Chapter 39
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"Samantha?" I breathed worriedly, clearing my throat as I glanced at the time.
It was six in the morning when she called. I rubbed my eyes and furrowed my eyebrows at this unexpected call that let my mind go places.
Did she find out about Amanda? Was she feeling alright? I mean, she just had a surgery. I immediately was out of bed and reaching for my jacket and scarf thrown on the floor.
"Julius Caesar," she paused. "I think I'm setting my house on fire." She said as matter-of-factly and my jaw along with my heart hit the floor. In relief.
"Thank God," was the thing that first came out of my mouth.
"Julius? Did you even hear me?" She sounded frantic as I processed what she actually said. It was definitely disastrous, but it could've been worse.
"Oh. Oh," I repeated, squeezing shut my eyes. "Hang on," I said wrapping my scarf around my neck.
"What am I gonna-" she started and I interrupted.
"Give me five minutes," I said slipping on my slippers and grabbing my gun. "I'm coming."
"Wait-" she started but I hung up on her and headed for the door.
---
It was actually ten minutes later that I ended in front of Samantha's place with the cold breeze slapping my face. The door was then yanked open revealing Samantha. Her eyes were wide open and her face blackened by what I guessed was smoke.
"'Thank God!" she said grabbing me inside by my arm as I closed the door behind us. "I don't know what to do! I just opened the windows to let in some fresh air, but I thought about the neighbours and felt bad. So I closed them, but then the smoke was too much. And my fire alarm went off and I freaked out so I called you. The fire alarm wouldn't stop so I -ugh- just used a broomstick to hit it. And I think I broke it because it made no more sound-"
"Where is the fire?" I interrupted her for the first time and she took in a deep breath.
"In the kitchen. I told you." She said shaking her head and I stared at her bemusedly. "Anyway, I was scared the microwave was going to explode, so I got out of the kitchen and closed its door-"
"You set the microwave on fire?" I asked trying to make sense of the words gushing out of her mouth and her excessive hand movements.
"Yes," she said. "I was just heating some eggs."
"Heating eggs. In the microwave?" I raised my eyebrows as she came to a stop in the middle of the reception.
"Exactly."
"Did you open the microwave's door?" I asked glancing at the living room where the broken glass of the vase was no longer littering the floor. The vase I shot when I was threatening Danielle.
Maybe someone came around to clean.
"Noo! Am I supposed to? But like how can I? It's like- combusting," she said and I sighed.
"Alright, it's going to be okay. Just relax, for me." I said locking her bright, blue eyes that were slightly red.
Her nose crinkled. "So are you going to go in?" She asked cautiously pointing a hesitant index finger in the kitchen's direction and I smiled.
"Yes, Mantha, I will," I said. "Just take a deep breath, please."
She did what I told her and I nodded at her suppressing a grin.
"Okay, now go and open all the house's windows to let fresh air in. Then switch-" I started instructing her, but I could see the refusal all over her face.
"And let you get in there alone?" She frowned. "No way. I'm coming with you. Maybe you'll need me to fill some water or something-"
"Samantha. It will be okay. It's just a small fire, blimey." I sighed exasperatedly. She looked at me still unconvinced.
"What if you got caught on fire? Who'll be there to put it off? Who'll be there to save yo-" she rambled on and I shut my eyes with a soft sigh. I then smiled slightly.
"Okay, Samantha, it's just a small fire. I solemnly swear that I will not catch the fire. Okay?" I said slowly, hoping she'd get the message.
She stopped moving, looked into my eyes and exhaled. "It's just a small fire." She told her panicked self and I smiled.
"Now go," I told her. "Open all the windows." She nodded. "To let the fresh air in. Then have a warm cup of water. To help you relax." She was starting to frown, but I got ahead of her. "Listen. If it's the first time for you to encounter a fire. It isn't my first time. So do what I told you."
"I shouldn't have cooked." She shrugged and I nodded.
"Yes." I approved. "This shouldn't be the thing people do when they regain their sight."
She smiled sheepishly before she turned on her heels and rounded a corner.
I then headed to the kitchen and opened the door. As I suspected there was plenty of smoke that started diffusing into the reception. I rushed inside anyway and swung open the huge kitchen's window to let it out.
When the air cleared a bit and I was no longer coughing, I looked at the microwave's plug. I sighed and pulled it out quickly.
I glanced inside the microwave to find flames dancing inside and smoke squeezing its way out of the door.
Amazing.
"Should I get you a cup of water?" Samantha's voice came, startling me. I turned to her and for the first time, I let my eyes study her.
She wore plain, navy blue pyjamas and her jet black hair was pulled in a neat ponytail. I dared smile.
"So, is that a 'yes'?" she asked and I looked up at her face. Her glinting eyes, pink nose tip and her lips-
"Your bottom lip is bleeding." I found myself telling her with widened eyes.
She looked taken aback by my statement before she raised her index finger and pressed it to her lip. And I had to close my eyes because -oh God- how can she look absolutely lovely doing this?
She then sucked in her lower lip before releasing it, making it pinker than ever.
"Is it fine now?" She frowned slightly and I had to shake my head subtly to rid it of all the things I could be doing to her. All the things that would make her mine and mine forever. The kind of things that ignited my core and made me want to-
"It's fine." My voice came stronger than I intended, so I cleared my throat.
"So? Water?" She smiled innocently.
"No," I told her and myself. 'No' for so many things I was fantasizing about at that same moment. Things I wanted to feel and taste. Things so forbidden that might poison both of us.
"So, what are we going to do? Should I make an emergency call?" She asked and I shook my head.
"No need." I turned around and faced the microwave. "We'll just have to wait until the fire exhausts itself."
I felt Samantha shuffle behind me before I felt her hand clutch my arm. And I almost jerked away from the fire her touch generated that even reached under my belt.
I cursed under my breath.
"Okay then. I will order something. For both us." She said and I -so distracted by my arousal- nodded.
"What do you want to eat?" She asked with a pleasant smile.
"You have the honour." I told her and she chuckled.
"Alright. I'll surprise you." She then let go of me as my mind went to places at her last sentence.
I loved those surprises.
My mouth watered and my breath fastened as I watched her hips sway away from me. Almost in slow motion. I was a hungry predator. I even had to tap my feet to slow the blood rushing to my brain. I wasn't thinking clearly.
Lust and I didn't do well together. One had to win. But it couldn't be lust. Not yet.
"Wait!" I called out and Samantha stopped to face me with her lips parted in anticipation. "I'll -uh- have my brother bring the food. I wanted you to meet him anyway."
"You have a brother?" She asked surprised.
"I'm full of surprises." I winked and she raised her eyebrows bemusedly.
"He's more than welcome." She said sweetly and I grinned nervously. She then left the kitchen.
I immediately reached for my phone and called Augustus. It rang almost indefinitely before he picked up.
"Alright. So this is my first night of good quality sleep on my super soft bed after five nights in a haunted amusement park. And you have the guts to wake me up at six thirty in the bloody morning? Julius Caesar Alexander Bla-" He ranted groggily and I smirked.
"It is an emergency," I muttered as I heard him shift around. Maybe get out of bed, or snuggle deeper under the covers.
"Does it involve those deeply disturbing French fucks?" He said with a yawn and I chuckled.
"Worse."
"Worse?" he said with a sigh and a pause. "Do you wanna ditch some girl who caught feelings?"
I chuckled at this. "Actually." I can't believe I'm telling him this. "The opposite."
It took Augustus a few moments to think before he burst into laughter.
"What?" I said embarrassedly as I heard him catch his breath.
"Julio. Mate. You have an 'I-Will-Fuck-The-Duck-If-You-Don't-Come' crisis." He said with impossible prosperity and I actually smiled at the ridiculousness of this.
"How did you know?" I almost gasped bemusedly.
"You're talking to Augusto, mate. You might be older than me. But in the ladies business, I'm much much older. By like decades or something. So-" He started and I shook my head.
"Alright, alright. Just come. I'll -uh- send you the location. Oh and bring breakfast with you." I said as he yawned.
"Breakfast?" He groaned and I smiled. "What would you like to eat?"
"Surprise me," I told him bored.
"Okay, okay, just keep it in until I make my delightful arrival." I could hear him smile.
"Yeah sure."
"I mean I wouldn't like to come and find you fucking the poor girl in the kitchen. On the floor. With broken dishes and moa-" He started monotone and I groaned at the thought.
