of the rocks, thankful that they were fairly easy to walk on as they were more or less flat. Linka placed her towel beside her as she sat down on the edge, legs dangling in the water, enjoying the refreshing feel of the waves against her skin. Scanning the dark waters, she spotted William swimming, his back turned to her. She let her legs make circles in the water as she waited for his return, feeling foolish and fluttered all the while and not knowing why.
William had stopped swimming and was looking in her direction, seemingly considering whether to head back or not. When he did, he took his time as if he needed to collect his thoughts in the process. Linka was silently examining the moon reflected in the ocean waters when William finally reached the rocks. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head to meet his eyes.
"Hi," she was the first to break the still silence of the night. She watched as droplets of water cascaded from his hair to his face, caressing his strong features. He was hanging on to the side of a rock, resting his chin against closed fists. Linka would have blushed at the sight of his well-defined naked torso if not for the fact that by living on a tropical island, they constantly saw each other only half-clothed. Still, she had to admit that she was enjoying the view in front of her. William was no longer an awkward boy; he had grown into a desirable man right before her very eyes.
"Hi," William voiced back, looking up at her unsurely. Was it only minutes earlier that he had felt depressed, cross, lonely, and confused? Those feeling evaporated in Linka's presence, replaced only by a dull ache her beauty conveyed. Linka was naturally gorgeous; she needed neither makeup nor fancy hairstyles to complement her features. Despite everything, hers was a type of beauty that beckoned without intimidating. Half the time she was not aware of the many glances her presence elicited. She seemed even more alluring in the glowing moonlight, wisps of hair having escaped her braid to frame her face, the cut of her bathing suit doing nothing to calm his overactive hormones.
"What are you doing out here at this hour?" inquired Linka softly, distracting him from his thoughts, which was probably best considering their nature.
"Couldn't sleep," he shrugged in his usual manner. "You?"
"Same reason."
Silence ensued and Linka sighed, not liking the awkwardness in their interaction. Things were usually not this bad between them…
"So… is this a truce?"
"Linka, what happened was more than just one of our usual fights," William stated what she had known all along. "It isn't something we can just move on from and forget."
"Look, I did not mean what I said that night," she voiced, and William knew this was her way of apologizing. Linka was constantly battling a consuming sense of pride and things like admitting her wrongs did not come easily for her.
"You seemed very convinced at the time," he stated, slightly surprising her in the process. She had not thought her words would leave such a lasting impact on him. It had not been the first time she had been less than pleasant with him after all…
"I was angry, you know that."
"Why were you so upset about Dawn if you said yourself that you don't want to be my girlfriend?" William's heart was beating rapidly as he confronted the woman he loved for the first time. He could tell she was not comfortable by the way she was fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding his glance, but he had to know the truth, once and for all.
"I just… she is not your type, that is all." Linka could not believe where the conversation was leading. She was possessed by a feeling of defensiveness, as if she were censoring the real truth of the matter, which was that she did not want William to be with another woman. She was caught up in jealousy, plain and simple.
"Why, is she too intellectually advanced for 'an idiot' like me?" His tone was angry, as he recalled every word she had pierced him with that night. His frustration was stemming largely from the fact that he could not tell her how he really felt about her and kiss her senseless. The possibility of rejection was looming over him, seeming all too real; it was making him insane and bringing out his worst nature.
Linka shook her head vehemently and swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth. She closed her eyes and voiced above a whisper, "please, do not make this harder for me than it already is. I am not good at these things." She took a deep breath to calm the wild beating in her chest, which was echoing loudly in her ears. When she had his full attention, she continued in a hushed manner. "I was six years old when my mother died. Do you know what my father did when he saw me crying at her funeral? He took me by the shoulders, looked me in the eyes and said: 'wipe those tears, we do not cry in this family. People will take advantage of you if you go through life looking so vulnerable. Such a silly display of emotions is for the weak and I will not have my daughter embarrassing me in front of the entire town.' Growing up with him, sometimes I would hide in my room and cry when something bad had happened at school, feeling guilty and angry at myself all the while. I felt like I was letting my father down for allowing things to affect me so much. He was a very tough, no-nonsense type of man, and I guess he had to be working in that coal mine twelve hours a day. It was something of a survival mechanism. I know he loved me in his own way, but I do not remember him ever saying the words out loud. When he died the year before I became a Planeteer, I did not shed a single tear at his funeral because I knew that was the way he would have wanted it."
When she examined his eyes, she noticed that his expression had softened. He took her hands, gently inviting her in the water. Linka silently complied and once they were facing each other, William sighed a little before saying, "sometimes I get so caught up in everything that I forget the very different places you and I come from. Linka, I respect everything you've been through and I would never try to change you in any way, you know that. I just get upset when I feel that you don't trust me or that you don't want to be with me."
Linka wished that she could dive all the way to the bottom of the ocean, away from his eyes, and suppress all the emotions rushing through her being. It felt strange being so open, exposing pieces of her soul she had carefully guarded for so long.
"William, I…" she met his glance, feeling weak and not knowing which words to use. "I am afraid."
