Black Pearl

Opened wounds.

I make sure to wear something warm when I go towards the rocks. Its dark out but I can still see the outline of Kai sitting, and staring out into the sea, he looks so beautiful and I wonder when I will be able to see him in better lighting, so I can admire him more. I sit next to him, feet dangling over and touching the frigid water.

            “You actually came.” Kai says looking my way with a smirk that is unbelievably sexy. I don’t know what to say to him, he makes my thoughts go brain dead with the way he looks at me, just his everything. I clear my throat glad that it’s dark out so he can’t see the way my face turns into a tomato. “Yeah, I did. How could I not?” this time I smile a huge one trying not to think about what Eric said to me last night.

            “Let’s go out and get something to eat, shall we?” Kai stands up, his hand extended I grab it as he pulls me up and he doesn’t let go of my hand until we get off of the rocks and onto the sand.

            “Where are we going to go?” I question as I try my best to keep up with his long strides. “I’m going to make you something.” He replies over his shoulder. We reach the main road and I pull on my heels. I’m going to his place? I think to myself and for some reason I can’t stop my heart from beating so fast from the anticipation. I trust him, and this is my second time meeting him. That’s not weird right? We reach an apartment complex that seems like it reaches the whole sky. My feet start to ache as we walk up a huge flight of stairs and I try to keep my breathing even and not look down, one thing I hate more than anything is heights.

            Kai seemed to notice and grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight before whispering to me, “Don’t worry, I got you. Just don’t look down.” The only thing I had my eyes fixed on was Kai, the way his hair bounced, and the way the striped tee he wore fit his complexion. He was so simple, I liked that.

            Suddenly the flight of stairs stopped and stopped and we were now walking down a corridor, doors with numbers glued on them left and right. We reached a door with the number 717. Kai pulled out his keys and opened the red door to reveal a nice roomy apartment. When you walk in there’s a coffee table with cushions around it, in front of a big couch. To the right was the dinner table and straight ahead was a hallway full of rooms.

          “Make yourself comfortable, while I get the food prepared. Feel free to look around, I have nothing to hide.” He said with a wink.

            “You sure about that? Everyone has something.”  I say quirking an eyebrow up in challenge. He just chuckled and headed towards the kitchen. I set my purse down and wandered around the living room and headed towards the Stereo where various CD’s lie neatly stacked on top of each other. I picked up the top CD and it read: Michael Jackson.

            “You like Michael Jackson?” I ask raising my voice so he can hear me. “Yeah, he’s my favorite singer” he calls back and I open the CD and pop open the stereo and put it in. And his song Dirty Diana begins to play and I start to sway and I close my eyes getting lost in the beat, and his voice. Little do I notice the smell of food dancing with me, I’m just lost.

            I spin around, my hips swiveling in the process and I open my eyes stopping to meet Kai’s gaze. I continue to dance, and make my way over to him, he watches me, his eyes suddenly thick with lust.

            “The, uh food is ready.” He says clearing his throat and guides me to the table, pulling out my chair for me like a true gentleman. He looks so beautiful in the light like I expected him to, I watch him as he sits down and pours me a bowl of soup and passes it over to me. “Be careful it’s pretty hot.” I smile and mutter a thank you, distracted by the way the steam heats my face and I’m practically drooling on the spot.

            I dip the spoon in and taste the broth first, and I swear I melted. “Dear lord Kai what is this Holy liquid I am eating right now?” I say in all seriousness and he just laughs.

            “I’m serious!”

            “It’s Seaweed Soup.” At this point I don’t care about the fact that I am eating something that comes from the ocean, fish come from the ocean too, but this is a plant that has been rooted in the sand and thrown around in-between oncoming waves.

            “You’re a good dancer.” Kai says taking a spoonful of his soup and I watch the food disappear into his mouth. I clear my throat quite loudly and look at my soup.

            “I wouldn’t say I’m a good dancer, I just do what the music tells my body to do.”

            “Wouldn’t you say that’s what makes a good dancer?” I lift my eyes at his response and just nod my head.

            “I guess so.”

            “Since you’re done with your food, would you want to dance with me?”

            At first I wanted to decline because I was afraid. I don’t know of what, not him but of myself, of Eric. The stereo started playing a song that I knew: The Weeknd- Thursday this was a song I listened to when I had down time to myself. Kai got up from the table and literally slid over to me, pulled me into him, and the rhythm of the song just flowed. His hands were on my waist in seconds and we started grinding to the beat. Feeling his body against mine, his breath hot against the nape of my neck, Goosebumps course my body.

            Lauren, stop.

            Kai turns me around to face him. My eyes are locked on his. He spins me around again and presses me up against a wall and kisses me, my breath is gone.

            Lauren, please.

            I can feel Kai start to pull away but I pull him back and engulf him with passion. His hands trail down my sides, I don’t want to let this feeling go, I don’t want to give in to Eric.

            “Lauren.” Kai murmurs between a kiss. “We have to stop now” he pants; I open my eyes and stare up at him out of breath as well.

            “I understand” I say, and he removes his body from pressing against me, but holds my forearms, not tearing his eyes away from me.

            Why are you hurting me Lauren? Why?

            My bottom lip trembled and I tried to fight back the tears, and Kai noticed.

            “Lauren, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing Kai, I’ll be okay.” I tried to move around him but he kept a hold of my forearms.

            “Lauren, tell me.”

            And at that very moment, I broke. Kai pulled his arms around me and rushed one hand through my hair, whispering that everything was okay.

            “Let’s sit down on the couch, okay?” I nod, wiping tears from under my eyes with the backs of my index fingers. He pulled me up onto his lap and held me ever so closely.

            “Tell me when you’re ready.” I glance up at his lips and a sad smirk brushes and fades.

            “Three years ago, I had a boyfriend named Eric. And one day I came home, to find him on the floor shot, and barely surviving. He died in my arms that day…he haunts me. I see him and hear him wherever I may be. While we were kissing he was calling my name, and oh god, I’m so sorry!” I sob into his chest.

            “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m sorry to hear about Eric, you must have really loved him. Although it’s hard you need to let him go, of course he will always be with you and you may never forget him, moving on is hard. It takes time, and I’m never going to leave you. I like you a lot Lauren.”

            Lying there in his arms felt like a blanket of security. His voice, the words spilling out past his lips lulled me into a dream like state. No longer crying, I just lay there, feeling the warmth of him. How his heart beats. The smell of his skin, everything about this guy was perfect. He was right; I have to let Eric go. And Kai was the antidote.