"I'm making it worse right? Ah, I'm such a great brother. My speciality." He laughed and I squeezed shut my eyes to stop imagining what he said.
"You are ridiculous," I said with effort and he snorted.
"We are in 2018, mate. Is that supposed to insult me?" He said with an air of authority.
"I'm sending you the location. Do not be late. And be decen-" He hung up on me and I raised my eyebrows.
I glanced at the microwave to find no more fire. I opened its door with a sigh and glanced at the black clumps that were supposedly eggs.
I managed to throw them away and clean the microwave. I looked up at the ceiling where the broken fire sensor hung uselessly. I might've as well fixed that.
I made it out of the kitchen and headed to the living room. Samantha wasn't there. I sat on the couch that faced the door and tapped my feet impatiently.
"How do I look?" Her voice came from behind me and I instinctively turned to find her coming down the stairs in a breathtakingly simple, knee-length peach dress and a navy blue cardigan.
That was it. She was trying to kill me- was what I thought.
I grabbed a pillow from next to me and pressed it to my laps.
And I had to be wearing sweatpants.
"Amazing," I breathed before she finally made her way down. She sat next to me and her arms rubbed against mine. I had to hold my breath and recite the elements of the periodic table.
Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. What's next? Oh, carbon? No, no, boron. Carbon.
"Thanks! Just wanted to make sure I impress your brother." She blushed and I smiled.
"You don't have to. You just have to impress me." I said looking anywhere, but her eyes.
"So. Who's older?" She asked as I watched her slender fingers flex. She then caught them back in a small fist. I noticed that she wasn't wearing any nail polish.
"I am."
She smiled and nodded. She then cleared her throat quietly before very awkward silence settled between us.
I just kept glaring at the pillow nested in my laps. I was actually angry. It was a nuisance. A distraction.
"The fire," Samantha breathed after a few minutes, snapping me out of my inner battle. "Is it out? Yet?"
I dared glance at her and noticed how nervous she actually was. That oddly satisfied me.
"Yes. You just have to -uh- get someone to fix that fire alarm." I pointed at the ceiling. "Or I can drop by some other time to do it." I shrugged and she nodded, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah." She smiled shyly and my heart did a back flip. I loved that smile on her.
"So," I said, cleared my throat, manned up and looked in her eyes. "-how are you?"
She chuckled a bit. "Never been better." Her eyes fluttered and I wondered how great God must be to have been able to create such a beautiful thing.
"You," I said breathlessly and she looked at me with renewed interest. But I stopped not knowing what to say because there were so many things I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her what I was thinking. I wanted her to know me. I wanted to tell her that I wished there could be no barriers between us. Especially a barrier like who I was.
"I like how you smell," I ended up gawking awkwardly as she crinkled her nose.
"Alright. We are both awful at this." She waved a hand in front of her and I chuckled, my heart warming up at the giddy smile she was wearing.
"Totally." I grinned and pinned the pillow harder in my laps.
Get down. Again. Where was I? Nitrogen. Oxygen.
"So get straight to the point." She continued with a smirk and I raised my eyebrows playfully.
She was basically asking me to ask her out. Maybe.
"Maybe we can hang out?" I cringed as she pursed her lips.
"Maybe."
"No- I- No. I mean we shoul- need to hang out. Go out. On a date." I almost whispered the last part as she narrowed her eyes on me.
"Why are you nervous about asking me out now? You weren't before." She said with a smirk. I stared at her, opened my mouth and closed it again. I resorted to chuckling lightly.
Try asking a girl you like, out with an arousal. In sweatpants. I felt so self-conscious.
"That's not true," I said frowning playfully as I took her hands in mine. "I will take you out. Just say when. You were the one who needed time."
"Right." She looked at our entangled hands with a small smile. "But you also know that we made a deal, right?"
"A deal?" I said not really getting what she said.
"Yeah." She was still looking down. "You promised you'll tell me who killed my dad."
I let go of her hands. Remembering. She looked up.
I closed my eyes, opened them and looked in her eager, trustful eyes. I felt sick.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang and I didn't hesitate to reach for it. I opened the door to find Augustus blowing a big gum bubble with the food bags in his left hand as the wind sifted through his thick hair that looked almost white in the sun.
He looked decent in the black pants and closed red and blue checkered, crisp coat he was wearing, topped by a scarlet scarf and sunglasses.
He used his free hand to lower his sunglasses and peek down.
"Sweatpants and boners are a no-no." He started.
Looks can deceive.
"You're welcome, brother. Please come in." I glared at him. He smirked and took off his sunglasses which exposed teary blue eyes. He then walked in with one big stride.
Samantha was already standing in the middle of the living room with a wide smile. Her hands were linked in front of her.
I shut the door with my foot.
"You're the girl we watched run in the park!" Augustus exclaimed approaching her and she raised her eyebrows. I wanted to cover my face with my hands, but I smiled instead.
Samantha then stretched her hand for a handshake. "And you're Caesar's brother. You look alike!"
Augustus took her hand with a grin and raised it. He then kissed it instead of shaking it as I rolled my eyes. "Augustus, if you may."
Samantha pulled back her hand gently, a bit flustered, as I stood by her side. She glanced at me before looking back at my brother.
"Please," she said sweetly. "-have a seat."
Augustus looked at me bemusedly.
"Aye, thanks." He then thrust the bags of food in my arms and headed to the couch where he sat, legs crossed. He then extended his arms and 'hugged' the couch. He then glanced around the house with a smirk.
"Wow," he breathed. "I love your house, Sammy." He looked at her. "I appreciate good taste in interior design and clothes."
I turned to Augustus and narrowed my eyes at him before mouthing 'act decent'. He shrugged it with a grin.
"Thank you." She looked down, then back up at him.
"Yeah. The food," I said interrupting this complimenting session.
My brother looked at me and smiled widely. "Yup, the food-" He repeated what I said as if it was a dirty word. He even winked. "-is so delicious. Good choice. Very decent even. I'm almost proud."
I shook my head glaringly.
"So let's eat it before it goes cold." He added eyeing me with a smirk.
"It's already cold. Stop it and behave." I said as I watched his eyes trail down my pants.
"Not yet." He said and I looked back at Samantha who thankfully looked lost.
She then took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay. Where do you wanna eat?"
"At your house?" Augustus retorted with a foolish smirk.
"You're one smart gentleman," Samantha replied and Augustus snorted.
"I'm not a gentleman." He frowned playfully.
"Try to be one?" I intervened and he glanced at me with a smirk. He then looked back at her.
"So. Sammy," Augustus said. "-wanna help me set the food in your dining room?"
Samantha and I raised our eyebrows.
"Yeah. Sure," was what she said.
He then got up, headed to me, smiled and took the food from my hands. 'I'll be decent,' was what he said.
"Let's go." He told Samantha and they both turned a corner.
I stared at them and sighed.
I walked into the dining room anyway a few minutes later to find them still taking the food out of the bags.
Chinese food.
Samantha stared at me, grinned and I smiled back confused. What did Augustus do?
"Take your seats please," Augustus said, unbuttoning his coat to reveal a full sleeved navy blue shirt. He tossed it on an empty seat along with his scarf.
We all then sat down.
"Now say your grac-" Augustus started.
"Augustus," I warned and he chuckled.
"Let him, Caesar," Samantha said with a smile.
"Nah, I was just messing around," he said. "Thank you, though, Sammy."
Samantha grinned. "So you're the fun brother?"
Seeing that they were going to engage in a conversation, I opened my packet and started eating.
"Obviously," he said smugly. "But it's okay. I still love him."
I glanced at Augustus, shook my head subtly and smiled to myself.
"It's amazing to have siblings," she said.
I glanced at her and wondered if she knew. She actually had three. Two half-brothers and a half-sister. If not more. Ricardo seemed to have abundant sperm.
"You're a lone wolf, aw." Augustus started and I scoffed quietly.
"Not really," she said. "I have my cousin. Bianca. She's like my little sissy."
Augustus nodded. "You live alone?"
"I live with my aunt," she said and I remembered how messed up her family was. And how I needed to tell her sometime soon.
"I live alone." He said and I looked up curiously. He didn't glance at me. I mean, I thought Father stayed with him.
"Alone? But aren't you too young for that?" she said and he raised his eyebrows.
"I'm not young. I'm like twenty. I'll be like twenty-two in less than twenty-four months," he said defensively. "Tell her, Julio!"
