Chapter 48 — Connecting Heart-to-Heart

Zinnia.

Moved on.

Clave and I moved on from our past.

Right now, we were having a picnic. Apparently, Clave didn't want me to invite Ryker over, which I didn't, but my son did. Draven invited Ryker to the rooftop to play with him. Obviously, Clave couldn't deny Draven and suddenly he was okay with having Ryker with us.

"Finish it whole, Draven," I said sternly when I noticed he ate only half of the bread and intended to give the other half to his superhero, who was willingly taking it.

"Why are you helping him, Clave?" this time, I rebuked Clave.

"See, Draven, if I had agreed to help you, I would be the one getting that scold your superhero is getting right now," Ryker chimed in.

I rolled my eyes at his words.

"The poor child cannot eat this whole. Spare him for once," Clave tried to reason out, but the glare I gave shut him up instantly.

He raised his hands up in surrender and turned to Draven. "Sorry, Champ. I tried."

"Mommy, can I go and play with Uncle Ryker in the garden after I finish eating?" he asked and I nodded.

"Only after you finish this whole bread," I confirmed.

Draven started to eat half of the remaining bread quickly.

"Uncle Ryker? I am still not habituated to that one. I feel old," Ryker whined.

"You are old," Clave deadpanned.

"Only by seven minutes!" Ryker protested, feeling offended, making Clave and I laugh. "You two are just mean."

Clave entwined his hands with mine suddenly, which didn't go unnoticed by Ryker, who smiled softly.

"I am really happy that you two are together, finally. I hope everything is resolved between you guys and there won't be any separation further?" he inquired.

"Never," Clave and I said at once and stole a glance at each other.

"Clave became miserable without you, trust me. Don't ever leave him, and if he does something stupid, just tell me. I will put more spice in the story and complain to the high court, which is Mom. She will fix this idiot."

I laughed once again at Ryker's words. "You are such a sweetheart, Ryker. I will keep it in mind, I promise."

"Finished!" Draven spoke up all of a sudden. He grabbed Ryker's arm and said, "Let's go and play, Uncle Ryker."

Ryker just ruffled Draven's hair, picked him up, and walked out of the rooftop, leaving me and Clave alone.

After they left, I looked at Clave and shot a million-dollar smile. "It feels weird, doesn't it?" I asked.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What feels weird?"

"This. Everything is fine now. I feel weird."

"Usually, people get happy when everything goes okay, but here you are, still feeling weird. Just enjoy the moment, kid."

"It's not a bad weird, I mean. It's just a good kinda weird, you know. Like, I am happy but still, that weird feeling just spreads in the chest, and I—what—"

Clave suddenly put a knife over my lips, to silence me, in which he was successful because that pocket knife scared the fuck outta me.

"You blabber a lot. Sometimes, it's better to shush, you know?"

It was silent suddenly. So silent that I could hear my rapid heartbeat.

We stayed like that for a while until I removed his hand.

I placed my hand over my chest, heaving a sigh of relief. "Why do you have this with you, Clave? It's scary."

"Well," he closed the pocket knife and kept it back in his pocket and said, "I have to keep these stuff with me because of my profession. Remember, I brought a gun from my room just to break the door lock in the storeroom you got stuck in when you came here first?"

"Oh, so you got guns in your room too?" I asked, bewildered.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I will keep it away from you guys but also use it when it's time to protect my family. Got it?"

I knew he had a point. "Just make sure Draven or I don't see the guns ever."

"Fine," he abided obediently, and then a sly smile formed on his lips. "Then what about the pocket knife? Can I use it with you?"

I feigned innocence and asked, "How will you use it with me?"

He leaned closer to me. "As if you don't know."

"I don't," as soon as I breathed out, he connected his lips with mine.

"Then you will know in the future, not now. Right now, I'm satisfied with using just my mouth and tongue," he said in between the kisses.

I only hummed, too focused on the feel of his soft lips dominating mine. I climbed into his lap and locked my arms around his neck, keeping no distance between our chests.

He slid his tongue into my mouth, and I welcomed it with equal fervor, enjoying the kiss and the feel of his hand roaming over my back.

Both of us lost track of time until Clave got a text from Ryker, telling us to come downstairs.

"By the way, I have somewhere I want to take you to tonight," Clave said.

"Where?" I asked out of curiosity.

"It's a surprise. Just be ready at eight tonight.”

###

"Where are you taking me, Clave?" I inquired as I was blindfolded.

"Keep standing here," Clave instructed.

I felt like I was on a rooftop once again. It was a bit windy.

"I am opening the blindfold now. If you trust me, then you won't ask me any questions anymore, Zinnia," he whispered into my ear. "Just do what I say."

I nodded curtly.

He slowly opened the blindfold.

I could see him right in front of me. I tried to turn around to look, but he stopped me.

"We are on the roof of a two-story building," as soon as he said that, my eyes grew as wide as saucers. "This is my own house, by the way."

"What? I want to see the inside of your house, Clave."

"Later, kid," he mumbled and brushed his thumb against my cheek. Our eyes met instantly. "Jump."

I was taken aback by his sudden words. "Huh?"

"Jump."

"But you aren't even letting me look and—"

"Just look into my eyes and jump."

I nodded hesitantly and was about to close my eyes, but he muttered, "Keep your eyes open. Looks like I have to do this. Just keep our eyes locked."

I looked into his eyes intently as per his instructions.

He had his arm snaked around my waist. On the count of three, two, and one, he jumped along with me. I clutched his collar as I kept looking at him.

All of a sudden, I felt we landed on a soft yet hard material. We bounced upward once again.

"Oh, my fucking God, don't tell me we landed on a trampoline, Clave Taylon," I let out in utter surprise.

"You thought we were gonna do a double-suicide?" he joked as we continued bouncing on a damn trampoline.

I ended up laughing. "What's this, Clave? How do these weird thoughts come across your mind?"

"I don't know, Zinnia. But all I know is, I use my heart when it's related to you. I just don't think straight. You have me going crazy over you."

"Clave, it's just not your heart, trust me. I cannot control myself whenever I see you. When I feel like crying, I wish to cry in front of you."

"When I feel sad or angry, I just need a hug from you," he let out.

"When I feel happy, I just want to share it with you," I said, not caring that we were still on a trampoline.

He had a bright smile playing on his lips. "Whenever I see a happy family, I wish Draven and you were with me."

"Clave..."

"I love you, Zinnia."

I felt like my life was completed today. My heart finally got the inner peace it needed. I found solace in Clave's arms. The trampoline eventually slowed down.

"I love you a lot. I tried to hate you and ignore you, but in the end, this heart couldn't deny the love I felt for you," he spoke at once.

"Clave, I became miserable without you. I want you to be there with me, whenever I am happy, whenever I am sad, I just need you in my life every time. I love you, Clave," there, I said it finally. I confessed my love for him.

The two of us slowly met for a kiss.

I closed my eyes in bliss, having full faith in my heart that, come what may in the future, I would always have Clave and Draven with me, and there was nothing else I needed to be the happiest woman alive.

I heard that time flies by quickly when you are lost in the bubble of your happiness. So just like that, four months have passed just in a whiff.