Her words, filled with determination and yearning, pushed away the flood of thoughts threatening to drown out my resolve. I took a deep breath, my heart racing not just from the thrill of our encounter, but from the promise of a truth that could alter the course of everything.
“You do,” I whispered.
I reached up and pulled the mask away, taking a moment to catch her reaction. The night air chilled my face, but warmth bloomed inside as her eyes widened in recognition.
“What…?” she murmured, her voice catching in her throat.
“Surprise,” I said lightly, with a hint of a grin, but it felt heavy with everything unspoken.
“It's you,” she finally breathed, a mix of awe and disbelief crossing her features. "Michael."
The intimacy of our secret was transformed; this was the moment that could either build a bridge between us or set apart paths that had converged so passionately.
“Yeah,” I admitted, stepping closer, watching the myriad of emotions play across her face. “Just me. No masks, no fantasies…only what you see—and it’s only you I want.”
The forest was dark around us, but in that clearing, lit by the soft glow of moonlight, I felt the weight of the world lift from my shoulders, but she looked torn as the weight of the world fell onto her shoulders, thinking about the other guys and their feelings, and also her feelings for them. I didn't want to compete for her, but I would if that was my only option. I took a step closer to her, feeling the tension hanging in the air shift as I looked deep into her eyes, waiting for her reaction to settle.
“Scarlett, it doesn’t matter what came before this moment,” I urged, my voice low and sincere. “What matters is right here, right now. The connection we made—it’s real, isn’t it?”
She held my gaze, her breath hitching as she tugged nervously at her bottom lip. “It is… but…” The hesitation lingered, her brow furrowing as thoughts raced through her mind.
I could almost hear the whirring of her brain as she processed everything, our shared moment in the rain, the thrill of the chase, and now this revelation that had pulled back a veil she didn’t know was there.
“But what?” I pressed, searching for the words she struggled to voice. “You’re feeling something, and I can see it. Don’t push it away.”
Her expression softened, the fight slowly fading from her eyes. “Michael, I don’t want to hurt anyone. There’s so much at stake. I thought there was something with... with others before you… you know that!” she finished, her voice rising with the heat of her argument.
“Scarlett,” I said firmly, my heart racing. “Listen to me. We’ve shared something that you can’t just dismiss. You know it, too. I know this is crazy and that things are complicated, but you can’t pretend it didn’t happen—because it did, and it meant something!”
The silence hung between us, heavy with emotion and unspoken words. I stepped forward again, grounding the distance that felt like an ocean.
“You don’t have to choose just yet. Allow yourself to feel this.”
She took a deep breath, her hesitation melting as something I couldn’t quite read flickered in her eyes. “You’re right,” she exhaled softly, her voice laced with a tentative hope. “I want to feel this, whatever this is. I refuse to ignore it. But I won't choose.”
Grinning, relief flooded through me. I stepped closer, drawing her into my embrace, encouraging her to lean into the warmth of the moment. A quiet intensity enveloped us, the coolness of therain now merely an aft echo of our earlier encounters, but her apprehension still hung in the air.
I leaned down, capturing her mouth in a tender kiss, soft and exploratory, allowing the heat between us to simmer back to a rolling boil. As she melted into me, losing herself to the moment, I could sense the shift. The connection between us crackled with electricity, quickly overshadowing the confusion she had felt. Time stood still as I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss and igniting the fleeting embers into a flame. My tongue danced with hers, our breath mingling like it had become a language all its own—one formed in desire and curiosity.
Suddenly, a loud snap echoed through the trees behind us, and we froze, breaking apart and pulling back from each other, breaths quickening in sync. The tension returned, sharp and pulsating like a drum, each sound amplified by the night.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered urgently, scanning the darkness.
“Yeah,” I replied, my senses heightened, every muscle in my body thrumming with readiness. We hadn’t entirely escaped the dangers hidden in the forest, and instinctively, I felt the protective aspect of me claw back to the surface.
She stepped back slightly, a small amused smile creeping onto her face as she joked lightly, “So much for being lost in your eyes. Looks like we’ve got company.” Her expression was determined, eyes glimmering like the stars above.
We turned to the treeline, ready for anything that might come, but our fingers intertwined effortlessly—a symbol of our newfound alliance.Then we heard it again—a rustling sound. Fear coiled in my gut, but so did determination. “Stay close, and don’t let go,” I instructed quietly, holding her hand firmly.
“Always,” she whispered.
With that promise, we descended back into the shadows, creatures of the night in our own right—two lost souls entwinedby fate, propelled by passion, navigating the murky waters of danger, desire, and whatever lay beyond the dark horizon.
15
Bloody shower
Scarlett