"Yeah. Whatever he claims," I drawled and returned to the food.
Samantha chuckled with food in her mouth.
A few minutes later of useless conversation, we were out of the dining room and inside the living room. Augustus wasn't with us though. He went up to Bianca's room to play on her PlayStation or something. He was very excited to leave us alone.
So, I was awkwardly sitting in front of Samantha with nothing to talk about. We were classically, shamelessly staring at each other.
Her eyes studied me carefully and my heart might've jumped. I then noticed her face screw up slightly and my heart jumped again. I even looked around me for a reason behind the disturbance.
"Is that a gun?" was what she said. Staring was what I continued to do. I was actually out of words. Out of excuses.
"Self-defense." I diverted my gaze to the couch I sat on. And it was one, very nice couch. And I remember that because I stared so much at it. At its details. The beige and orange fibres crisscrossing each other.
I remember all that.
Her face relaxed a bit before she bit her lip gently. "Can I see it?"
I looked at her nervously but blindly reached for the gun anyway. I handed it to her with a smirk.
"Is it loaded?" She asked studying the gun with her fingers.
"It is."
I was being so stupidly vulnerable.
"I want to learn how to use it." She said steadily, looking into my eyes. My breath hitched as I narrowed my eyes on her, waiting for an explanation. "For self-defence."
And she was lying. And I remember why I knew she was lying. Her toes moved constantly in a wave-like motion and her fingers moved on their own accord.
But I shrugged it off.
"You want me to -um-" I looked at her curiously and swallowed. "-teach you?"
She looked at me with the gun cradled in both her hands between her legs. She pursed her lips, studied me more and sighed. Her shoulders slumped as she smiled hesitantly.
"I wanted to learn so that I can kill who killed daddy. But-" She stopped to look at me cautiously. "-that would only make me a murderer. And now, I don't know what you think of me for such disgusting thou-"
"Hey-" I said catching her wandering eyes. "-I understand. It's only natural to fe-"
She then leaned in and handed me the gun, shutting me up. I looked down at the gun and sighed. I then frowned.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," I said solidly. "I really am. No one should deal with a killed father," I croaked, looking guiltily in her bright eyes. They were shining so bright, I looked away, my heart dying a bit. "You can't blame yourself for wanting revenge."
And I know. Yes. I know.
I was no better than trash. Sitting there. Knowing that I'll break both of our hearts one day. How dare I sat there, stared in her eyes and gave her all that forbidden hope?
"But you know," I continued, clearing my throat. "-guns are interesting."
She opened her mouth, closed it, then smirked. "They are. They're -um- dangerous too." She eyed my gun.
"Yeah," I said pursing my lips.
"I never saw a gun in real life." She said with a slight shrug.
"Well," I smiled and raised my gun a bit. "-now you have."
She nodded slowly and I just sighed. I hated what I was doing to her, yet I couldn't help it. I couldn't help loving the shelter she gave from all the world. I couldn't help loving the feeling of safety I felt when I was with her. This rare vulnerability.
And I remember hating all the barriers between us. Hating everything that separated us. Even that damn coffee table and those bloody inches of air that kept us apart. I wanted to feel her in my hands. Next to me. By my side.
"Can you come to sit next to me? Please?" I blurted looking straight in her eyes. They were so beautifully transparent to the extent that her dark pupils' constriction and dilation were amazingly noticeable.
I think I held my breath.
Her rosy parted lips met each other, making me jealous that I wasn't there too at the meeting. To tell them how much I missed them. She then shuffled and sat next to me.
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arm around her. My heart was beating fast, but it started slowing down when I pulled her closer to my chest. I didn't want to think of anything. I didn't want to remember who I was. I just really wanted to be with her. I just wanted to believe in this. This touch.
I let my fingers travel in her soft hair and through her tangles. She was simply lovely.
I breathed her in and put my chin on top of her head. And -my- wasn't I going to die when she wrapped an arm around my torso? Die in the most enchanting way.
"You're so warm." She purred and I grinned.
I planted my lips in her soft hair, brushed them against it and smiled. "And you are so magical," I murmured.
"And you are ridiculous." Her muffled voice came after a pause.
"Only around you." I teased with a small smile.
"You're being ridiculous again."
"I like it. Samantha."
And then we both shut up. No one said a thing. The silence was no longer awkward. It was warm and charged with lots of energy. And it was also broken by the occasional noise of gunshots from Bianca's room.
"I wanna teach you how to use a gun," I said suddenly. "In case you'd ever need to protect yourself."
She didn't say anything for a while. "Okay. But I'm pretty sure that I won't need to do that as long as you're there. With me." She tightened her arm around me and I closed my eyes, tipped back my head and smiled.
"Now who's being ridiculous?" I reached for her hand. She chuckled lightly and I landed a kissed on her head as our fingers interlocked.
"Alright," I said energetically, pulling myself away from her. She twisted her back, pouted and looked at me longingly. I grinned. "Lemme teach you how to shoot."
She tilted her head with a lopsided smile. "Okay."
I then leaned in and planted a kiss on her nose tip making her squeal. I then got up and put out my hand. She took it and got up.
I then remembered Augustus.
"GUSTUS!" I yelled.
"YES?" came his muffled reply from Bianca's room.
"WE'RE HEADING TO THE WOODS," I said as Samantha cringed at my loud voice.
There was a short pause. "OKAY! I'LL BE HERE! PLAYING. ON THE PLAYSTATION. THAT SHIT IS LEGIT!"
I grinned, then looked back at Samantha.
"Ready?" I said with a raised brow.
"More than ever." She beamed her eyes dancing in happiness.
***
A/N: Ugh...those two lovebirds ;) ANNND that was a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong chapter lol. It'll get shorter haha.
What are your thoughts? *wiggles eyebrows*
WE'RE FIVE CHAPTERS AWAY FROM PART TWOOOO!
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
"Samantha?" I breathed worriedly, clearing my throat as I glanced at the time.
It was six in the morning when she called. I rubbed my eyes and furrowed my eyebrows at this unexpected call that let my mind go places.
Did she find out about Amanda? Was she feeling alright? I mean, she just had a surgery. I immediately was out of bed and reaching for my jacket and scarf thrown on the floor.
"Julius Caesar," she paused. "I think I'm setting my house on fire." She said as matter-of-factly and my jaw along with my heart hit the floor. In relief.
"Thank God," was the thing that first came out of my mouth.
"Julius? Did you even hear me?" She sounded frantic as I processed what she actually said. It was definitely disastrous, but it could've been worse.
"Oh. Oh," I repeated, squeezing shut my eyes. "Hang on," I said wrapping my scarf around my neck.
"What am I gonna-" she started and I interrupted.
"Give me five minutes," I said slipping on my slippers and grabbing my gun. "I'm coming."
"Wait-" she started but I hung up on her and headed for the door.
---
It was actually ten minutes later that I ended in front of Samantha's place with the cold breeze slapping my face. The door was then yanked open revealing Samantha. Her eyes were wide open and her face blackened by what I guessed was smoke.
"'Thank God!" she said grabbing me inside by my arm as I closed the door behind us. "I don't know what to do! I just opened the windows to let in some fresh air, but I thought about the neighbours and felt bad. So I closed them, but then the smoke was too much. And my fire alarm went off and I freaked out so I called you. The fire alarm wouldn't stop so I -ugh- just used a broomstick to hit it. And I think I broke it because it made no more sound-"
"Where is the fire?" I interrupted her for the first time and she took in a deep breath.
"In the kitchen. I told you." She said shaking her head and I stared at her bemusedly. "Anyway, I was scared the microwave was going to explode, so I got out of the kitchen and closed its door-"
"You set the microwave on fire?" I asked trying to make sense of the words gushing out of her mouth and her excessive hand movements.
"Yes," she said. "I was just heating some eggs."
"Heating eggs. In the microwave?" I raised my eyebrows as she came to a stop in the middle of the reception.
"Exactly."
"Did you open the microwave's door?" I asked glancing at the living room where the broken glass of the vase was no longer littering the floor. The vase I shot when I was threatening Danielle.
Maybe someone came around to clean.
"Noo! Am I supposed to? But like how can I? It's like- combusting," she said and I sighed.
"Alright, it's going to be okay. Just relax, for me." I said locking her bright, blue eyes that were slightly red.
