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The lights were low, in the dark and busy bar. Gold streams, beaming down against her skin and illuminating her like a goddess, a walking star. Her hair shon in the light, her eyes sparkling like diamonds, as her fingers wrapped around the cold glass of her drink, before it touched the pink of her lips. Her silhouette was outlined, from the black fabric that clung to her soft skin, standing out against the cluster of bodies in the busy establishment. Hushed murmurs and the clinking of glasses could be heard echoing around, bouncing off the faux ivy walls. Music flowed from speakers in every corner, and there was a small dance floor in a section by the bar, opposite the open patio that led to some deck chairs and fairy lights overlooking the beachfront.
His ocean eyes swept across the scene in front of him, white knuckles clinging onto a tall beer bottle, straining the amber glass. Something swirled inside of his stomach, making his hairs prickle against his skin, shifting his body uncomfortably. His wet tongue swiped across his lips, his throat dry, despite the beverage in his hand. The group of friends he came with were busy chatting away, at the table. His brother was chuckling, about something juvenile, and there was some kind of game being played on the table with beer caps. However, his gaze hadn't moved an inch, since the moment he saw her waltz in. He evaluated every inch of her body language, her mouth, her company. The way her head tipped back, when she would laugh. How her smile would light up her whole face, like the sun breaking in morning. The way her fingers unconsciously ran circles, around the rim of her condensating glass, as she spoke. Her posture relaxed, as she leant her elbows against the edge of the round dark oak table. She was radiating warmth, a burning golden aura, glimmering with red around the edge.
"Dude... Are you even listening? What have you been looking-" his brother's words cut off, before either of them could speak. His eyes had caught on, and a pitiful smile played upon his mouth. He'd patted his older brother's back, as some kind of reassurance, clearing his throat at the tension hanging in the air. "Uh, sorry, man. Forget about it, let's have another beer, yeah?"
The cheeriness of his brother's voice, the petty smile on his face in sympathy, only made matters worse. And as if on cue, another echoing song of laughter came from the corner, pulling at his stomach and making his lips turn up into a snarl. He trembled in anger, watching as she allowed the man next to her to grasp at her waist, as they giggled together. His flexing fingers twitched against the neck of his bottle, threatening to crush it in his impossible grip, his entire body standing on edge. An instinctual response; a feral, animalistic urge. Fight or flight. A possessive claim. Something so strong and overwhelming, he hadn't felt since his army days, welding a gun, spotting the enemy. It was hard wired into his brain, you see. Enemy. Mate. Destroy.
It was inappropriate, he knew. It was illogical, he knew. But alas, despite her not being explicitly his... He could not control what his heart and head felt. And as much as he'd hate to ever admit it - for he was a strong Iron Headed man - underneath all that anger, jealousy, bitterness... Was a pain. It tugged at his heart, as if someone flicking a guitar string and feeling it reverberating throughout his chest. Her smile, her laugh, her sparkling eyes, full of happiness. Her soft hands, her warm body, her enveloping scent and her melodious voice... It was being spent on someone else. He was simply a spectator to her beauty, her glowing soul. Nothing more than a dark shadow, slunked in a corner, to simply wither away, without her. It was enough to send him spiralling.
He turned to his pals, who were all sitting tentatively watching him, just in case he exploded from his evident rage, smoking away like a kettle. He simply waved a hand in dismissal, glancing one last time to the corner of the bar, before quickly bringing his beer bottle to his lips, chugging down the bitter liquid quickly. It suited his mood, but he'd need a stronger vice, if he was expected to sit in the same room as the excruciating display being played out in front of him, like some kind of cruel torture. So, his hand rummaged through his pockets, before pulling out a small layer of paper bills. He nodded at his younger brother, forcing a cocky smile to his lips and speaking strong. "Another round, on me. Make it whiskey, will you?" He chuckled quietly when his friends cheered and began roping him into, well, useless conversation. Nevertheless, he forced himself to keep his eyes trained on their (clearly fucking steaming) faces, listening as they spoke slurred words of nothing, nodding along to keep them, and himself, occupied.
Some time passed, more drinks were consumed, in a blurred frenzy. He chased them down as if his life depended on it. Maybe it did. The rough burn of the alcohol sliding down his throat, matched the emotions inside of him - made companion to some of the sting. Slowed his brain, calmed his racing thoughts, relaxed his tongue. By the time he dared to look back over to the table, he'd already consumed half a bottle of his favourite whiskey. But the curvaceous figure he was looking for - had gone. Panic entered his brain for a moment, snapping him back into his alert self, his gaze frantically scanning around the room. Lifting his head to peer across the sea of people, he was like a dog, eyes wide and alarms ringing inside of his head, snapping right back to the camo man he had become. However, it all stopped, and his heart sunk to his stomach, when he finally spotted her.
Sat alone, on the patio, her frame slunk into a blue chair on the deck, overlooking the dark waves of the ocean front. Illuminated by sparkling fairy lights, hung above the canopy, whilst a soft breeze rustled through her hair. There was no one else in sight, making his fingers twitch in his palm, anger quickly bubbling at the fact she was left alone, and clearly not enjoying herself. His haze of liquor was cleared away, and he couldn't care less about the boys speaking to him, as he abruptly stood and walked out the large open doors, brushing past dancing bodies. The man she was with before, was nowhere in sight, inside or out. He'd clearly left. And selfish as it was, it made something inside of him spark with hope, and concern.