Afraid? wondered William, puzzled. She could not possibly believe that he would harm her in any way…on the contrary, he was ready to simply kill anyone that threatened her well being! He wanted to protect her with his very life, knowing that he would gladly choose death before letting anything happen to her.
"What are you afraid of, darling?" came the gentle question, his palm cupping the side of her face as he moved closer to her.
She cherished the feel of his warm touch for a few moments before responding, "I am terrified of all these changes that are taking place, especially what is happening inside me. I have never felt so confused and strange before. I cannot seem to make any sense of it. I hate feeling the way I did when I saw you together with Dawn."
"Babe, listen to me," said William, raising her face so that he could lock eyes with her. Depicted in her emerald eyes were reflections of what she had been describing moments earlier. "I'll admit that I was flattered by Dawn's attentions, but she was the one that came over and forced me to sit by her side. She kept touching my arm and laughing at everything I said. I mean, I know I'm funny, but I'm not that funny. The entire time, I just wanted to ditch her and come sit with you instead, but you seemed busy and I didn't want to offend Dawn, since they had all been kind enough to invite us to lunch. And a small part of me enjoyed seeing you jealous. I don't know, I guess... things like that give me hope about the future, about us."
"Really?" she asked, sounding more relieved than she would have liked to appear. Apparently, keeping secrets that night was proving to be impossible. Perhaps it was the moonlight, or the fact that William was dangerously close to her, clouding her defenses like never before.
"Really," he confirmed with a sincere smile. "You can't think I'd choose her over you. She'd probably end up putting me in a coma with her boring lectures."
Linka laughed at this and lightly slapped his arm. "I am strangely glad to hear you say that. I was a little apprehensive about having to compete with her…" she abruptly stopped herself when she saw the amused look in his eyes. She bit her lip to keep more revelations from carelessly flowing out.
William wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her body closer to his in a cautious manner, as if not to alarm her. Her soft curves were a perfect fit for his hard body, just as he had always imagined, and his glance fell on the delicate contours of her mouth as she earnestly looked up at him.
"Sweetheart, you don't have to compete with anyone for my attention. You've always had it, since day one. No other woman is comparable to you, babe." He let his hand caress her cheek, her skin feeling velvety to the touch, as his face neared hers. Mesmerizing eyes were drawing him in, far beyond the shadow of any doubt. He had dreamed about holding her in his arms like this for countless night, endless years it had seemed. Still, he was less than prepared to deal with the wondrous reality of it.
"Give me the chance to make you happy, Linka. There is nothing else I want more," he added, his lips mere inches from hers. Linka felt her body going weak from his nearness, her head dizzy, the sound of her heart blocking out the surroundings as if nothing else existed outside of William. When his lips gently moved against hers, her arms circled his neck as if afraid she would drown not only in the vast ocean surrounding them, but also in the one of her emotions. The kiss was brief, and Linka was shocked that she should feel disappointed. An unexplainable, strange yearning rushed over her being, something that only a very different type of kiss would be able to satisfy. She looked up at William with a mixture of curiosity and shyness, enjoying his proximity and the way he was examining her face.
"Babe, I will no longer be thinking rationally in a matter of seconds, so please tell me now if you want me to stop."
The conflicting emotions on his handsome face suddenly warmed her heart and she smiled a little that he should be so concerned about her comfort, her consent. Blushing prettily, she shook her head no, her senses fully alive with adrenaline. Funny that William had mentioned thinking in a rational manner, because she had failed to do so ever since stepping out into that starlit night. And for the first time, it was fine.
The second kiss was demanding her immediate attention, its momentum causing Linka to feel like snow in the sunlight. The feel of his mouth on hers was intoxicating, captivating her senses in a new, exciting way. The kiss was still gentle but with added passion and a deeper sense of urgency now. Understanding very little of her intense reaction, Linka felt herself being pressed closer to his body, as if William was trying to fuse the two into a single entity. Instinctively, her hands moved through his hair, wanting to bring him closer still, before traveling to his shoulders and chest. She had no idea what her innocent exploration was doing to William, but he was becoming very aware of it as he suppressed a moan, while summoning up every last trace of self-control in his being. Linka tasted better than anything he had ever tried before, and he instantly became addicted to the honey flavor of her lips. Just as he was about to venture inside her mouth and deepen the kiss, he felt Linka pulling slightly away, catching her breath in the process. Her eyes slowly opened andWilliam's heart pounded with approval at the beauty in his arms.
"I think I now understand why fire is your element," Linka disclosed with a small smile, her body and soul as if being consumed by persistent flames as she rested her head on his shoulder, arms securely locked around his neck.
"Care to elaborate?" William teased in her ear before placing a light kiss on her cheek. He felt Linka shaking her head against his chest, causing him to chuckle. "Fair enough." Content, he sighed and mindlessly started caressing her back. Maybe I'm dreaming, he thought, breathing in the familiar scent of flowers and vanilla in her hair. There was no other way to explain the whirlwind of pleasant emotions being unleashed within him. Even the setting was perfect…
"This is by far the best night of my life," he said with a genuine smile, and she detected the steady beating of his heart inside his chest. She moved a little to look up at him and noticed that his eyes had turned a more intense shade of blue.
