The dive never came.
Haytham rose from the surface of the gleaming water, his glossy hair tinged with moonlight and his eyes alive with stars. It was like an angel had just swooped out of the deep; at that moment, I had never seen Haytham look so elegant.
But the most shocking of all was that he'd removed his cotton shirt.
That was when I lost control. I bit by lip, unable to breathe for a moment. That blue cloak did him no favours. Who would've known that he was so beautifully muscular?
Stop, Ziio! You are supposed to be angry at him for scaring you!
"HAYTHAM!" I bellowed, desperately guising the struggles for breath, "DON'T EVER DO THAT TO ME –"
The words melted on my lips. Without warning he glided towards me in the waves, grabbed my back with one hand and pulled me into a passionate and demanding kiss. All rage dissolved as I began to breathe faster, heavier. I was no longer angry, but dizzied by ardour; blinded by allure; giving into lustfulness.
But then he pulled away. His other hand (I saw from in the water) held his cotton shirt, which he threw onto the sand hill behind him. I had no objection at all to this, but why had he taken it off?
The assumptions I made caused my eyebrows to rise. No. That was not what it was for, was it? But if Haytham had taken off his shirt for no apparent reason...
STOP! ZIIO, CALM YOURSELF! IT WILL NOT HAPPEN!
"Why did you do that?" I asked through still chattering teeth.
"Because," he replied, "if I return later with my shirt soaking wet then my men will question me."
"No." I stopped him by putting a finger to his lips. His pupils widened ecstatically. "Why did you do...that? Kiss me, I mean."
"Because I had to," he smirked. I felt his hand slipping slowly up my back. I trembled like an earthquake under his tender touch, the blood underneath my skin alive with the amorous atmosphere.
"Stop it," I whispered.
"Stop what?"
That was a good point. Stop what?
He has torn down all of my defences. Every last one.
Why is that a problem?
Because I do not want to be weak.
You are far from weak, Ziio. Simply, you are in love.
"Stop...doing that."
"I'm not doing anything, Ziio."
"I mean, stop weakening me. You are melting me down to nothing."
Rather than respond, Haytham caressed my cheeks with both of his loving hands, making me fall even deeper. "Am I, now? Well, I do apologise."
"Stop it!"
"Stop what?"
Now I was confused. I cherished this moment above all, but a raging objection deep inside me surfaced...but it came out rather unusually. It wanted me to be a strong and independent woman, despite every muscle; every inch of my skin; everything else falling into Haytham's blissful trap.
"Never mind," I whispered.
All of a sudden, Haytham glanced up at the stretch of sky above. He gasped and let go of me. "Look!"
"What?"
"The stars."
I raised my head to the most breathtaking band of hundreds of stars now, twinkling like piercing eyes watching over us in the water. I had seen many nights before; I knew that. But on this particular eve the patterns of pearly dots spelled out a different message: one that I could feel in the air. A romantic message, perhaps? No. Too fanciful. Too far-fetched.
"You know," I said, still staring at the sky, "my father used to tell an old legend to me. It said that each star is a person dear to us whom we have lost. They go on to watch over and protect us, and lead us to those who will help us in their absence." I smiled warmly at him.
Haytham re-gripped my hand, enlightened by this thought. "So you believe that fate has led me to you?"
"It is only an old story. But...yes, I do believe that."
"I feel quite the opposite," he chuckled into my ear. I felt his chin brush against my face, scratching it softly. "I was led to you."
"I suppose we will never know how fate brought us together. It is done now."
Silence. Just the tranquil washing of the water and the distant crickets calling from the bank. I wondered whether Haytham would say those three fanciful words. Just three. That was all it needed to turn my world upside-down. Maybe I should prompt him, I thought. So my other hand found its way into his. It received a warm, welcoming squeeze. But no words.
"Are you glad? That everything has happened the way it has."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, that you were made to help me all that time ago, in the tavern. That the Braddock Expedition threw us together rather unexpectedly. That even the worst of the events we have in common did happen."
"Of course I am glad! I would never know you, if otherwise. Goodness, I cannot bear that thought. I would still be a woman of steel for the past months. I wouldn't have been softened at all, nor trust anyone. You have taught me how to trust."
How to cherish, I wanted to correct myself, but did not dare.
Haytham chuckled softly, planting a kiss on my cheek. I smiled. "I wish we could have more time like this."
"We will," I breathed. "I promise."
"But what if we do not? What if this is..." I sensed Haytham tense against me. "What if this is the last time I see you?" he murmured.
"Have faith." I looked up at the night sky again. "Fate will guide us. And I think fate likes it this way."
In the silence that followed, I thought about all the things that we'd been through together while I stood in his arms. The chase, the anger, the tavern, the sword-fight, Koshisigre's near-death experience, the children of the village, the expedition, the cave...and now this. We certainly had come a long way, Haytham and I. But there was something still missing. An enormous part of both of us, that we were holding back. I could sense that Haytham was feeling this spark as well; it was clear from his every word an gesture. But neither of us dared.
Was it the freezing water that was making my heart beat faster? No. I knew now that it was the fact that I was in his arms; his loving, affectionate embrace. We could not stay silent like this. Were either of us going to say anything? I was quite happy for the time being, for there was no-one else whose arms I would've preferred to be falling apart and flaking in. Haytham had removed my steel mask, my need to be so flippant, and my mistrusting layer. Yet he still hadn't reached my core.
"Ziio?" The sound of his voice was sweeter than nectar.
"Yes?"
"I love you."
Time stopped in its tracks. All at once my mind raced, and my heart was beating so fast against Haytham's bare chest that I thought it would explode out of my own. The stars unlined above; I was dizzied by these words. They echoed sweetly in my ears. I love you. He loved me. All of my fears were carried away as I found myself in his kiss once more.
"And...I you," I struggled.
The rest of the night was a blur for the both of us. We reached the point in which our sense of logic had simply vanished, and in the long, passionate, lingering moments we could hold back our intense attraction no longer. It was an exotic, sensational blend of sick obsession and long-obscured desire, unleashed in an experience beyond description. But neither of us cared about the possible outcomes. Dazed and enlivened, we simply followed instinct, because this was what felt like the only option left for us. But we had each other, all the time. Between his hot-blooded kisses, he occasionally whispered the words: "I love you"; words that would stain the strings of my heart forever. For Haytham and I were together under the stars, where fate's glinting eyes watched and wept upon us. That I would always remember.
DADADAHHH!
Yup, you clever people can probably guess what just happened. Well that wasn't awkward to write at all... :P
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