Annia
No matter how hard I tried to get Black out of my head, I couldn't. The questions were like a broken record in my memory. Why did I do it? And more importantly, why did it feel right? I wanted to blame it on the adrenaline rush we'd been through, but it was much more than that. My body reacted on its own, out of my control. Just watching it felt like a click, or like a greater force was pushing me.
The television was showing The Notebook, but I hadn't paid enough attention. Lucía was sitting next to me eating popcorn when a light knock on the door caught our attention. The person on the other end didn't wait for a reply and entered my room.
It was Alessandro, my manager and friend. He was dressed in short shorts and a tight T-shirt.
Alessandro immediately opened his arms to wrap me in them. I welcomed the gesture with delight; he was the kind of person who warmed your soul.
I felt him trail light kisses through my hair, and I rested my chin on his chest, lifting my face to lose my gaze in his coffee cups. His hair was slightly damp and sticking to his forehead. My smile was genuine, after almost three months without seeing each other.
He kissed the corner of my lips, which made me gently pull away.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your family in Greece?"
"I should be, but vacation is over. There were a few days left, and my parents wanted to go to South America."
"I'm so glad you're back."
His smile was mischievous; it always has been.
His eyes strayed slightly, meeting Lucía's.
"Lucia, it's good to see you."
She only greeted him by raising her arm, answering with a soft hello. She's never liked him, she thinks someone shady lurks behind all those smiles.
"I came because I haven't heard from the news about that man. We need to act; people keep speculating. They want to know who he is."
"I'm not going to make a statement."
"Why?"
"Because we're getting to know each other. If what you need is for me to deny it, I won't. If it's to confirm it, a photo on my profile will suffice."
"How is it that you're meeting someone overnight?" He stood up and walked toward my window. His tone of voice changed; he sounded annoyed. "Even the day before the fashion show, you weren't dating anyone."
Lucia and I shared a look. I hadn't considered that when he wanted to, he looked like a bloodhound.
"I've never mentioned it; we've kept a low profile. The only one who knew was Lucia."
Lie after lie.
His gaze pierced me.
"You gave your chance to someone you'd known for three days." And me, who's been trying to touch your heart for years...
She stopped and brought her hands to her head, desperately clutching her hair.
"I'm sorry. I've always been honest. You know I can't look at you any other way. Yes, we've known each other for years, but when the heart says no, you can't force it."
Her sigh filled the room as her shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry, I have no right to claim you."
"It's good for you to know, you're not her father."
Lucia spoke, her gaze piercing him.
Her lips formed a thin line.
"We'll sort out the confirmation tomorrow. You can take studio photos or casual ones while you share a moment."
"I'm going with the latter. I'll send it to you as soon as I have it."
She gave a slight nod and walked toward the door, turning around with a half-smile that wasn't real.
"I hope you continue to enjoy yourselves. Good night."
"We have to be very careful with him. If he investigates and finds anything strange about the boys, there'll be trouble. The only one who can find out anything about them is your mother."
Lucia commented when her footsteps behind the door were no longer audible.
~°°~
We were resting after finishing the boys' hellish circuit. My hands had some scrapes from the friction of the ropes. Lucía was lying next to me with one arm covering her eyes, gasping for air.
"I didn't remember it like this."
"Last time we didn't do it three times."
Heclares approached with a smile.
"Are you tired? Let's go to the field."
"Again? Last time we saw if I could get a hit in."
"Beginner's luck," he commented amusedly. "But no, we're not going there. We're going to the weapons range."
We both got up and followed him through the wooded paths. When we arrived, Black was already there, at a table with different weapons. There were bows, swords, and knives.
"You can choose whatever catches your eye, Lucía."
She approached the table and ran her hand over various sharp weapons, but stopped at a case containing the bow's arrows.
Black raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged.
"When you were wounded, I got a little curious about this."
He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to me. He pointed toward the table, signaling me to come closer. I didn't have to look for it; from the moment I saw it, I was sure it would be that sword. It was wide and long, the handle looked gold-plated, and it was inlaid with stones resembling emeralds.
"Haven't the electrical charges occurred again?"
"No."
I turned around. Heclares was helping Lucía get into the perfect position; they were standing in front of some static dolls a few meters away.
From behind, he guided their movements. He positioned his right arm while she held the bow with her left. He positioned the arrow at shoulder height, or so it seemed from my perspective.
He whispered something very close to her ear that I couldn't understand, but she nodded seriously.
Her hand released the arrow.
The whistling sound cut through the air until it embedded itself in the doll's chest.
The smile she had at that moment was incredible.
"Do you want to try it alone?" Heclares asked.
"Yes," he answered hastily.
"Go back to your previous position."
She listened to everything he told her.
"Correct your right arm, place it like I taught you before."
She corrected it and didn't wait for him to tell her she could release the arrow. She didn't hesitate; she aimed calmly and shot, hitting a little higher than she had before.
Heclares's lips were slightly parted in shock.
"Remind me never to bother you when you're around that," he joked when he came out of his shock.
They immersed themselves in continuing to draw the bow, and I turned around to face the gaze I'd long felt on me.
"Shall we begin, or are you going to keep staring at me for much longer?"
"Come with me," he said as he started walking through the trees.
I followed him, still holding my sword; we were heading far from his area. We walked for long, silent minutes until he stopped abruptly, causing me to bump into his back.
He turned around, and that's when I realized how hard his jaw was clenching.
Is he still upset that I kissed him?
"I wanted to ask you something?" he blurted out, his lips pursed.
My eyebrows rose, waiting for the question.
"Who were you with last night?"
"With Lucia."
"No, there was someone else," he replied.
Then it hit me.
"Were you spying on me?"
"Always." He shrugged. "Can you tell me who it is?"
"It's not someone you care about."
My answer seemed to irritate him even more, so much so that I thought I heard his teeth grinding against the pressure I was putting on his jaw.
"It matters when it comes to your safety."
"Don't give me that safety thing. To get something you want."
"Who is he that you should hug him back and kiss him like he has the right to?"
Then something clicked in my head.
I took just a step closer to him and gave him a crooked smile.
"Is that what I'm sensing... Is it jealousy?"
A sigh escaped him, and he dropped his sword.
"Damn right, it is."
His answer left me speechless. I didn't expect him to accept it so easily.
"And just as you had the audacity to steal a kiss from me, now I have it."
His hand curled around the back of my neck, his fingers gently pressing against me to pull me against him. His lips captured mine, making my sword fall to the ground in shock. His kiss wasn't just pressure, no, it was wild and dominant. He moved his lips against my mouth until he captured my lower lip, never letting me reciprocate, and I did.
I let him explore my mouth like he'd never done with anyone before, and in that precise moment, I realized how screwed I was for him.