AllFreeNovel
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“Promise.”
She hesitantly pulls down the straps of her sundress until the material pools at her feet, leaving her in only her underwear. The sun dances over the golden hues of her skin, the reflection of the water shimmering over her features. She’s beautiful.
She carefully walks into the water, staring at it before she takes each step. “Anna, nothing is going to eat you.”
She pushes her sunglasses up on her head and glares at me. Laughing, I walk over to her and grab her, pulling her into deeper water. She shrieks and throws her arms around my neck, wrapping her legs tightly around my hips. Every inch of her is plastered against me, but I’m not sure she’s even noticed. I definitely have.
“I swear something touched me.”
“A lot is touching you right now.”
She rolls her eyes. “Not you.” She glances at the water around us nervously. “Is this what normal people do for fun?”
I snort. “Yeah, I guess so.” She doesn’t look impressed. “You just have to…let go. Fear is irrational. Mind over matter.”
“Mind over matter. Mind over matter.” She slowly releases me and sinks into the water up to her chest. “Okay. Don’t leave me though.” She clutches my arm. “I can’t swim.”
Of course. Why would she be able to swim? “You should add it to your bucket list.”
“What’s a bucket list?”
“It’s a list of things you want to do before you die.”
“Huh.”
“You must have one.” She frowns for a second, and I grab her waist, pulling her closer to me for no other reason than the fact that I like touching her. “Now you’re free, little warrior, what are the things you’d like to do?”
Her eyes meet mine, and she chews on her bottom lip. “I want to go to New Zealand.”
“Okay. Why New Zealand?”
“Why not?” She shrugs. “I found it on the globe, and I don’t even know what language they speak there.”
I smile, stroking her hair away from her neck. “English. What else?”
“I want to dance in the rain. And eat crepes.” Such simple things. She makes me want to hand her the world, just to see the wonder on her face as she explores it. “What about you?” she asks.
I slide a hand up the small of her back to the nape of her neck. “I have everything I want,” I tilt her head to the side and bring my lips to her ear. “Right here.”
“You sure about that?” She cocks a brow, a small smile playing over her lips.
“Very.”
Her arms wind around me, her fingers raking through my hair. “There was one more thing on my bucket list, but I’ve already done it.”
“What’s that?”
She pulls back just enough to look at me. “Fall in love,” she whispers. Her eyes drop to my mouth and then she’s leaning in, placing the sweetest kiss on my lips. She tastes like sunshine and desert sand. She feels like simple happiness; swimming in a lake on a hot day, the skipping of my heart when she flashes me a beautiful smile, and pure unadulterated joy.
This right here in this moment feels precious and unfiltered.
I’ve spent my whole life striving for more. More power. More money. More territory. I’ve never really appreciated anything outside of those things. She’s my pause button, a reminder to breathe. She makes me want to stop and capture the moment with her, to create memories.
Anna Vasiliev is my air in a toxic world.