By the time he reached her, the steadfast confidence, a man on a mission, suddenly became slightly unsure. A wave of nausea swirled inside the pit of his belly, and his once whiskey courage was now settling for nerves. He stood just behind her chair, his hands finding his pockets, as he shifted his weight from left to right. Doing his best, to scramble his emotions together, at least enough to think of something rational to say - it was proving difficult. His mind was about as put together as scrambled eggs.
But she beat him to it, because before he could even open his mouth, her voice rang out. Quiet and calm, like the sea her eyes bore into. It sent shivers down his spine, his heart soaring, in a way that only she could cause in him. It was cliché and cheesy, but he'd never felt anything more real. Nothing that made him feel more alive.
"I'm okay. He left... He told me that... Well, he noticed you watching me... And that he could see I..." There was a deep breath, and a shaky exhale, her head lifting to look out across the water, before she spoke again, her voice so silent he would've missed it completely, had he not been hanging on to every word. "That I clearly had someone in my heart..."
There was silence, for a long while. It could've been one minute, an hour, a decade - fuck, who knew. But he couldn't move a muscle, pupils blown as he stared down at her head. His pulse beating fast through his ears, almost deafening, his palms sweaty against the denim of his jeans. Terrified. That's what this was. Was it? He wasn't sure, it was a foreign emotion. It just wasn't in his nature. Point a gun to this man's face, any weapon, run a blade along the throat of an enemy.... He wouldn't flinch. Wouldn't blink. Wouldn't feel a thing. He was trained. It was his DNA, now. But this woman... Caused things, inside of him, that he didn't know existed. This was unfamiliar territory. A mission he hadn't planned, a route he couldn't navigate. He always knew who he was, to her, before. A protector. A home. He'd watched her blossom throughout the years of their lives, and he'd remained steady in his position for her. He was her armour. She was his only weakness. Though he'd never have it any other way...
But then the battlefield called for him, and he'd left her, knowing, praying, she'd be strong enough to face the world alone. To live a pure, happy life. To go after her dreams, without him looming over her shoulder all the time like some kind of... Soldier. He'd hoped leaving would detach, kill off, the growing pain he felt as their bond grew stronger and he began to feel something more than family, more than friendship, bloom inside of him. So he'd left, and done his best to focus on what he was good at: to kill. To complete. To protect. To serve.
However, it all backfired, the moment he'd returned home, after six years. One look into those deep eyes, swallowing him up and brimming with tears - betrayal and... Something he couldn't pick up on, burning deep into his soul, looking right through him... One look at her lip quivering, at the scars adorned on her silk skin, one word to hear the waver in her voice, see the anger and pain soaring through her... Well. He'd understood, then. He understood that he'd done the one thing, he promised them both, that he'd never do... Hurt her. And it swallowed him alive. He'd turned away, again. This time in shame, in self loathing, in confusion at the complexity, of all these feelings he'd thought had left years ago. And now, it burned, to look at her. His soul had darkened since being a man of war, and he'd broken in a million ways. But this was something entirely different... He simply couldn't cope.
So he'd left her alone. Continued to act as though he didn't exist. Continued to watch from afar, as she lived her life, as followed her, like a bird in the sky, to make sure she was always safe. He'd heard from others, what had become of her life, after he had left. So he did his best, to stay out of her path, despite living in the small, pokey little town. And he'd done it well. Until tonight. He hadn't known, nor expected her, to be here - certainly didn't know she was with anyone. But it had stirred up, everything he'd been so desperately shoving down, just like all the other pieces of darkness in his mind. The things he refused to poke. He was good at being a soldier. He'd kept a lid on everything. He was always in control... But this... The sight of her this way, with someone else, had brought a tug, to his once sleeping soul.
"It seems... I'll always be yours... Even when you leave me... Even when it hurts, or when I try to move on..."
Her words were small, almost like a child, scared to confess. Like it was something sacred daren't to be shared. As though maybe, speaking it out loud would make it real.
"You're burnt into my soul, you know?..."
Her voice cracked, accompanied by a small sniffle. Her face turned, craning to stare up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, once again, breaking his heart. Sparkling in the moonlight, her hair brushing against her brow, as her teeth sunk into the cushion of her lip, as though the pain of her teeth would keep her from falling apart. Something on her face looked pained, but hopeful.... As though, she was asking a question to him. Almost like her heart was reaching out, to touch his own - to gently brush against each other, to see if a fire would ignite, or simply drift into smoke...
Well, he'd be a fool, to let her slip between his fingers, again. So he captured her face, in his calloused palm, as his thumb gently brushed along her cheekbone, his eyes swallowing up her own. And like magic... His soul coming ablaze in bright golden embers, exploding in a wave to reach for her own, running through his body, his fingertips, and seeping into her skin. Connecting deep inside as they burned together: a twin flame. And with a swoop of his head, their lips collided in a passionate embrace. The ocean crashed against the shore in rejoice, the wind blowing against their bodies, as their love poured through one another. Every word unsaid, spoken in a shared breath.... Finally, they were home once again. Burning more bright than the sun could ever dream.