Her nose crinkled. "So are you going to go in?" She asked cautiously pointing a hesitant index finger in the kitchen's direction and I smiled.
"Yes, Mantha, I will," I said. "Just take a deep breath, please."
She did what I told her and I nodded at her suppressing a grin.
"Okay, now go and open all the house's windows to let fresh air in. Then switch-" I started instructing her, but I could see the refusal all over her face.
"And let you get in there alone?" She frowned. "No way. I'm coming with you. Maybe you'll need me to fill some water or something-"
"Samantha. It will be okay. It's just a small fire, blimey." I sighed exasperatedly. She looked at me still unconvinced.
"What if you got caught on fire? Who'll be there to put it off? Who'll be there to save yo-" she rambled on and I shut my eyes with a soft sigh. I then smiled slightly.
"Okay, Samantha, it's just a small fire. I solemnly swear that I will not catch the fire. Okay?" I said slowly, hoping she'd get the message.
She stopped moving, looked into my eyes and exhaled. "It's just a small fire." She told her panicked self and I smiled.
"Now go," I told her. "Open all the windows." She nodded. "To let the fresh air in. Then have a warm cup of water. To help you relax." She was starting to frown, but I got ahead of her. "Listen. If it's the first time for you to encounter a fire. It isn't my first time. So do what I told you."
"I shouldn't have cooked." She shrugged and I nodded.
"Yes." I approved. "This shouldn't be the thing people do when they regain their sight."
She smiled sheepishly before she turned on her heels and rounded a corner.
I then headed to the kitchen and opened the door. As I suspected there was plenty of smoke that started diffusing into the reception. I rushed inside anyway and swung open the huge kitchen's window to let it out.
When the air cleared a bit and I was no longer coughing, I looked at the microwave's plug. I sighed and pulled it out quickly.
I glanced inside the microwave to find flames dancing inside and smoke squeezing its way out of the door.
Amazing.
"Should I get you a cup of water?" Samantha's voice came, startling me. I turned to her and for the first time, I let my eyes study her.
She wore plain, navy blue pyjamas and her jet black hair was pulled in a neat ponytail. I dared smile.
"So, is that a 'yes'?" she asked and I looked up at her face. Her glinting eyes, pink nose tip and her lips-
"Your bottom lip is bleeding." I found myself telling her with widened eyes.
She looked taken aback by my statement before she raised her index finger and pressed it to her lip. And I had to close my eyes because -oh God- how can she look absolutely lovely doing this?
She then sucked in her lower lip before releasing it, making it pinker than ever.
"Is it fine now?" She frowned slightly and I had to shake my head subtly to rid it of all the things I could be doing to her. All the things that would make her mine and mine forever. The kind of things that ignited my core and made me want to-
"It's fine." My voice came stronger than I intended, so I cleared my throat.
"So? Water?" She smiled innocently.
"No," I told her and myself. 'No' for so many things I was fantasizing about at that same moment. Things I wanted to feel and taste. Things so forbidden that might poison both of us.
"So, what are we going to do? Should I make an emergency call?" She asked and I shook my head.
"No need." I turned around and faced the microwave. "We'll just have to wait until the fire exhausts itself."
I felt Samantha shuffle behind me before I felt her hand clutch my arm. And I almost jerked away from the fire her touch generated that even reached under my belt.
I cursed under my breath.
"Okay then. I will order something. For both us." She said and I -so distracted by my arousal- nodded.
"What do you want to eat?" She asked with a pleasant smile.
"You have the honour." I told her and she chuckled.
"Alright. I'll surprise you." She then let go of me as my mind went to places at her last sentence.
I loved those surprises.
My mouth watered and my breath fastened as I watched her hips sway away from me. Almost in slow motion. I was a hungry predator. I even had to tap my feet to slow the blood rushing to my brain. I wasn't thinking clearly.
Lust and I didn't do well together. One had to win. But it couldn't be lust. Not yet.
"Wait!" I called out and Samantha stopped to face me with her lips parted in anticipation. "I'll -uh- have my brother bring the food. I wanted you to meet him anyway."
"You have a brother?" She asked surprised.
"I'm full of surprises." I winked and she raised her eyebrows bemusedly.
"He's more than welcome." She said sweetly and I grinned nervously. She then left the kitchen.
I immediately reached for my phone and called Augustus. It rang almost indefinitely before he picked up.
"Alright. So this is my first night of good quality sleep on my super soft bed after five nights in a haunted amusement park. And you have the guts to wake me up at six thirty in the bloody morning? Julius Caesar Alexander Bla-" He ranted groggily and I smirked.
"It is an emergency," I muttered as I heard him shift around. Maybe get out of bed, or snuggle deeper under the covers.
"Does it involve those deeply disturbing French fucks?" He said with a yawn and I chuckled.
"Worse."
"Worse?" he said with a sigh and a pause. "Do you wanna ditch some girl who caught feelings?"
I chuckled at this. "Actually." I can't believe I'm telling him this. "The opposite."
It took Augustus a few moments to think before he burst into laughter.
"What?" I said embarrassedly as I heard him catch his breath.
"Julio. Mate. You have an 'I-Will-Fuck-The-Duck-If-You-Don't-Come' crisis." He said with impossible prosperity and I actually smiled at the ridiculousness of this.
"How did you know?" I almost gasped bemusedly.
"You're talking to Augusto, mate. You might be older than me. But in the ladies business, I'm much much older. By like decades or something. So-" He started and I shook my head.
"Alright, alright. Just come. I'll -uh- send you the location. Oh and bring breakfast with you." I said as he yawned.
"Breakfast?" He groaned and I smiled. "What would you like to eat?"
"Surprise me," I told him bored.
"Okay, okay, just keep it in until I make my delightful arrival." I could hear him smile.
"Yeah sure."
"I mean I wouldn't like to come and find you fucking the poor girl in the kitchen. On the floor. With broken dishes and moa-" He started monotone and I groaned at the thought.
"I'm making it worse right? Ah, I'm such a great brother. My speciality." He laughed and I squeezed shut my eyes to stop imagining what he said.
"You are ridiculous," I said with effort and he snorted.
"We are in 2018, mate. Is that supposed to insult me?" He said with an air of authority.
"I'm sending you the location. Do not be late. And be decen-" He hung up on me and I raised my eyebrows.
I glanced at the microwave to find no more fire. I opened its door with a sigh and glanced at the black clumps that were supposedly eggs.
I managed to throw them away and clean the microwave. I looked up at the ceiling where the broken fire sensor hung uselessly. I might've as well fixed that.
I made it out of the kitchen and headed to the living room. Samantha wasn't there. I sat on the couch that faced the door and tapped my feet impatiently.
"How do I look?" Her voice came from behind me and I instinctively turned to find her coming down the stairs in a breathtakingly simple, knee-length peach dress and a navy blue cardigan.
That was it. She was trying to kill me- was what I thought.
I grabbed a pillow from next to me and pressed it to my laps.
And I had to be wearing sweatpants.
"Amazing," I breathed before she finally made her way down. She sat next to me and her arms rubbed against mine. I had to hold my breath and recite the elements of the periodic table.
Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. What's next? Oh, carbon? No, no, boron. Carbon.
"Thanks! Just wanted to make sure I impress your brother." She blushed and I smiled.
"You don't have to. You just have to impress me." I said looking anywhere, but her eyes.
"So. Who's older?" She asked as I watched her slender fingers flex. She then caught them back in a small fist. I noticed that she wasn't wearing any nail polish.
"I am."
She smiled and nodded. She then cleared her throat quietly before very awkward silence settled between us.
I just kept glaring at the pillow nested in my laps. I was actually angry. It was a nuisance. A distraction.
"The fire," Samantha breathed after a few minutes, snapping me out of my inner battle. "Is it out? Yet?"
I dared glance at her and noticed how nervous she actually was. That oddly satisfied me.
"Yes. You just have to -uh- get someone to fix that fire alarm." I pointed at the ceiling. "Or I can drop by some other time to do it." I shrugged and she nodded, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah." She smiled shyly and my heart did a back flip. I loved that smile on her.
"So," I said, cleared my throat, manned up and looked in her eyes. "-how are you?"
She chuckled a bit. "Never been better." Her eyes fluttered and I wondered how great God must be to have been able to create such a beautiful thing.
