Chapter 44 Under The Stars
The garden was filled with flowers and bright lights—nothing like what I’d expected. My eyes roamed, taking in its beauty, until they stopped on Carlos, standing there with a rose in his hand.
"What’s going on?" I asked him, still worried.
He stepped aside, revealing a picnic setup.
"You didn’t want to eat, so I figured I’d set up a picnic to help you get your appetite back."
I took a step closer, still worried "I thought you were in danger or something bad had happened."
A small smile appeared on his face as he asked "Is that why you seem so disturbed?"
I nodded "Yeah." My voice came out low
He sighed heavily "Like I said before. We are safe Nala. Nothing is gonna go wrong, you should relax and picnic with me." He gestured to the picnic mat
It seemed sweet of him to do that but still- I didn’t want to.
"Thanks, but—"
He quickly cut me off. "No. You’re not allowed to say no to me." He walked over and handed me the rose. I took it from him, a small smile tugging at my lips.
He reached for my hand and led me to the picnic mat. As we sat down, he said, "I know you’re not hungry, but I’m not here to take no for an answer."
He handed me a plate of sandwiches. I took a bite and began eating quietly. With every bite, I could feel his eyes on me.
"What?" I asked, confused.
He smiled. "Nothing. You just seem a little better."
I scoffed lightly. "Oh really? How better? Because I don’t feel any better."
"What are you feeling then?" He asked gently.
I set the sandwich down and took a moment before answering. "Empty. Scared. Tired. Alone."
His expression softened. "I don’t know about tired, but you don’t need to be any of the others. It’s going to be fine, I promise. I won’t let them come near you."
"It’s not about me. It’s about everyone else. I’m just scared that, in trying to find me, they’ll hurt people."
He let out a deep sigh. "I’ll make sure no one gets hurt. I promise."
I wanted to hold on to that promise, to press it against my chest and believe in it. But I couldn’t. Not because Carlos doesn’t keep his promises but because I knew he can’t possibly stop them from hurting people. People would get hurt. People already had. And the fear of what’s to come was eating me up inside.
Still, even with all that in my heart, I said, "Thank you, Carlos."
"For what?" He asked.
"For everything," I replied, looking into his eyes. "You’ve been protecting me these past few days, and I can’t thank you enough."
"Don’t ever thank me for the bare minimum. You’re my responsibility Nala. I have to protect you, and I’ll keep doing that for as long as I can."
I didn’t know what to say so I smiled at him. But the look he gave me told me he could notice the indifference in my expression. "You know what? Forget all this. Let’s talk about something else."
"Like what?" I asked.
He shrugged, trying too hard to sound casual. "I don’t know maybe the sky. The weather. Anything that takes your mind off… everything."
I paused, trying to follow his lead. "Umm… why don’t you tell me about this sandwich," I said, nudging the plate between us. "It’s ridiculously good. Did you make it?"
"I wish I did but the chef did. But you know what, I’ll get you the recipe before you even have to ask. Promise."
Something in the way he said it too quickly, like he needed to keep the mood light or else it would all come crashing back made me ache a little.
"Thanks," I replied silently.
We sat in silence for a moment, stealing glances at each other. Then he lay back on the grass with a soft sigh, arms folded beneath his head. "Come on, let’s watch the stars."
"And how will that make me feel any better?" I asked, eyebrow raised.
"You’ll feel better, just join me."
I rolled my eyes and lay back with him. "If this doesn’t make me feel better, I’ll be really disappointed," I said with a bit of laughter in my voice
I looked up at the night sky, the stars so bright and the clouds, barely noticeable. I breathed in deeply, trying to steady myself. It didn’t make any difference but it did ease the little stress building inside of me.
Carlos was awfully silent beside me. I wanted to say something but I didn’t know what to say. After a while, I finally spoke "You ever felt like you’re familiar with the stars?" I asked quietly.
"No, I never did."
I glanced at him and smiled "Same here. I am just trying to make the situation fun."
He laughed looking at me. I turned back to the stars. We laid there in silence but unlike before, it wasn’t awkward, it was good…. really good.
I closed my eyes, letting the wind blow through me, hoping it would take all the thoughts in my head with it. And honestly, it did. For the first time in a while, I could breathe… really breathe without the nagging weight of my mind pressing down on me.
"How does it feel?" Carlos whispered.
I didn’t open my eyes. Instead, I let my heart speak. "Peaceful," I said, breathing in deeply again.
Even with my eyes shut, I could feel him looking at me, smiling.
"I feel so much better. My mind feels clear, and my heart is calm." I slowly opened my eyes and turned to him. His smile was still there.
"I feel good, Carlos. I want to thank you, but I don’t think words could ever capture how much this means to me."
His smile widened. "I’m just glad you feel better."
I smiled too, and we held each other’s gaze. Neither of us spoke, yet we lingered in the silence, drawn to one another. And then, before I realized it, his lips were on mine.
I didn’t pull away. I kissed him back, gently, then deeply.
His lips were warm, soft, almost delicate. I leaned into the kiss for just a moment longer before pulling away. Our eyes met again as he cupped my face, his touch tender.
I smiled. I felt good.
For the first time in a long time, I really did. And it was all because of Carlos.