A Brand New Ending

Chapter 48

Phoenix



Holy f*cking hell. Holy shit.

Every fiber of my being feels content. Relaxed. If Braeden wasn't holding me right now I would melt into a puddle on the floor. I can feel my heart beating so fast that it sounds like a hummingbird's wings. To be honest, I knew people masturbated but I was never brave enough to try it. I had definitely played in the sand box in the past, but never stayed more than a few seconds. When I knew that Braeden was in the next room naked, something inside me wanted to be with him. Needing to feel his touch. When I regain some of my composure, I feel his hands release me and I silently whine, wanting his hands on me always. When I turn around I look up at him and smile.

"I take it that felt good?" he asks.

"Holy shit," is all I was able to breathe out.

Little tingles start to fill my fingertips, my desire to touch it greatening, but I hold back.

"You don't have to," he says above a whisper.

I instantly realize that I am over-reacting, my desire to make him feel what I just felt growing.

"I want to," I admit while gnawing on the inside of my cheek. "I just might be horrible at it."

A small smile comes across his face and he leans down so that our foreheads are touching.

"Just having your hands on me feels f*cking incredible, Seraph, so I can only begin to imagine what…"

I put my hand on it, his voice cuts off mid sentence. Running my hand up and down its length, I keep my eyes on his face, watching his eyes slowly close, his head leaning back underneath the water. And then I panic, stopping my motions. Braeden's head snaps back up, finding me in my state of distress.

"Can…you show me?" I ask nervously.

I feel Braeden's hand come over mine again and his fingers mold around it, and he slowly starts to move both of our hands up and down. After a few strokes his hand abandons mine and I continue the motion, watching the muscles in his body tense up, some of the soap from before travels down, making the gliding easier. Braeden's eyes stay on me this time and I can tell it's making him feel good, boosting my confidence.

"Faster," he breathes out and I pick up the pace, the muscles in my arms responding.

I continue at this quickened pace until I see Braeden's eyes slam shut.

"I'm going to come," he says through gritted teeth and a moment later I see a white substance come out, it immediately being washed away by the water.

When he opens his eyes again he leans down, putting his lips on mine.

"That was f*cking incredible," he says. "Hell of a lot better than my own hand."

I start to giggle.

"I love you, Braeden," I say through laughs.

Braeden's hand comes across the back of my neck, his beautiful green eyes staring back at me.

"I love you more than I ever thought possible," he says softly. "You've saved me in a way that I can't even begin to explain."

~

By the time we get out of the shower our hands are wrinkled, a towel tightly wrapped around my body again. Braeden and I return to his bedroom.

"Let me get you some clothes to change into," he says as he places a kiss on the side of my head.

I watch him walk over to his dresser and I find myself watching the muscles in his back move. This man has to be a descendent of a Greek god. While he digs around for some clothes, I take the opportunity to inspect more of the room, a corkboard full of various things pinned to it. Taking a step closer I examine each piece of paper, some in his handwriting, others not. He must have noticed my inquisitiveness, his figure now by my side.

"What's this?" I ask, still looking at each one.

He shrugs. "Things that I find, quotes that have meaning to me. If I have an emotional connection to something I put it on the board."

"That's nice," I respond, reading the quotes to myself in my head.

I continue to examine them until I spot one in particular and it makes my heart stop. Reaching up, I glide my fingertips over a paper that is all too familiar to me.

"That is one I found most heartbreaking," Braeden says, leaning up and unpinning it from the wall. He brings it down to our level.

"Can I look at it?" I ask, my voice shaky.

"Sure," he says as he holds it out to me.

Taking it between my hands I run my fingers over the pressed pencil lines, over the shape of the heart. Tears start to well up in my eyes and I look down more, trying to hide my emotions from Braeden. How could this be? How could my suicide note end up in the room of the only person that has been able to save me? The only person that makes me feel the opposite of what I wrote inside this very note. It's only a matter of seconds before he picks up on my mood change.

"Seraph?" he asks, his arm touching mine.

I look up at him, the tears now falling freely, my chest heaving slightly.

"This is mine," I blurt out.

He looks at me confused, his eyebrows crunched together.

"You're not making any sense," he says.

I take a breath. "I wrote this," I say holding it out to him. "I drew this. On the day I was going to…" I don't have to continue on for him to understand.

His eyes widen as he begins to catch on.

"Where did you find this?" I ask.

He smiles. "I like to think that it found me," he explains. "I was walking home from work one day and it wrapped around my leg and it wouldn't let go."

My heart starts to beat again and its pace picks up. He takes the piece of paper from my hand, his eyes looking it over again.

"Everything happens for a reason. Always remember that what's meant to be will always find a way to come about."

I look up at him as he smiles.

"My mother used to always say that." He smiles. "It's just more proof that we were made for each other, Phoenix, that someone has a greater plan for us than we could have ever imagined. "