"You," I said breathlessly and she looked at me with renewed interest. But I stopped not knowing what to say because there were so many things I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her what I was thinking. I wanted her to know me. I wanted to tell her that I wished there could be no barriers between us. Especially a barrier like who I was.
"I like how you smell," I ended up gawking awkwardly as she crinkled her nose.
"Alright. We are both awful at this." She waved a hand in front of her and I chuckled, my heart warming up at the giddy smile she was wearing.
"Totally." I grinned and pinned the pillow harder in my laps.
Get down. Again. Where was I? Nitrogen. Oxygen.
"So get straight to the point." She continued with a smirk and I raised my eyebrows playfully.
She was basically asking me to ask her out. Maybe.
"Maybe we can hang out?" I cringed as she pursed her lips.
"Maybe."
"No- I- No. I mean we shoul- need to hang out. Go out. On a date." I almost whispered the last part as she narrowed her eyes on me.
"Why are you nervous about asking me out now? You weren't before." She said with a smirk. I stared at her, opened my mouth and closed it again. I resorted to chuckling lightly.
Try asking a girl you like, out with an arousal. In sweatpants. I felt so self-conscious.
"That's not true," I said frowning playfully as I took her hands in mine. "I will take you out. Just say when. You were the one who needed time."
"Right." She looked at our entangled hands with a small smile. "But you also know that we made a deal, right?"
"A deal?" I said not really getting what she said.
"Yeah." She was still looking down. "You promised you'll tell me who killed my dad."
I let go of her hands. Remembering. She looked up.
I closed my eyes, opened them and looked in her eager, trustful eyes. I felt sick.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang and I didn't hesitate to reach for it. I opened the door to find Augustus blowing a big gum bubble with the food bags in his left hand as the wind sifted through his thick hair that looked almost white in the sun.
He looked decent in the black pants and closed red and blue checkered, crisp coat he was wearing, topped by a scarlet scarf and sunglasses.
He used his free hand to lower his sunglasses and peek down.
"Sweatpants and boners are a no-no." He started.
Looks can deceive.
"You're welcome, brother. Please come in." I glared at him. He smirked and took off his sunglasses which exposed teary blue eyes. He then walked in with one big stride.
Samantha was already standing in the middle of the living room with a wide smile. Her hands were linked in front of her.
I shut the door with my foot.
"You're the girl we watched run in the park!" Augustus exclaimed approaching her and she raised her eyebrows. I wanted to cover my face with my hands, but I smiled instead.
Samantha then stretched her hand for a handshake. "And you're Caesar's brother. You look alike!"
Augustus took her hand with a grin and raised it. He then kissed it instead of shaking it as I rolled my eyes. "Augustus, if you may."
Samantha pulled back her hand gently, a bit flustered, as I stood by her side. She glanced at me before looking back at my brother.
"Please," she said sweetly. "-have a seat."
Augustus looked at me bemusedly.
"Aye, thanks." He then thrust the bags of food in my arms and headed to the couch where he sat, legs crossed. He then extended his arms and 'hugged' the couch. He then glanced around the house with a smirk.
"Wow," he breathed. "I love your house, Sammy." He looked at her. "I appreciate good taste in interior design and clothes."
I turned to Augustus and narrowed my eyes at him before mouthing 'act decent'. He shrugged it with a grin.
"Thank you." She looked down, then back up at him.
"Yeah. The food," I said interrupting this complimenting session.
My brother looked at me and smiled widely. "Yup, the food-" He repeated what I said as if it was a dirty word. He even winked. "-is so delicious. Good choice. Very decent even. I'm almost proud."
I shook my head glaringly.
"So let's eat it before it goes cold." He added eyeing me with a smirk.
"It's already cold. Stop it and behave." I said as I watched his eyes trail down my pants.
"Not yet." He said and I looked back at Samantha who thankfully looked lost.
She then took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay. Where do you wanna eat?"
"At your house?" Augustus retorted with a foolish smirk.
"You're one smart gentleman," Samantha replied and Augustus snorted.
"I'm not a gentleman." He frowned playfully.
"Try to be one?" I intervened and he glanced at me with a smirk. He then looked back at her.
"So. Sammy," Augustus said. "-wanna help me set the food in your dining room?"
Samantha and I raised our eyebrows.
"Yeah. Sure," was what she said.
He then got up, headed to me, smiled and took the food from my hands. 'I'll be decent,' was what he said.
"Let's go." He told Samantha and they both turned a corner.
I stared at them and sighed.
I walked into the dining room anyway a few minutes later to find them still taking the food out of the bags.
Chinese food.
Samantha stared at me, grinned and I smiled back confused. What did Augustus do?
"Take your seats please," Augustus said, unbuttoning his coat to reveal a full sleeved navy blue shirt. He tossed it on an empty seat along with his scarf.
We all then sat down.
"Now say your grac-" Augustus started.
"Augustus," I warned and he chuckled.
"Let him, Caesar," Samantha said with a smile.
"Nah, I was just messing around," he said. "Thank you, though, Sammy."
Samantha grinned. "So you're the fun brother?"
Seeing that they were going to engage in a conversation, I opened my packet and started eating.
"Obviously," he said smugly. "But it's okay. I still love him."
I glanced at Augustus, shook my head subtly and smiled to myself.
"It's amazing to have siblings," she said.
I glanced at her and wondered if she knew. She actually had three. Two half-brothers and a half-sister. If not more. Ricardo seemed to have abundant sperm.
"You're a lone wolf, aw." Augustus started and I scoffed quietly.
"Not really," she said. "I have my cousin. Bianca. She's like my little sissy."
Augustus nodded. "You live alone?"
"I live with my aunt," she said and I remembered how messed up her family was. And how I needed to tell her sometime soon.
"I live alone." He said and I looked up curiously. He didn't glance at me. I mean, I thought Father stayed with him.
"Alone? But aren't you too young for that?" she said and he raised his eyebrows.
"I'm not young. I'm like twenty. I'll be like twenty-two in less than twenty-four months," he said defensively. "Tell her, Julio!"
"Yeah. Whatever he claims," I drawled and returned to the food.
Samantha chuckled with food in her mouth.
A few minutes later of useless conversation, we were out of the dining room and inside the living room. Augustus wasn't with us though. He went up to Bianca's room to play on her PlayStation or something. He was very excited to leave us alone.
So, I was awkwardly sitting in front of Samantha with nothing to talk about. We were classically, shamelessly staring at each other.
Her eyes studied me carefully and my heart might've jumped. I then noticed her face screw up slightly and my heart jumped again. I even looked around me for a reason behind the disturbance.
"Is that a gun?" was what she said. Staring was what I continued to do. I was actually out of words. Out of excuses.
"Self-defense." I diverted my gaze to the couch I sat on. And it was one, very nice couch. And I remember that because I stared so much at it. At its details. The beige and orange fibres crisscrossing each other.
I remember all that.
Her face relaxed a bit before she bit her lip gently. "Can I see it?"
I looked at her nervously but blindly reached for the gun anyway. I handed it to her with a smirk.
"Is it loaded?" She asked studying the gun with her fingers.
"It is."
I was being so stupidly vulnerable.
"I want to learn how to use it." She said steadily, looking into my eyes. My breath hitched as I narrowed my eyes on her, waiting for an explanation. "For self-defence."
And she was lying. And I remember why I knew she was lying. Her toes moved constantly in a wave-like motion and her fingers moved on their own accord.
But I shrugged it off.
"You want me to -um-" I looked at her curiously and swallowed. "-teach you?"
She looked at me with the gun cradled in both her hands between her legs. She pursed her lips, studied me more and sighed. Her shoulders slumped as she smiled hesitantly.
"I wanted to learn so that I can kill who killed daddy. But-" She stopped to look at me cautiously. "-that would only make me a murderer. And now, I don't know what you think of me for such disgusting thou-"
"Hey-" I said catching her wandering eyes. "-I understand. It's only natural to fe-"
She then leaned in and handed me the gun, shutting me up. I looked down at the gun and sighed. I then frowned.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," I said solidly. "I really am. No one should deal with a killed father," I croaked, looking guiltily in her bright eyes. They were shining so bright, I looked away, my heart dying a bit. "You can't blame yourself for wanting revenge."
And I know. Yes. I know.
I was no better than trash. Sitting there. Knowing that I'll break both of our hearts one day. How dare I sat there, stared in her eyes and gave her all that forbidden hope?
"But you know," I continued, clearing my throat. "-guns are interesting."
