Chapter 60 60: The Blue Moon

Chapter 60 60: The Blue Moon
\[ R Y D E R \]

Kara was probably thinking that I was taking her up to our room, but no. I liked to keep things interesting.

So instead, we got some milkshake from my favorite diner and made our way to our Secret Beach. The night was young and full of possibilities. We were giddy and excited, laughing at each other as walked down the beach, barefoot with our hands clasped together. I was reduced to a grinning and smirking mess. Thankfully, she was too.

"Kara, you're smiling like crazy," I commented.

"It's because I'm crazy about you, Ryder Jake Williams,"

"You're so perfect in every way. I'm the luckiest man alive," I stopped our tracks and stood right in front of her.

I reached out to hold her hand, and I caught her by her wrist. She flinched when I touched the scar over her tattoo. It had healed, but the mark was still there.

"Stop looking at it," she pulled her hand away, putting it behind her back.

"Stop trying to hide it," I hissed. "Wear it proud baby, it's our battle scar,"

I took her hand again and brought it up to my lips. I kissed her scar with my open mouth. She gasped at the contact.

"I-I can't believe we're leaving in a few days," she said, changing the topic. She would always do that whenever she was nervous.

"I know, we have a whole world to see," I grinned.

"I've made a list... of all the things I want to do with you," she said.

"A list?"

"Rules and lists are my thing,"

"Okay... Let's hear it. What's something on this list of yours then?"

She didn't say anything, but suddenly a smirk curved up her lips. Slowly and without warning, her hands went to her back, unzipping her dress. My eyes widened instantly and my body stiffened.

Before I knew it, her dress had fallen flat on the sand. She slid down her panties, stepped out of them, and then tossed them at my face. I was in full blown shock. This was not how I imagined myself to be at all.

"Come with me," she motioned her hand for me to follow her.

"What are you doing?" was all that I could say.

"Checking one thing off the list," she smirked, taking small steps towards the ocean.

"Are you coming or what?" she said again as she splashed into the water.

Within seconds, my clothes were down on the ground. I raced towards her, while she swam further away into the ocean.

The water was a little cold, but my body was on fire. I caught up with her in no time at all, and I held her close to me as soon as I could. We locked eyes with each other, and she was still grinning from ear to ear.

Leaning in, I closed my eyes and felt her soft lips on mine. Her hands gripped my shoulders tightly as mine held onto her waist to support her.

All that waiting around and all that tension was now replaced by this weightlessness about us. Combined with the sensation of the water all around, everything felt heightened.

She locked her legs over my waist and my hands roamed to touch her, everywhere, in every way. She buried her face on my neck, her heavy breaths were warm against my skin.

We refrained from kissing and instead just looked into each other's eyes the entire time, savoring the moment and savoring each other for as long as we could.

I didn't know how to explain this, but the moment when I delved into her, when her body melted into mine so perfectly, was there ever a word made to describe this feeling? Whatever the name was, I'd take it. I'd take it over and over again.

We were moving to the same rhythm, to the same beat.

We were a song.

We were one.



\[ E L L E \]

The sky was pitch black, except for the presence of the moon and the stars. It was a full moon tonight, and it was shining this bluish hue.

I was keeping an eye out for Cole the entire night. I could tell that he was not in a party mood. After Kara and Ryder had left, he figured he didn't need to put up a front anymore. He never wanted to be here in the first place, so he gathered himself with a long sigh and stalked towards the exit.

"Cole!" he stopped his tracks when he heard his name being called.

"Elle?" he turned around to see me.

"Where are you going?" I was slurring a little, courtesy of the open bar.

"The airport," he said curtly.

"Right now? You're not even gonna stay the night?"

"No, I have to go,"

"But Cole, this is Hawaii! You should at least stay for—"

"I can't!" he cut me off quickly, even though I knew he didn't mean to yell at me.

I let out a sigh and watched him take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you,” he paused for a beat and raked his hair in frustration. “I don't know what to tell you, really. This sucks, Elle. You probably won't understand how this feels,"

"I bet I can," I blurted.

