I felt my heart rate pick up from a trot to a gallop, any faster and I was positive he can hear it. There was a slight pause and I knew I had to say it. This was now or never.
"N-" My voice got caught in my throat when I felt something on my cheek, something that felt soft that sent shivers up my spine. I turned my head, realising how dark it had become.
Darius, what are you doing? That was what I would have said if my voice decided to work. His finger stroked my right cheek as he stared at me, his eyes a bright green capturing my attention. My eyes briefly closed at the sensation and when they opened again, he felt a lot closer than before. Were we really this close?
I could feel the warmth from his body against mine, smell his cologne that I liked. And before I knew it, I felt half his weight on me before his lips on mine.
CHAPTER THIRTYTWO
To say I was shocked and caught off guard would be an understatement. But on the other hand, I would be a fool and a liar if I said I didn't like it. I did, a bit too much. The fact that he made the first move and the fact that it showed he did have some kind of feeling for me inside him was one of the best realisations ever.
And then I realised that I was kissing him back, my hands wrapped around his neck. And then I realised there was something wet at our feet and then I didn't need to realise anything because my mind was purely robbed when something crashed down on both of us, pulling us apart, and vanished as quickly as it came.
I sat up quickly, but not quick enough as another wave came onto the shore, drenching us again.
"Jesus Christ," I snapped, getting up and wiping my hair out of my face as I heard Darius laughing as he got up after me.
"This is why you don't wear business shoes," I told him. Those poor shoes were probably ruined. I stepped back getting as far away from the water as I could. Stupid tide. Did it have to come then and ruin the moment?
"Oh well worth it."
"What?" I asked turning around as I saw a figure in the distance running.
"Look what I found!" screamed Adrian, holding something up in his hand as I wrapped my arms around my waist, shifting feet to keep warm.
"What is that?" I asked, looking at Darius who was looking just as confused as me.
"I think it's a jellyfish."
What? No. I looked back at Adrian who was coming closer by the second. Why was he holding a jellyfish. Isn’t it bloody poisonous?
It was a jellyfish.
"Touch it," said Adrian enthusiastically, shoving it into my face. The look on his face crossed between a creep and a five-year-old kid that was way too happy. I felt Darius's hand around my waist, pulling me against him.
"Adrian, put it back where you got it from."
I nodded in agreement. It was a round disc of jelly sitting on his right palm, where were its tentacles? And then I remembered reading somewhere that the top part of the jelly fish was safe to hold, as long as there were no tentacles. I examined it closer and it looked like a glob of jelly.
"I can't keep it?" he asked and Darius sighed, rubbing his forehead frustration like he was dealing with some little kid, which in fact Adrian was.
"Just put it back," I said, shaking my head and he frowned.
"Party poopers," he muttered under his breath, walking back toward the other side and I sighed turning around. "Is he always like this?"
Darius shrugged but I could see a faint smile on his lips as he watched Adrian walk off before looking down at me, making my heart skip a beat. "It gets worse with old age," he joked.
He continued. "Come on, let's go before you get another cold."
"What about him?" I asked looking back to see Adrian still walking. Was he actually going all the way back to put it where he found it?
"He'll live," said Darius, getting into the car.
"You know, this is the second time I got dunked by waves because of you," I said, shivering a bit when I got in. I was grateful that at least this time, our ride was warm, really warm inside.
"What's your favourite colour?"
I looked up from the window, confused and surprised at the same time.
"Favourite colour?"
"Doesn't everyone have one?"
It was absolutely freezing. The change in temperature caught me off guard as I stood under the Eiffel tower shivering. Where were they?
Darius and Adrian both left early this morning about some business meeting and said they would meet me at the Eiffel tower at noon. It was now half past one and I wasn't even sure if I should still be waiting.
I looked at all the other tourists as they took photos and looked up at the sky. Please don't rain.
Maybe I should just head back, ask the driver to take me back. Maybe I will do that, this sweater did nothing to keep my body warm. But then I came this far. I wasn't going home without looking at the Eiffel tower.
I walked across the road to the small stores to kill time. I walked into an antique shop, the bell jingling to notify that someone came in. It was quiet, too quiet as I looked around. Everything looked old and fragile.