She opened her mouth, closed it, then smirked. "They are. They're -um- dangerous too." She eyed my gun.
"Yeah," I said pursing my lips.
"I never saw a gun in real life." She said with a slight shrug.
"Well," I smiled and raised my gun a bit. "-now you have."
She nodded slowly and I just sighed. I hated what I was doing to her, yet I couldn't help it. I couldn't help loving the shelter she gave from all the world. I couldn't help loving the feeling of safety I felt when I was with her. This rare vulnerability.
And I remember hating all the barriers between us. Hating everything that separated us. Even that damn coffee table and those bloody inches of air that kept us apart. I wanted to feel her in my hands. Next to me. By my side.
"Can you come to sit next to me? Please?" I blurted looking straight in her eyes. They were so beautifully transparent to the extent that her dark pupils' constriction and dilation were amazingly noticeable.
I think I held my breath.
Her rosy parted lips met each other, making me jealous that I wasn't there too at the meeting. To tell them how much I missed them. She then shuffled and sat next to me.
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arm around her. My heart was beating fast, but it started slowing down when I pulled her closer to my chest. I didn't want to think of anything. I didn't want to remember who I was. I just really wanted to be with her. I just wanted to believe in this. This touch.
I let my fingers travel in her soft hair and through her tangles. She was simply lovely.
I breathed her in and put my chin on top of her head. And -my- wasn't I going to die when she wrapped an arm around my torso? Die in the most enchanting way.
"You're so warm." She purred and I grinned.
I planted my lips in her soft hair, brushed them against it and smiled. "And you are so magical," I murmured.
"And you are ridiculous." Her muffled voice came after a pause.
"Only around you." I teased with a small smile.
"You're being ridiculous again."
"I like it. Samantha."
And then we both shut up. No one said a thing. The silence was no longer awkward. It was warm and charged with lots of energy. And it was also broken by the occasional noise of gunshots from Bianca's room.
"I wanna teach you how to use a gun," I said suddenly. "In case you'd ever need to protect yourself."
She didn't say anything for a while. "Okay. But I'm pretty sure that I won't need to do that as long as you're there. With me." She tightened her arm around me and I closed my eyes, tipped back my head and smiled.
"Now who's being ridiculous?" I reached for her hand. She chuckled lightly and I landed a kissed on her head as our fingers interlocked.
"Alright," I said energetically, pulling myself away from her. She twisted her back, pouted and looked at me longingly. I grinned. "Lemme teach you how to shoot."
She tilted her head with a lopsided smile. "Okay."
I then leaned in and planted a kiss on her nose tip making her squeal. I then got up and put out my hand. She took it and got up.
I then remembered Augustus.
"GUSTUS!" I yelled.
"YES?" came his muffled reply from Bianca's room.
"WE'RE HEADING TO THE WOODS," I said as Samantha cringed at my loud voice.
There was a short pause. "OKAY! I'LL BE HERE! PLAYING. ON THE PLAYSTATION. THAT SHIT IS LEGIT!"
I grinned, then looked back at Samantha.
"Ready?" I said with a raised brow.
"More than ever." She beamed her eyes dancing in happiness.
***
A/N: Ugh...those two lovebirds ;) ANNND that was a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong chapter lol. It'll get shorter haha.
What are your thoughts? *wiggles eyebrows*
WE'RE FIVE CHAPTERS AWAY FROM PART TWOOOO!
"Samantha?" I breathed worriedly, clearing my throat as I glanced at the time.It was six in the morning when she called. I rubbed my eyes and furrowed my eyebrows at this unexpected call that let my mind go places.Did she find out about Amanda? Was she feeling alright? I mean, she just had a surgery. I immediately was out of bed and reaching for my jacket and scarf thrown on the floor."Julius Caesar," she paused. "I think I'm setting my house on fire." She said as matter-of-factly and my jaw along with my heart hit the floor. In relief."Thank God," was the thing that first came out of my mouth."Julius? Did you even hear me?" She sounded frantic as I processed what she actually said. It was definitely disastrous, but it could've been worse."Oh. Oh," I repeated, squeezing shut my eyes. "Hang on," I said wrapping my scarf around my neck."What am I gonna-" she started and I interrupted."Give me five minutes," I said slipping on my slippers and grabbing my gun. "I'm coming.""Wait-" she started but I hung up on her and headed for the door.---It was actually ten minutes later that I ended in front of Samantha's place with the cold breeze slapping my face. The door was then yanked open revealing Samantha. Her eyes were wide open and her face blackened by what I guessed was smoke."'Thank God!" she said grabbing me inside by my arm as I closed the door behind us. "I don't know what to do! I just opened the windows to let in some fresh air, but I thought about the neighbours and felt bad. So I closed them, but then the smoke was too much. And my fire alarm went off and I freaked out so I called you. The fire alarm wouldn't stop so I -ugh- just used a broomstick to hit it. And I think I broke it because it made no more sound-""Where is the fire?" I interrupted her for the first time and she took in a deep breath."In the kitchen. I told you." She said shaking her head and I stared at her bemusedly. "Anyway, I was scared the microwave was going to explode, so I got out of the kitchen and closed its door-""You set the microwave on fire?" I asked trying to make sense of the words gushing out of her mouth and her excessive hand movements."Yes," she said. "I was just heating some eggs.""Heating eggs. In the microwave?" I raised my eyebrows as she came to a stop in the middle of the reception."Exactly.""Did you open the microwave's door?" I asked glancing at the living room where the broken glass of the vase was no longer littering the floor. The vase I shot when I was threatening Danielle.Maybe someone came around to clean."Noo! Am I supposed to? But like how can I? It's like- combusting," she said and I sighed."Alright, it's going to be okay. Just relax, for me." I said locking her bright, blue eyes that were slightly red.Her nose crinkled. "So are you going to go in?" She asked cautiously pointing a hesitant index finger in the kitchen's direction and I smiled."Yes, Mantha, I will," I said. "Just take a deep breath, please."She did what I told her and I nodded at her suppressing a grin."Okay, now go and open all the house's windows to let fresh air in. Then switch-" I started instructing her, but I could see the refusal all over her face."And let you get in there alone?" She frowned. "No way. I'm coming with you. Maybe you'll need me to fill some water or something-""Samantha. It will be okay. It's just a small fire, blimey." I sighed exasperatedly. She looked at me still unconvinced."What if you got caught on fire? Who'll be there to put it off? Who'll be there to save yo-" she rambled on and I shut my eyes with a soft sigh. I then smiled slightly."Okay, Samantha, it's just a small fire. I solemnly swear that I will not catch the fire. Okay?" I said slowly, hoping she'd get the message.She stopped moving, looked into my eyes and exhaled. "It's just a small fire." She told her panicked self and I smiled."Now go," I told her. "Open all the windows." She nodded. "To let the fresh air in. Then have a warm cup of water. To help you relax." She was starting to frown, but I got ahead of her. "Listen. If it's the first time for you to encounter a fire. It isn't my first time. So do what I told you.""I shouldn't have cooked." She shrugged and I nodded."Yes." I approved. "This shouldn't be the thing people do when they regain their sight."She smiled sheepishly before she turned on her heels and rounded a corner.I then headed to the kitchen and opened the door. As I suspected there was plenty of smoke that started diffusing into the reception. I rushed inside anyway and swung open the huge kitchen's window to let it out.When the air cleared a bit and I was no longer coughing, I looked at the microwave's plug. I sighed and pulled it out quickly.I glanced inside the microwave to find flames dancing inside and smoke squeezing its way out of the door.Amazing."Should I get you a cup of water?" Samantha's voice came, startling me. I turned to her and for the first time, I let my eyes study her.She wore plain, navy blue pyjamas and her jet black hair was pulled in a neat ponytail. I dared smile."So, is that a 'yes'?" she asked and I looked up at her face. Her glinting eyes, pink nose tip and her lips-"Your bottom lip is bleeding." I found myself telling her with widened eyes.She looked taken aback by my statement before she raised her index finger and pressed it to her lip. And I had to close my eyes because -oh God- how can she look absolutely lovely doing this?She then sucked in her lower lip before releasing it, making it pinker than ever."Is it fine now?" She frowned slightly and I had to shake my head subtly to rid it of all the things I could be doing to her. All the things that would make her mine and mine forever. The kind of things that ignited my core and made me want to-"It's fine." My voice came stronger than I intended, so I cleared my throat."So? Water?" She smiled innocently."No," I told her and myself. 