Summer Of Fire
1002 Words
This chapter will contrast the tension of the present with the fiery, carefree days of their past, while subtly hinting at the secrets Liam was hiding. Here we go:
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Five years earlier, Crimson Cove was a different place.
The sun hung high in the sky, casting a golden glow over the small coastal town. The air was thick with the scent of saltwater and blooming wildflowers, and the sound of laughter echoed along the cobblestone streets. It was the kind of summer that made you believe in magic, the kind of summer that changed everything.
Elena Carter was twenty-six, a free-spirited journalist with a knack for finding trouble and a heart too big for her own good. She’d come to Crimson Cove on a whim, chasing a story about the town’s mysterious lighthouse and the legends that surrounded it. What she hadn’t expected was to find *him*.
Liam Blackwood.
She first saw him at the local café, sitting alone at a corner table with a sketchpad in front of him. He was tall and lean, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and a brooding intensity that made her pulse quicken. He didn’t look like he belonged in a place like this, he looked like a storm waiting to happen.
Elena couldn’t help herself. She walked over to his table, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
“Is this seat taken?” she asked, gesturing to the chair across from him.
Liam looked up, his dark eyes narrowing as they met hers. For a moment, he said nothing, and Elena wondered if she’d made a mistake. But then, a slow smirk spread across his face, and he gestured to the chair.
“Be my guest.”
That was how it started.
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Over the next few weeks, Elena and Liam became inseparable. They spent their days exploring the cove, their nights talking for hours under the stars. Liam was an artist, his hands always stained with paint or charcoal, his mind always working on some new project. He was mysterious and guarded, but Elena found herself drawn to him in a way she couldn’t explain.
There was something electric about the way he looked at her, something dangerous about the way he touched her. It was like playing with fire, and Elena couldn’t get enough.
One night, they found themselves at the lighthouse. The moon was full, casting a silver light over the cliffs, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks filled the air. They’d brought a bottle of wine and a blanket, and they sat together on the grass, laughing and talking like they were the only two people in the world.
“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met,” Liam said, his voice low and rough.
Elena raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Liam didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that sent sparks shooting through her veins. It was soft at first, tentative, but then it deepened, their bodies pressing together as the world around them faded away.
When they finally pulled apart, Elena’s heart was racing, her breath coming in short gasps.
“That was…” she began, but Liam cut her off with another kiss, his hands tangling in her hair as he pulled her closer.
“Don’t talk,” he murmured against her lips. “Just feel.”
And she did.
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But even in those perfect moments, there were cracks in the facade.
Liam would sometimes disappear for hours without explanation, his phone going straight to voicemail when she tried to call. He had nightmares that left him drenched in sweat, his eyes wild and unfocused when he woke. And there were the questions he refused to answer, about his past, about his family, about why he’d come to Crimson Cove in the first place.
Elena tried to brush it off, telling herself that everyone had secrets. But deep down, she knew there was something he wasn’t telling her. Something dark. Something dangerous.
One night, she confronted him.
They were sitting on the beach, the fire crackling between them as the waves lapped at the shore. Elena had been quiet all evening, her mind racing with questions she couldn’t ignore any longer.
“Liam,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “Who are you?”
He stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “You’re always so guarded. You never talk about your past. I feel like there’s this whole side of you that I don’t know.”
For a long moment, Liam said nothing. He just stared into the fire, his jaw clenched tight. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and strained.
“Some things are better left in the past, Elena.”
“Not when they’re affecting the present,” she shot back, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “I care about you, Liam. But I can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine when it’s not.”
He turned to her then, his eyes blazing with an intensity that took her breath away. “You want to know the truth? Fine. The truth is, my life is complicated. There are things I’ve done… things I’ve seen… that I can’t just walk away from. And the more you know, the more danger you’re in.”
Elena’s heart skipped a beat. “Danger? What are you talking about?”
But Liam didn’t answer. Instead, he stood, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I shouldn’t have let this happen,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I should’ve stayed away from you.”
And with that, he walked away, leaving Elena alone by the fire, her mind spinning with questions she didn’t have the answers to.
- Writer
