Page 51 of Kisses Behind the Spotlight

“Khaleesi, please look at me,” I coaxed.

Her fists were turning red, and I was worried about her injuring them. Prepared to take the lashings that she might dole out, I gently grabbed her waist and pulled her back. Khaleesi thrashed in my arms, and we both fell into the back wall of the elevator. I took on the impact, my back colliding with the wall.

“You can breathe. You are breathing. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise. You are breathing.” I whispered in her ear. “I’ve got you. I’ll always have you.”

My voice was the only sound in the otherwise silent elevator.

Looking at our reflection in the mirrors, I couldn’t believe that was how we would spend our first Valentine’s Day together. Silent tears streamed down Khaleesi’s face, ruining her mascara. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and the tip of her nose was beet red. Khaleesi closed her eyes, and I loosened the grip I had on her, allowing her space again.

The lights flickered on, and the electric hum of the elevator filled the car. We were going down, but I didn’t care, as long as I could get Khaleesi out. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened up. Q, Jameera, and a few museum employees were standing there.

“I’m fine. Excuse me,” Khaleesi sputtered, rushing out of the elevator and away from everyone.

I dashed behind Khaleesi, breaking out in a full sprint to catch her. When we reached the circular courtyard, she finally stopped to breathe. Khaleesi placed her hands on her knees and took huge, deep breaths. Her body was trembling.

“I’m sorry, Xain. I’m okay,” she apologized.

“You’re not, and that’s okay. Let me take care of you, Khaleesi. Can I do that?”

She looked up at me, and I reached over, gently wiping the tears away.

“Please?” I pleaded.

She silently nodded, and relief coursed through me as I grabbed her hand. I wanted to squeeze it tight to let her know that I was there for her, but fought off my impulse. Her trembling stopped once her hand rested in mine. My efforts were helping.

“Can you go ask them to get my purse? It’s on the second floor in the administrative office,” Khaleesi requested.

“Yeah, I got you.”

“Khaleesi! Xain! Wait!” Q called out behind us.

Khaleesi took a quick deep breath and lifted her shirt to dry her tears. A smile quickly spread across her face, a mask to placate others around her. She spun around, and I turned too, keeping her hand tucked in mine. Q was up on us with Jameera in tow.

“Are you okay?” Jameera inquired, extending a bottle of water and her purse in Khaleesi’s direction. “Take this. The staff was worried about you too.”

“Yes, I’m fine. Keep your water.” Khaleesi declined the water but accepted her purse. “The confined space just triggered my claustrophobia for a moment, but I’m good. I don’t want to ruin one of the happiest days of y’all lives. Go inside, enjoy the dinner, and set up. You only have two hours to eat before the private time in their theater. I didn’t coordinate all of this for nothing,” Khaleesi chirped, putting up the biggest front.

“You sure? We just want to make sure you good,” Q insisted.

“I’m fine. Y’all, go back inside and enjoy the evening. I didn’t put all that effort into setting up the candlelight dinner in the cafe for y’all to be out here worrying about me. I just needed to get some fresh air,” Khaleesi sputtered, forcing a jovial expression.

“She’s not good. But I got her. I’m going to get her back to the hotel. She’ll be okay,” I interjected.

“Wait, are y’all holding hands?” Jameera questioned, her eyes locked on the gentle grip I had on Khaleesi’s hand.

“I am. I’m going to get her back to the hotel. We will see y’all later,” I announced.

“Xain, take care of her. Hit me if y’all need anything,” Q stated, looking over his shoulder as they slowly walked away.

“I got her,” I assured them.

Khaleesi turned around and exhaled deeply.

“Can we go?”

“Let’s slide,” I stated.

We walked hand in hand to the car. Khaleesi’s hand in mine felt so right. On the short drive back to the hotel, I lowered all four windows, allowing the cool air to whip against our faces. Khaleesi didn’t object. She placed her arms over the door and laid her face against them, peering out of the window. I steered with my left hand, using my right hand to send a few requests for the butler to take care of before we arrived. Every few minutes my eyes moved between the empty stretch of road ahead and Khaleesi.