'No' for so many things I was fantasizing about at that same moment. Things I wanted to feel and taste. Things so forbidden that might poison both of us."So, what are we going to do? Should I make an emergency call?" She asked and I shook my head."No need." I turned around and faced the microwave. "We'll just have to wait until the fire exhausts itself."I felt Samantha shuffle behind me before I felt her hand clutch my arm. And I almost jerked away from the fire her touch generated that even reached under my belt.I cursed under my breath."Okay then. I will order something. For both us." She said and I -so distracted by my arousal- nodded."What do you want to eat?" She asked with a pleasant smile."You have the honour." I told her and she chuckled."Alright. I'll surprise you." She then let go of me as my mind went to places at her last sentence.I loved those surprises.My mouth watered and my breath fastened as I watched her hips sway away from me. Almost in slow motion. I was a hungry predator. I even had to tap my feet to slow the blood rushing to my brain. I wasn't thinking clearly.Lust and I didn't do well together. One had to win. But it couldn't be lust. Not yet."Wait!" I called out and Samantha stopped to face me with her lips parted in anticipation. "I'll -uh- have my brother bring the food. I wanted you to meet him anyway.""You have a brother?" She asked surprised."I'm full of surprises." I winked and she raised her eyebrows bemusedly."He's more than welcome." She said sweetly and I grinned nervously. She then left the kitchen.I immediately reached for my phone and called Augustus. It rang almost indefinitely before he picked up."Alright. So this is my first night of good quality sleep on my super soft bed after five nights in a haunted amusement park. And you have the guts to wake me up at six thirty in the bloody morning? Julius Caesar Alexander Bla-" He ranted groggily and I smirked."It is an emergency," I muttered as I heard him shift around. Maybe get out of bed, or snuggle deeper under the covers."Does it involve those deeply disturbing French fucks?" He said with a yawn and I chuckled."Worse.""Worse?" he said with a sigh and a pause. "Do you wanna ditch some girl who caught feelings?"I chuckled at this. "Actually." I can't believe I'm telling him this. "The opposite."It took Augustus a few moments to think before he burst into laughter."What?" I said embarrassedly as I heard him catch his breath."Julio. Mate. You have an 'I-Will-Fuck-The-Duck-If-You-Don't-Come' crisis." He said with impossible prosperity and I actually smiled at the ridiculousness of this."How did you know?" I almost gasped bemusedly."You're talking to Augusto, mate. You might be older than me. But in the ladies business, I'm much much older. By like decades or something. So-" He started and I shook my head."Alright, alright. Just come. I'll -uh- send you the location. Oh and bring breakfast with you." I said as he yawned."Breakfast?" He groaned and I smiled. "What would you like to eat?""Surprise me," I told him bored."Okay, okay, just keep it in until I make my delightful arrival." I could hear him smile."Yeah sure.""I mean I wouldn't like to come and find you fucking the poor girl in the kitchen. On the floor. With broken dishes and moa-" He started monotone and I groaned at the thought."I'm making it worse right? Ah, I'm such a great brother. My speciality." He laughed and I squeezed shut my eyes to stop imagining what he said."You are ridiculous," I said with effort and he snorted."We are in 2018, mate. Is that supposed to insult me?" He said with an air of authority."I'm sending you the location. Do not be late. And be decen-" He hung up on me and I raised my eyebrows.I glanced at the microwave to find no more fire. I opened its door with a sigh and glanced at the black clumps that were supposedly eggs.I managed to throw them away and clean the microwave. I looked up at the ceiling where the broken fire sensor hung uselessly. I might've as well fixed that.I made it out of the kitchen and headed to the living room. Samantha wasn't there. I sat on the couch that faced the door and tapped my feet impatiently."How do I look?" Her voice came from behind me and I instinctively turned to find her coming down the stairs in a breathtakingly simple, knee-length peach dress and a navy blue cardigan.That was it. She was trying to kill me- was what I thought.I grabbed a pillow from next to me and pressed it to my laps.And I had to be wearing sweatpants."Amazing," I breathed before she finally made her way down. She sat next to me and her arms rubbed against mine. I had to hold my breath and recite the elements of the periodic table.Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. What's next? Oh, carbon? No, no, boron. Carbon."Thanks! Just wanted to make sure I impress your brother." She blushed and I smiled."You don't have to. You just have to impress me." I said looking anywhere, but her eyes."So. Who's older?" She asked as I watched her slender fingers flex. She then caught them back in a small fist. I noticed that she wasn't wearing any nail polish."I am."She smiled and nodded. She then cleared her throat quietly before very awkward silence settled between us.I just kept glaring at the pillow nested in my laps. I was actually angry. It was a nuisance. A distraction."The fire," Samantha breathed after a few minutes, snapping me out of my inner battle. "Is it out? Yet?"I dared glance at her and noticed how nervous she actually was. That oddly satisfied me."Yes. You just have to -uh- get someone to fix that fire alarm." I pointed at the ceiling. "Or I can drop by some other time to do it." I shrugged and she nodded, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear."Yeah." She smiled shyly and my heart did a back flip. I loved that smile on her."So," I said, cleared my throat, manned up and looked in her eyes. "-how are you?"She chuckled a bit. "Never been better." Her eyes fluttered and I wondered how great God must be to have been able to create such a beautiful thing."You," I said breathlessly and she looked at me with renewed interest. But I stopped not knowing what to say because there were so many things I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her what I was thinking. I wanted her to know me. I wanted to tell her that I wished there could be no barriers between us. Especially a barrier like who I was."I like how you smell," I ended up gawking awkwardly as she crinkled her nose."Alright. We are both awful at this." She waved a hand in front of her and I chuckled, my heart warming up at the giddy smile she was wearing."Totally." I grinned and pinned the pillow harder in my laps.Get down. Again. Where was I? Nitrogen. Oxygen."So get straight to the point." She continued with a smirk and I raised my eyebrows playfully.She was basically asking me to ask her out. Maybe."Maybe we can hang out?" I cringed as she pursed her lips."Maybe.""No- I- No. I mean we shoul- need to hang out. Go out. On a date." I almost whispered the last part as she narrowed her eyes on me."Why are you nervous about asking me out now? You weren't before." She said with a smirk. I stared at her, opened my mouth and closed it again. I resorted to chuckling lightly.Try asking a girl you like, out with an arousal. In sweatpants. I felt so self-conscious."That's not true," I said frowning playfully as I took her hands in mine. "I will take you out. Just say when. You were the one who needed time.""Right." She looked at our entangled hands with a small smile. "But you also know that we made a deal, right?""A deal?" I said not really getting what she said."Yeah." She was still looking down. "You promised you'll tell me who killed my dad."I let go of her hands. Remembering. She looked up.I closed my eyes, opened them and looked in her eager, trustful eyes. I felt sick.Suddenly, the doorbell rang and I didn't hesitate to reach for it. I opened the door to find Augustus blowing a big gum bubble with the food bags in his left hand as the wind sifted through his thick hair that looked almost white in the sun.He looked decent in the black pants and closed red and blue checkered, crisp coat he was wearing, topped by a scarlet scarf and sunglasses.He used his free hand to lower his sunglasses and peek down."Sweatpants and boners are a no-no." He started.Looks can deceive."You're welcome, brother. Please come in." I glared at him. He smirked and took off his sunglasses which exposed teary blue eyes. He then walked in with one big stride.Samantha was already standing in the middle of the living room with a wide smile. Her hands were linked in front of her.I shut the door with my foot."You're the girl we watched run in the park!" Augustus exclaimed approaching her and she raised her eyebrows. I wanted to cover my face with my hands, but I smiled instead.Samantha then stretched her hand for a handshake. "And you're Caesar's brother. You look alike!"Augustus took her hand with a grin and raised it. He then kissed it instead of shaking it as I rolled my eyes. "Augustus, if you may."Samantha pulled back her hand gently, a bit flustered, as I stood by her side. She glanced at me before looking back at my brother."Please," she said sweetly. "-have a seat."Augustus looked at me bemusedly."Aye, thanks." He then thrust the bags of food in my arms and headed to the couch where he sat, legs crossed. He then extended his arms and 'hugged' the couch. He then glanced around the house with a smirk."Wow," he breathed. "I love your house, Sammy." He looked at her. "I appreciate good taste in interior design and clothes."I turned to Augustus and narrowed my eyes at him before mouthing 'act decent'. He shrugged it with a grin."Thank you." She looked down, then back up at him."Yeah. The food," I said interrupting this complimenting session.My brother looked at me and smiled widely. "Yup, the food-" He repeated what I said as if it was a dirty word. He even winked. "-is so delicious. Good choice. Very decent even. I'm almost proud."I shook my head glaringly."So let's eat it before it goes cold." He added eyeing me with a smirk."It's already cold. Stop it and behave." I said as I watched his eyes trail down my pants."Not yet." He said and I looked back at Samantha who thankfully looked lost.She then took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay. Where do you wanna eat?""At your house?" Augustus retorted with a foolish smirk."You're one smart gentleman," Samantha replied and Augustus snorted."I'm not a gentleman." He frowned playfully."Try to be one?" I intervened and he glanced at me with a smirk. He then looked back at her."So. Sammy," Augustus said. "-wanna help me set the food in your dining room?"Samantha and I raised our eyebrows."Yeah. Sure," was what she said.He then got up, headed to me, smiled and took the food from my hands. 