"Can you do something for me?" Linka asked softly, biting her lower lip unsurely.
"Anything," was the sincere response he provided, his tone of voice immediately reassuring her.
"Promise that we will not move too fast? I… need time to get used to everything." Her eyes were cast downward as she spoke and the vulnerability in her voice stirred up his tenderness. William newly lifted her chin so that she would look at him and understand in the process that she could meet his eyes without ever being afraid of his reaction.
"Linka, babe, of course. I would never force you to do anything you wouldn't be comfortable doing. I've waited all this time for you and I have no intention of rushing you now."
She smiled and nodded a little at his response. He really was more sweet and considerate than he let other people perceive. Somehow, he was not afraid of letting her catch glimpses of the real William, proving how comfortable he was in her presence.
"And if I were to lose control once in a while, I give you full permission to use your ring on me," he joked good humored, making her giggle.
"William, I am not going to unleash a tornado on you, so you better behave. "
"It's because you'd be so caught up in my charm, right?" He pulled her closer in one swift motion, causing her heart to skip a beat. Damn, he was probably right. She hoped he had enough self-control for the both of them because hers was starting to dissolve rapidly.
"What did I tell you about being arrogant?" she teased, slightly shivering at his deliberate touch on her bare shoulders.
"That you think I'm sexy when I tell it like it is?"
His silliness made her laugh out loud and she shook her head at him. "You live in a fantasy world, do you know that?"
William gently kissed her jaw line and upon reaching her ear, he whispered with a smile, "come there with me?"
Strangely enough, Linka felt she had entered that domain a long, long time ago.
Much later, they made their way inside the dark house hand-in-hand, careful not to disturb the others' peaceful slumber.
"You know," whispered William as they stopped in front of Linka's bedroom door. "I'm still not going to be able to sleep, but for very different reasons this time."
Linka silently agreed as he wrapped her in his arms, gently pressing her body against the closed door and stepping closer to her. She felt possessed by all kinds of strange emotions once again, her cheeks heating up at the all-too familiar look in his eyes. He was about to kiss her when she started giggling.
"What, babe?" he inquired softly, inches from her lips.
"I was just thinking about what Gi would say if she were to walk out of her room at this precise instant and see us like this."
William laughed a little, a mischievous look in his eyes. "She would probably faint from happiness or get her camera out. Maybe we should have some fun with her tomorrow…"
With a fresh wave of giggles, Linka shared, "I think we have put that poor girl through enough grief already." She let her hand run down the side of his face in a brief caress, surprising herself with the tenderness she felt for him.
"Well, Yankee, we should probably call it a night, what do you think?"
His answer was a slow, deep kiss that nearly robbed all the oxygen from her lungs. Her body was both tremendously alert and relaxed at the same time, and she returned his kisses with similar intensity. When they pulled away, William was smiling at her, lost in the green depths of her eyes. Linka had trusted him with such a fragile and undisclosed part of herself; he promised himself right there and then that he would do his best to take care of her, prove his worth as a boyfriend, and bring her happiness every day they were together. This, along with being a Planeteer of course, was to be his mission in life.
"I love you, Linka. Good night." William nearly laughed at the surprised expression on her lovely face. Instead, he placed a final, soft kiss on her parted lips before walking towards his room. Motionless, Linka stood in the middle of the now empty hallway, caught between a sense of ecstasy and one of wonder. William had been brave enough to disclose what both of them had struggled for so long to get out in the open. Not only that, he had respected Linka's request for time to deal with her emotions: he had neither expected nor wanted a response from her for the time being. He had openly given her a glimpse into the contents of his heart and soul without pressuring her to do the same. Linka was smiling as she absent-mindedly ran her fingertips over her lips. She was quite impressed at his perceptiveness and proud of the man he was becoming despite his troublesome past.
Entering her room in a dream-like state, Linka realized that it would not be long before she would finally admit to him the depth of her feelings. She did not know how, when, or where it would happen. Nevertheless, a day would certainly come when, looking into his eyes, her words would be colored by the same intense emotions that were consuming her heart. Looking up at the moon coming in through the window, Linka felt a new sense of peace settling over her. She thought of how her father had always equated the display of emotions with weakness, and for the very first time, she could not help but feel that, perhaps, he had been mistaken. She found love to be empowering, liberating, and wonderful.
Linka moved towards her window, her hands finding the window sill as she examined the night sky. "I am sorry, dad," she whispered with a soft sigh. "I truly appreciate all that you have taught me, but I cannot go through life in the same way you did. For the first time, I realize that it is ok to feel, to trust, to love. I hope that you will be proud of me no matter what."
The stars continued their sparkling dance in the heavens, undisturbed.
AN: There you have it! Thank you for being patient as I worked diligently on this chapter (which happens to be my favorite one).This is supposedly the last chapter in the story, but I might add a few more along the way (i.e. a glimpse into their very first date, perhaps?), if there is enough interest from the readers...what do you guys think? Let me know your thoughts.Ciao for now!
