283 - Leon Carter

283 - Leon Carter
Leon Carter

The early hours of the morning had poured over us like sweet wine. The sky, already fading from stars, was a sign that dawn was near. The fire crackled in embers, and the soft sound of the waves provided the perfect background to loud laughter, childhood stories, improvised dances, and declarations of love.

I was already slightly drunk. Not enough to lose my senses, but just enough to feel light, free, as if no problems were lurking anymore. Ella, on the other hand... was far too cheerful for her own good. Her eyes sparkled as if they held the stars the sky was beginning to erase.

She spun barefoot in the sand with Fay and Leo, laughing with her arms raised, her dress stained with wine and sea salt. Lucas and Olivia clapped along to the crooked rhythm of the music that Blake insisted on playing with two spoons and a glass. Scott and Andrew laughed so hard they nearly fell onto the poufs by the fire.

"Your wife is impossible tonight" murmured my father-in-law beside me, a glass of whiskey in hand and a wide smile on his face. "She takes after her mother when she drinks."

"And you think I can handle this on my own?" I replied, laughing too.

"You’ll have to. I already did my part..." He gave me a light pat on the shoulder. "Take her to the room, Leon. The day is almost breaking. You’re the bride and groom, you deserve a farewell worthy of this night."

I nodded, still laughing, and got up. I walked toward her, now spinning in circles with Fay and Leo, her dress billowing, her bare feet covered in sand.

"Love" I called gently "shall we sleep?"

"No!" she laughed loudly, slipping out of the circle and running from me like a child. "It’s still our party! It’s still our night, Leon!"

"Ella..." I tried, still calm but wearing that silly smile of someone who already knew he wouldn’t win easily.

"If you catch me, I’ll go" she shouted before running toward the sea.

"You’re crazy!" I yelled after her, laughing. "You’re going to catch pneumonia, woman!"

But she didn’t hear me, or ignored me, and ran straight into the waves. When the water touched her feet, she twirled again and dropped into the surf, laughing uncontrollably, her hands raised as if surrendering to happiness.

I forgot about my shoes and stepped into the water without thinking, grumbling loudly,

"I just wanted to take you to bed, Ella!"

"Then come get me!" she shouted, laughing, the water splashing against her legs, her dress already heavy and clinging to her body.

When I reached her, she pulled me close and wrapped her legs around my waist, making me kneel in the water with her in my lap.

"You’re drunk" I murmured, brushing my fingers over her wet cheek. "The most beautiful woman in the world, and the most stubborn, too."

"And now yours" she whispered, still laughing, but with teary eyes. "I’m all yours, Leon Carter."

I didn’t say anything right away. I just looked at her.

How could someone be so completely mine and still seem so free?

"I love you, Ella. Like I’ve never loved anyone before and never imagined it was possible to love this way."

She leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together, and replied in a soft but firm voice,

"And I love you, Leon. For as long as time can exist."

The waves kept gently crashing against our legs. And there, between the rising sky and the sea that never sleeps, I realized there was no better place for us to be than right there.

In the saltwater, in the drunken laughter, in the whispered love of the early morning.

I carried her back in my arms, her soaked dress trailing behind, her laugh still light on her lips. And when she rested her head on my shoulder and whispered that it had been the best night of her life, I knew.

That everything else could wait while I worshiped my wife, the woman I was taught to love.

Ella fell asleep in my arms for just a few minutes, just long enough for the silence of the night to take the place of the party’s laughter. The sky was slowly brightening now, with hues of lavender and gold outlining the trees around the inn. But the most beautiful glow at that moment was hers.

When I entered the cabin with her in my arms, our clothes still damp and our feet bare, I felt a peace I had never known on any battlefield. I laid her gently on the bed, but before I could step away to get something dry, her fingers touched the back of my neck with lazy affection.

"Don’t go yet" she murmured, her voice sleepy but firm. "I’m not drunk anymore. And you promised this would be our night."

I sat on the edge of the bed, caressing her face with my still-cold fingers.

"And it will be, princess. The most hours of all nights." I leaned down, kissing her forehead, then her cheek, feeling her warm skin beneath my lips. "But I need to take care of you first."

Ella smiled, sliding her hands across my chest, where my shirt was already clinging from the dampness. Her eyes were glazed but awake, lit like embers.

Then take care of me, Leon. Take care of me the way only you know how."

Her words sounded like a quiet surrender. Like an intimate call. I began to undress her slowly, inch by inch, as if I were unwrapping a promise. Her wet hair fell over her shoulders, and I brushed it aside with the reverence of someone touching something sacred.

"You..." I whispered, as my fingers slid across her soft skin. "You're everything I've always known I needed."

Ella looked at me as if she could unravel me with a single glance. As if she could see beyond my skin, beyond my blood. As if she saw all of me. And that was what made me love her the most.

She undid the remaining buttons and gently pulled my shirt off. Our bodies were still slightly damp, but already wrapped in that heat that always rises whenever I see my wife like this, so surrendered, so hungry for me.

My hands slid down her arms until they reached her breasts. I touched her over the fabric, each caress a silent praise, every kiss a promise.

"You’ve always known what to do to me," she whispered, her face close to mine, eyes slowly closing as my lips explored her neck. "You read me so easily."

"No, Ella," I whispered against her skin. "You’re like a poem."

The way she gave herself was a perfect dance between sweetness and desire. There was no rush. Only the sensation of our bodies begging, more and more, for a touch, a kiss, and that growing heat.

Our breathing quickened as I rid myself of the rest of my clothes, and Ella tore off her wet dress, tossing it to the floor.

With our fingers interlaced, I moved closer to her body, positioning myself between her legs. I felt the heat of her body welcoming my erection as it slid through the slick folds of her arousal.

I traced a line of kisses from her nipple up to her earlobe and whispered,

"You’re definitely mine..."

I thrust deep inside her, the strain in my groin intensifying with each movement against her flushed, needy core. My eyes drifted to where our bodies met, and the image of her, years from now, round with our child, made my heart pound harder.

I let out a loud gasp, overwhelmed by both the pleasure building and the thought of her, beautiful, just as I imagined in that simple vision.

"Love..." she said.

And when she arched her back, lifting herself off the bed, I knew she was just as close to her peak as I was.

I moved faster, holding her body gently.

"Come with me, love..."

Ella closed her eyes, a smile blooming on her lips as her body trembled, passing the edge of pleasure. I came inside her, breathless, just as I heard my name whispered in a husky tone, and I knew.

That was the peak of everything we were living at that moment on the island, and I was certain we’d live even more.

It wasn’t just about pleasure. It was about love, the love we felt and the surrender of our feelings to one another.

"In our room, I’m just your Leon, my love..." I said, feeling the weight of the night settle into my body, my head growing heavy.

But it was true, our souls had been promised by our parents, and by some gift of fate, we loved each other deeply.

I held her tightly after I saw her smile and her eyes begin to close. I turned to my side and pulled her against my chest, her breasts pressed to my skin. I felt her breathing slow, peaceful, like the sea when night finally yields to dawn.

"Ella..." I murmured, nearly asleep.

"Mmm..." she answered with her eyes closed.

"Thank you for not giving up on me. For loving me even when I kept quiet."

She smiled and melted completely into my arms. I kissed her forehead and pulled the blanket over us.

And so, with full hearts, exhausted bodies, and calm souls, we fell asleep.

Married.