Tethered Destinies Bonus Scenes

JOSHUA

Joshua's mind vibrated. The Tether between the two of them had never been stronger, and he assumed it was because they'd just had sex. It was a weird sensation: he could feel everything from her regret to her joy, to her confusion and her satisfaction. She'd enjoyed herself, but she knew she'd just cheated on her fiancé. The same man who was faking his Knot, forcing her into something she now knew wasn't real.

He pulled her close against his side. Her ear was resting on his chest, and he sighed. He didn't regret it. In fact, he was ready for another round. He was addicted to her; her scent of apples, her smooth marshmallow lips, her perky breasts that had sent him into overdrive merely a few moments before, the feel of her inside and out. He was in love, and he knew the situation was messy, he didn't care. The fact Owen was lying to her just added to the thick layer of shits he didn't give. He didn't treat her like the queen she was, and they all knew it.

He pulled her closer until they kissed.

"I'm not a good person," Amelia whispered. "I knew that was going to happen if I wasn't careful, and I didn't listen to myself."

He chuckled. "People do stupid shit in the name of love. Some people cheat, some people fake their Knot Art."

She lightly slapped his arm. "That's not even funny. I didn't... I should go to him and confront it—"

"You think he's gonna take that well? Oh, hi, fiancé. Yeah, I know you've faked your Knot and I need some answers, but I slept with my Fated One too. Happy days. That'll go down so well, Amelia," he joked.

Amelia snorted. "Now we've had sex, your real personality of a sarcastic motherfucker comes out, right?"

Joshua laughed at her and kissed her. He wanted everything to feel as right to her as it did for him. Screw Owen: Joshua knew he and Amelia could live like that forever if she just let him go. But he didn't want to push her, plus she needed the truth first.

"What did you feel when we were doing it?" he asked her.

"Well, you know when you have sex, and you get pleasure—"

He cut her off with a snort. "Ha-ha, I meant in terms of the connection, seeing as we're Fated and all."

She sat up properly and he watched her naked body; it felt right, normal and he felt like the luckiest man in the world. Hell, he knew he was the luckiest man alive; she loved him, and he could feel it in his brain. She'd made her decision; she just didn't know how to deal with it. But he kept quiet about it because she needed to make all the moves: she was the engaged one, she was the victim of Owen's lies, she needed to walk the path of her own accord. He was just going to be there when she needed to be caught after the fall.

"It was kinda... weird, I didn't take much notice of it, but when you finished, I felt the Tether, as if we were touching Knots at the same time, but more intense. I think that's why I came at the same time. That... and you were pretty, you know, good."

"Good? Is that all I get? I'm your Fated One and the best I get is good?" Joshua joked back. He rolled over so he was over her again. She snaked her arms around his neck until they were skin to skin.

"Are you going for another round?" Amelia whispered.

He smiled at her. "Well, if I was only good—"

Her watch buzzed and he groaned in response. "Did you not take that off?"

She cancelled the call; he saw it was from Owen. "I was too busy being seduced," she retorted.

She read a text before he felt the panic rise in her. "Oh shit, he's on his way home, and I'm not there, and–"

"Stop panicking," Joshua said. He placed her hand over her Knot Art, and he watched the panic melt away within her. He felt it dissolve in his mind. "It'll be fine. He won't know where you've been, and even if he does, so what? He owes you an explanation anyway—"

"I'd say he owes us both an explanation. The thing is, if for whatever reason, the government find out, we will bothbe Segregated along with him. As you said, they won't give a shit. I've rebelled for a year, he's fucked me over, and by proxy, that fucks you over."

"Not necessarily. I only found you six months ago, sort of. You're the victim in all of this," Joshua responded. He kept his hand over her Knot Art so she didn't panic.

"But if they find I have a fake card, Josh? I've been a walking, talking time bomb. It's only a matter of time until someone works this out, only a matter of time until someone finds my card is faked. I've been kept from you because of him, so the government will send me to prison or—"

He interrupted her by taking her free hand in his. He placed it on his own Knot on his left wrist so they could connect and get rid of the stress. She soon stopped speaking and everything around them dissolved into good. The panic was gone, stress was gone. It was just peace.

"Here is what is gonna happen," Joshua said. "You're gonna calm down, take a minute. If you want, there's a shower in the bathroom. Then you're gonna get dressed and go home. You'll keep calm and try and get some answers from him, all right? Then you'll know what you want to do based on his answers. You'll honestly be fine."

"You think?" Amelia asked.

"I know so. I promise you; everything will work out."

She removed her hand and pulled him to her. "I'm not this kind of person."

He chuckled. "We've only kissed and had sex, but you're giving me this pep talk now? While naked in my bed, I might add."

She kissed him, and he relished the taste of her, the way her lips were soft like pillows.

"I mean, like, this isn't me. I've never looked at anyone else, never thought about cheating, and here I am."

"You'll be fine," Joshua whispered. "I think... things got heated, both with him and with us. Volcanoes erupt. It happens. The thing is, we are clearly Fated and have a connection where you and he don't. I mean... I'm not justifying our actions, but equally, shit happens."

"That's the problem, I don't want to justify them. I want to do this openly, like without cheating—"

"What are you saying?" Josh asked.

"I don't know because I love Owen. But he's lying about something. I... I love you. I want you, but I also love him," Amelia said.

Her words buzzed around him, flew around like dandelion seeds. She loved him, and she'd admitted it. He wanted to catch the admission like a fish in a net, put the sentence in a trap and listen to it over and over again forevermore.

"I love you too," he whispered.

"No, no, I should've said that I hated you," Amelia joked.

He laughed, got out of bed and pulled his clothes on. "I hate you too. But trust me, everything will be fine. One step at a time, and the first one is to go and confront him."

Amelia nodded and got out of bed after a moment. He stared at her for a while longer, relishing the fact that the situation might not have been perfect. In fact, it was a messy fucking situation, but his silver lining was that the woman he loved, loved him back. That was all he could ask for. 

You can read the full story of Amelia and Joshua in Tethered Destinies by @MiniMoxx.  You will find it on our reading list or here. 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/285544083-tethered-destinies