Chapter 24
699 Words
24
Twenty-seven minutes until death.
Ryoko brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Her smile was so warm, it was like standing in the sun in the middle of summer. All the kissing had unraveled her tie and wrinkled her shirt, but she didn’t seem to care. Neither did I.
“You’re beautiful.” I traced a finger down her arm, following the pattern of her scales. “Is this normal? Usually they only come out when you’re in the sun.”
“You’ve noticed my scales?”
I chuckled. “I’ve noticed a lot of things about you.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not telling you,” I teased, pressing another kiss on her lips. “I’ll sound like a stalker.”
“You’re not.” Her lips were curled up in a carefree smile, one that she never showed in public. “Come on, I want to hear.”
“Nope!”
“Ylvaaa.”
I brought my lips to my mouth and pretended to lock them. “Mmmm-mmm.”
“Meanie.”
With a shrug, I pulled her back into me. The wall was hard against my back, but I hardly noticed. Not with the Dragon pressed so tightly in me.
“Kachak.” She pressed her fingers against my lips.
“Kachak? What’s kachak?”
She shot me a bemused look. “I’m unlocking your lips.”
“Really? Kachak? That’s the sound a lock makes?”
“Yes. How would you describe it?”
“I… I don’t know. Flick-flack?”
“Flick-flack? Really?”
We stared at each other before we burst out laughing. Her forehead pressed into my shoulder, as if she needed safety to be herself and I was her shelter. That thought awoke the summer in my chest and butterflies threatened to escape with every laugh.
Wow, I was really into this girl.
“You make the funniest noises,” I said, utterly enchanted with the Dragon. Who would’ve thought? This was certainly not what I expected from my college experience.
“You’re beautiful when you smile.”
My cheeks heated up. “Oh, stop. You just say that.”
“I’m not.”
“Well, I think you’re beautiful.”
She bowed her head, hiding her blushes with a curtain of hair. “Now you’re making me shy.”
“Awww.” I pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and intertwined our hands. Heat radiated from my stomach and warmth my entire being. I had such a crush on her and I just couldn’t get a handle on it. It had taken me, captured me in one fell swoop. I didn’t know where it came from or how it had happened, but I was obsessed with her and only her.
On a whim, I pulled her towards the door. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
Mischief bubbled up in me. “An adventure.”
“But there’s only—” She checked her watch. “Sixteen minutes left.”
“So? It’ll be the shortest, most amazing adventure.”
“I’d love to, but…”
She was hesitating. Why? She loved adventures, I’d seen the excitement in her.”
“My friends… They’re all having lunch. And so are yours.”
A long breath escaped me. “That’s true.”
“I want to be selfish… But I can’t.”
I rested my forehead against hers. “I want to convince you… But it’s not right, is it?”
“No… I want to spend those next sixteen minutes with you, but I can’t.”
My chest tightened to compress the ache, but it didn’t really work. And I couldn’t even blame her. I knew why she felt this way and I admired her for it. We had a responsibility to more than just ourselves and this was not the right time to be selfish.
In less than a quarter hour, someone we knew was going to die. That someone might be one of our friends. And it was our duty to make sure all our friends were accounted for and if they weren’t… That they were found as quick as possible.
Pained, I pulled away from her. I wanted to stay, I wanted to revel in ignorance and bliss, but I couldn’t do that. We couldn’t do that. We had an obligation to the people around us. Maybe that was something certain elemental races didn’t feel as deeply, but I did, and so did Ryoko.
The blinds rattled as I rolled them back up and captured the end of our moment. But what a beautiful moment it was.
I swung the door open, my hand clenched just a little tighter around the handle than needed. “After you.”
“Thank you.” Her voice held regret, but her walk was fierce. If this was our last moment together, then it was one of duty. And that was all I could ask for.
- Writer
