She snuggles herself closer, erasing any space between us. Her hands slip down, securing around my stomach.
And fuck have I missed her.
Pulling down a long, partially paved road, the tires jump around over the uneven dirt. Slowing to a stop, I kick out the stand, and shut off the engine.
“Where are we?” she asks.
I climb off the bike, and Story climbs off with me. Opening the saddlebag, I pull out a small blanket. “Follow me and you'll see.” Turning away from her, I start walking up the dirt road.
Story scurries to my side, and stays close. She's right there, her elbow grazes mine as she wraps her arms around herself, and I chuckle.
“What?” she asks.
“Still afraid of the dark I see.”
“I might not be a child anymore, but the monsters in the dark never change.” She angles her head and peers up at me under hooded lids.
We're in the middle of the woods, the only sounds around us are the treetops blowing, and the leaves dancing in the wind. The ground is full of pits and loose rocks, pitching up. Stumbling over the dirt, Story almost falls, latching onto my arm tightly to keep her balance.
My eyes flick down, lip peeling back. Bringing a hand to her wrist, I caress her skin gently.
She's so soft, her skin's like silk.
Story peers up at me as I take the opportunity to take her hand and braid our fingers together. She doesn't fight me. She doesn't protest my hand around hers. She holds mine back, curling her fingers up, and squeezing.
I smile at her, she smiles at me, but neither of us say a word. We just keep walking. There's an unspoken moment between us. One that says this is alright for now, because the dark is scary, but don't push me.
And I'm alright with that. I came back because I'm ready to live again, and I'm here to claim the only person who ever showed me what it means to be alive.
I need the girl who makes life worth living to see me again. I want her to look at me with the same eyes she used; full of love.
The treeline opens around us, and I watch as her eyes grow to the size of the moon. We're on the top of a cliff, and the city below is doused in lights. Everything is glowing, brightly on display and shimmering. It's beautiful, and I knew the second I found it that she'd love it.
“What do you think?” I ask, tossing the blanket out, and spreading it across the ground.
“Wow, it's so pretty. I've never seen the city like this before, it looks incredible.” Her jaw hangs open in awe, eyes scanning back and forth.
“I wasn't sure if I ever took you here before or not.” Bending down to sit, I pat the blanket with my hand. “Sit.”
“How did you find this place? It's beautiful.” Lowering beside me, Story is still looking out at the city, but I can't take my eyes off of her.
“I was just cruising around one day, and stumbled on it.”
She flicks her eyes to mine briefly, and smirks. “You got lost, huh?” Giggling, she leans into my shoulder and gives me a nudge.
“Okay, so, maybe I did.” Smiling, I let my eyes connect with hers.
Her face glistens under the night sky with the moon brightly lit above us. She looks so fucking beautiful, all I can think about is kissing her.
As if she can read my mind, Story licks her lips, making them dewy and wet. She nibbles softly on her bottom lip, moving her eyes around my face.
I lean a little closer towards her, so fucking ready to taste her. But her eyes cut away, and she leans back on her palms, crossing her legs over each other. I'm left in mid air, my lips cold, and my body aching.
“I knew it, “ she says playfully. “No one just finds a place like this without getting lost first.”
“Go ahead, twist the knife a little more.” I make the motion of being stabbed in the gut, keeling over onto my side.
Laughing, she says, “Hey, the truth hurts sometimes. That's why they created GPS.”
