An Ocean of Consequences

Chapter Seven - Pt. One

(1454 words)

The next morning, I was vibrating with an energy I had never felt before, and it was making it incredibly difficult to finish my morning routine. Last night seemed like a dream. If I had slept at all, I would have believed myself it was.

But I never could have dreamt up what happened last night.

Valin turned me into someone I did not recognize—someone bold and brazen. It was as if all the feelings I had hidden away came rushing out all at once, and it was amazing.

We progressed slowly, timidly. Kissing, exploring, discovering each other. With every line we crossed, I wanted more—so much more—and before I knew it...

We made love. Passionate, slow, sighing out pleasure quietly so as not to be discovered. I felt so close to him, intimate in the sincerest sense of the word. He held me close, stared into my eyes, taking me further and further until he pushed me over the edge beneath him, silencing me with a kiss when all I wanted to do was to cry out.  

I had never felt that way before. Powerless and empowered at the same time. It was freeing, exhilarating—the greatest escape I had ever experienced. I lost myself in him, and somehow, inexplicably, I felt no guilt.

As if the event itself had not been life-altering enough, Valin turned my world upside down in a way I never expected. After we had finished, we laid face-to-face, taking each other in as if we had never seen one another before, riding the high of our experience together. I traced the handsome features of his face—his flushed lips, the stubble on his chin. He ran his fingers through my hair, soothing me, keeping my mind in the moment. Keeping me from thinking we had made a mistake. Then, out of nowhere, he whispered, "I love you."

I had been so shocked I could not form words. I just stared wide-eyed at him like an idiot. Valin had not invited a response, however. A quick flash of regret crossed his face before he leaned in to kiss me once more. Soon after, I had redressed and fled back to my room.

I cringed at the memory.

With my hair dry after my shower, I glanced at my rosy-cheek reflection. It seemed my blush was not going away. Not if I kept replaying everything in my mind. I just hoped Valin could keep it together better than I.

I walked into the front room to find my mother and father sitting on the sofa, my sister practicing her song nearby, and the two guests conversing over their comm device near the kitchen. It was early enough that T was still awake, though he carried an expression heavy with fatigue. Last night on my way back to my sister's room, I had found him asleep in my reading nook. I wondered if he was there when I snuck into my old room, but the thought made my mind wander back to things that made my blush deepen.

Valin leaned back against the breakfast bar and spotted me. One corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile before he turned to wrap up his conversation. I strolled past them to the kitchen and grabbed ingredients to prepare myself breakfast. I watched from the corner of my eyes as T made his way to the bedroom.

An arm appeared beside me and grabbed an apple from my prep. "Good morning," Valin whispered over my shoulder. He gave me a flirtatious smile before taking a large, juicy bite.

"Good morning," I said with a straight face, but felt my cheeks burning. I returned my focus to cutting, trying to hide my face's betrayal.

Valin leaned back against the counter at a casual distance. "How are you feeling?" he asked, implying more than he said.

"Great," I squeaked. I rolled my eyes at myself. So much for keeping my cool.

"Great, huh?" I turned my head to glare at him, begging with my warm cheeks to stop torturing me with his questions. "So... no complaints then?" he asked.