"No, you don't know what it feels like to love someone for years, not being able to say it out loud, having to keep it in, pretending to be happy for them when I'm not—"

"I know what that feels like," I cut him off, my tone was stern. "Because that's how I feel every time I see you,"

Oh shit, I’ve blabbed again. That damned champagne. I knew that sixth glass was a bad idea!

But before my brain could process it all, my body lunged itself towards him. I closed my eyes and crashed my lips onto Cole's. Cole was lost in the moment, his eyes widened in shock.

I pulled away after a moment, my heart was beating fast. Too fast. This was not how I normally acted around guys. I knew I could have done better.

"Cole?" I studied his face, but he just stared at me without moving an inch.

Shit, I blew it. I’m a bad kisser.

I wanted to say something clever, or maybe pretend it was all a bad joke, but I knew I wasn't fooling anyone. I had told him my deepest darkest secret. And now he knew.

"I know I'm not supposed to do that..." I murmured. "But, Cole you… you're amazing, you know that? You're one in a million. And I'm sorry that I did that. I know I'm not supposed to fall in love with you, but I am—" my hand quickly went up to cover my mouth, but it was too late.

Damn it! Bad save Elle.

I was horrified. I just made things a thousand times worse. I knew I had said something I could never take back, and I was too afraid to see how he'd react, so I turned away quickly and made a dash for it.

I could tell that Cole was still in shock. It took him a couple of seconds to finally understand what was going on.

"Elle!" he called out to me and I stopped my tracks.

I didn't dare turn around, I couldn't face him after what I had done.

"Elle?" he said again, but I didn't turn around still.

I could hear him stalking towards me and standing right behind me. The hairs in my neck stood up in anxiety.

Suddenly and without warning, he grabbed me by the hand and turned me around. His eyes studied my worried expression. I couldn't handle the embarrassment, so I turned my head away. But it was at that moment when Cole saw something in my eyes. Maybe honesty?

He tilted my face back to him, and he leaned in and found my lips with his.

Apparently, there are lovers all over the place tonight, taking brave chances at one another. The moon, the stars, and the sea would attest to it.



\[ K A R A \]

Ryder and I were tangled up in each other, lying on the sand, on a bed made up of all our clothes. The night sky above us was marvelous, and the moon was exceptionally beautiful. But what was even more beautiful than all that was this man lying next to me. I couldn't describe how perfect it felt to rest my head on his chest, feeling his heart beating, and his two hands holding onto me tight.

When I looked up to see his face, Ryder's dark blue eyes were fixed intently onto mine. He leaned in and pressed his lips on my forehead, then to the side of my eye, to the tip of my nose, and finally on my lips.

His kiss was light and gentle, with an undertone of a slight danger in it. And I loved that.

"You're smiling," I told him.

"That's because you're smiling," he said.

"I'm just so excited for our happy ending,"

Ryder shook his head quickly as if I had said something wrong.

"This is not the end, love. It's only just the beginning," he smirked.

I knew exactly what he meant by that.

"I think this was the exact same spot... where I told you I wish I'd done everything on earth with you," he murmured, referring to that night five summers ago. "Now we don't have to wish it anymore, we can actually do everything on earth together,"

"We've come a long way since then,"

"Yup, and it only took us five years, a couple of heartbreaks, two engagement rings, a few scars, and a little bit of dying here and there," he stifled a laugh.

I shoved his arm playfully, biting my lip to stop myself from laughing too much.

"And finally, we're here," he whispered the last part to my ears.

It was true what he said, our story was not perfect. For the longest time, we were just a series of complicated almost-interactions. From stepsiblings to lovers to strangers to friends... until finally here we were.

"I'm really proud of us," I said to him.

"Us... I like the sound of that,"

"It's you and me, Ry,"

"You and me, K,"

For a moment there we just stared at each other, skin to skin, heart in heart, hand in hand, and all smiles.

"Us,"

"Us,"

"Always,"







\- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -