Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

77; Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby

Chapter 77

"As long as you're with me,
you'll be just fine."

(Raine's POV)

The grass feels like a plush carpet underneath the exposed skin of my back. The stem of a white chrysanthemum sits soundly between my teeth as I let the fleeting sun flush over my body as it drowns behind the clouds over me. The sky deepens into a dark purple, blending in with the pink gleaming in the horizon. I twirl the dainty flower between my fingers, watching the once bright sky transition into its dark ritual, just as it does every day.

I watch as a flock of birds start to fly over the vast acre of our secluded plot of land, in sync as if they have yet to understand separation. Without a word, without a thought, without a single shred of doubt they fly in perfect unison, stronger together than they would ever be on their own. The backdrop of the sinking sun creates a beautiful silhouette of their flight, reminding me once again that I am nothing in the face of all that lies beyond me.

"What are you doin' out here?"

I tip my head back at the sound of Apollo's voice, his eyes focused on mine even though the sight above us is more entrancing. He has a cigarette in between his lips, unlit, but at the sight of me he can't help but ignite it. The lights of the house behind us grow brighter as the world gets darker, everyone swarmed in their respective responsibilities as the gala approaches. Tensions are high, but nobody is willing to say it.

"Thinking," I look back up at the flock, my eyes following them as if I'm hypnotized. "It was getting crowded in there, everyone is so busy with changing their identities."

"It's good to see them working for once," he mumbles as he takes a seat against the tree beside me, dropping his head against the trunk as he sucks in his cheeks to take a deep intake of his sedative.

"What about you?" I ask him, tilting my head to the side so I have a good view of him. His eyes are now focused on the sky above him as he, too, grows increasingly interested in the synchronicity of the birds above us. He looks as exhausted as ever, but such a look suits a man as hardworking as him. I have yet to see him anything other than this in all of my time knowing him. He's relentless in every aspect, a perfectionist from end-to-end. Nothing about him seems to be real. I've woken up some nights thinking he was just one beautiful illusion.

"This is my favorite time of day," he tells me quietly, as if it's a secret. A stream of smoke leaves his nose as he passes me the cigarette like a reflex, not even having to ask me to know I would take it in a heartbeat.

I trade the cigarette with the flower in my hand and when he looks down at it, his lips turn into a soft smile that is so brief anyone else could've missed it. But I never would.

"How come?" I ask as I allow the thick sensation of tobacco roll down my throat to soothe me. I've forgotten what it felt like to not constantly have an intoxicant either in my hands or by my side.

He shrugs, picking apart the chrysanthemum petals one by one as his eyes gleam over the plot of land across from us. "It's quiet. Feels like the world stopped for a second, you know?"

I know what he means. Everything becomes silent as the sun sets. Birds sit still, trees rustle briskly, time moves slower- it feels serene. It only lasts a few blissful minutes, but it only adds value to the precious time we have with the stillness that surrounds us.

"Yeah," I look back up at the sky, watching the birds soar through the night as a single body of art.

"You superstitious, Raine?" Apollo asks me then, his line-of-sight focused on the flying birds above us.