'I'll be decent,' was what he said."Let's go." He told Samantha and they both turned a corner.I stared at them and sighed.I walked into the dining room anyway a few minutes later to find them still taking the food out of the bags.Chinese food.Samantha stared at me, grinned and I smiled back confused. What did Augustus do?"Take your seats please," Augustus said, unbuttoning his coat to reveal a full sleeved navy blue shirt. He tossed it on an empty seat along with his scarf.We all then sat down."Now say your grac-" Augustus started."Augustus," I warned and he chuckled."Let him, Caesar," Samantha said with a smile."Nah, I was just messing around," he said. "Thank you, though, Sammy."Samantha grinned. "So you're the fun brother?"Seeing that they were going to engage in a conversation, I opened my packet and started eating."Obviously," he said smugly. "But it's okay. I still love him."I glanced at Augustus, shook my head subtly and smiled to myself."It's amazing to have siblings," she said.I glanced at her and wondered if she knew. She actually had three. Two half-brothers and a half-sister. If not more. Ricardo seemed to have abundant sperm."You're a lone wolf, aw." Augustus started and I scoffed quietly."Not really," she said. "I have my cousin. Bianca. She's like my little sissy."Augustus nodded. "You live alone?""I live with my aunt," she said and I remembered how messed up her family was. And how I needed to tell her sometime soon."I live alone." He said and I looked up curiously. He didn't glance at me. I mean, I thought Father stayed with him."Alone? But aren't you too young for that?" she said and he raised his eyebrows."I'm not young. I'm like twenty. I'll be like twenty-two in less than twenty-four months," he said defensively. "Tell her, Julio!""Yeah. Whatever he claims," I drawled and returned to the food.Samantha chuckled with food in her mouth.A few minutes later of useless conversation, we were out of the dining room and inside the living room. Augustus wasn't with us though. He went up to Bianca's room to play on her PlayStation or something. He was very excited to leave us alone.So, I was awkwardly sitting in front of Samantha with nothing to talk about. We were classically, shamelessly staring at each other.Her eyes studied me carefully and my heart might've jumped. I then noticed her face screw up slightly and my heart jumped again. I even looked around me for a reason behind the disturbance."Is that a gun?" was what she said. Staring was what I continued to do. I was actually out of words. Out of excuses."Self-defense." I diverted my gaze to the couch I sat on. And it was one, very nice couch. And I remember that because I stared so much at it. At its details. The beige and orange fibres crisscrossing each other.I remember all that.Her face relaxed a bit before she bit her lip gently. "Can I see it?"I looked at her nervously but blindly reached for the gun anyway. I handed it to her with a smirk."Is it loaded?" She asked studying the gun with her fingers."It is."I was being so stupidly vulnerable."I want to learn how to use it." She said steadily, looking into my eyes. My breath hitched as I narrowed my eyes on her, waiting for an explanation. "For self-defence."And she was lying. And I remember why I knew she was lying. Her toes moved constantly in a wave-like motion and her fingers moved on their own accord.But I shrugged it off."You want me to -um-" I looked at her curiously and swallowed. "-teach you?"She looked at me with the gun cradled in both her hands between her legs. She pursed her lips, studied me more and sighed. Her shoulders slumped as she smiled hesitantly."I wanted to learn so that I can kill who killed daddy. But-" She stopped to look at me cautiously. "-that would only make me a murderer. And now, I don't know what you think of me for such disgusting thou-""Hey-" I said catching her wandering eyes. "-I understand. It's only natural to fe-"She then leaned in and handed me the gun, shutting me up. I looked down at the gun and sighed. I then frowned."I'm sorry it had to be this way," I said solidly. "I really am. No one should deal with a killed father," I croaked, looking guiltily in her bright eyes. They were shining so bright, I looked away, my heart dying a bit. "You can't blame yourself for wanting revenge."And I know. Yes. I know.I was no better than trash. Sitting there. Knowing that I'll break both of our hearts one day. How dare I sat there, stared in her eyes and gave her all that forbidden hope?"But you know," I continued, clearing my throat. "-guns are interesting."She opened her mouth, closed it, then smirked. "They are. They're -um- dangerous too." She eyed my gun."Yeah," I said pursing my lips."I never saw a gun in real life." She said with a slight shrug."Well," I smiled and raised my gun a bit. "-now you have."She nodded slowly and I just sighed. I hated what I was doing to her, yet I couldn't help it. I couldn't help loving the shelter she gave from all the world. I couldn't help loving the feeling of safety I felt when I was with her. This rare vulnerability.And I remember hating all the barriers between us. Hating everything that separated us. Even that damn coffee table and those bloody inches of air that kept us apart. I wanted to feel her in my hands. Next to me. By my side."Can you come to sit next to me? Please?" I blurted looking straight in her eyes. They were so beautifully transparent to the extent that her dark pupils' constriction and dilation were amazingly noticeable.I think I held my breath.Her rosy parted lips met each other, making me jealous that I wasn't there too at the meeting. To tell them how much I missed them. She then shuffled and sat next to me.I closed my eyes and wrapped my arm around her. My heart was beating fast, but it started slowing down when I pulled her closer to my chest. I didn't want to think of anything. I didn't want to remember who I was. I just really wanted to be with her. I just wanted to believe in this. This touch.I let my fingers travel in her soft hair and through her tangles. She was simply lovely.I breathed her in and put my chin on top of her head. And -my- wasn't I going to die when she wrapped an arm around my torso? Die in the most enchanting way."You're so warm." She purred and I grinned.I planted my lips in her soft hair, brushed them against it and smiled. "And you are so magical," I murmured."And you are ridiculous." Her muffled voice came after a pause."Only around you." I teased with a small smile."You're being ridiculous again.""I like it. Samantha."And then we both shut up. No one said a thing. The silence was no longer awkward. It was warm and charged with lots of energy. And it was also broken by the occasional noise of gunshots from Bianca's room."I wanna teach you how to use a gun," I said suddenly. "In case you'd ever need to protect yourself."She didn't say anything for a while. "Okay. But I'm pretty sure that I won't need to do that as long as you're there. With me." She tightened her arm around me and I closed my eyes, tipped back my head and smiled."Now who's being ridiculous?" I reached for her hand. She chuckled lightly and I landed a kissed on her head as our fingers interlocked."Alright," I said energetically, pulling myself away from her. She twisted her back, pouted and looked at me longingly. I grinned. "Lemme teach you how to shoot."She tilted her head with a lopsided smile. "Okay."I then leaned in and planted a kiss on her nose tip making her squeal. I then got up and put out my hand. She took it and got up.I then remembered Augustus."GUSTUS!" I yelled."YES?" came his muffled reply from Bianca's room."WE'RE HEADING TO THE WOODS," I said as Samantha cringed at my loud voice.There was a short pause. "OKAY! I'LL BE HERE! PLAYING. ON THE PLAYSTATION. THAT SHIT IS LEGIT!"I grinned, then looked back at Samantha."Ready?" I said with a raised brow."More than ever." She beamed her eyes dancing in happiness.***A/N: Ugh...those two lovebirds ; ANNND that was a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong chapter lol. It'll get shorter haha.What are your thoughts? *wiggles eyebrows*WE'RE FIVE CHAPTERS AWAY FROM PART TWOOOO!
