Chased By The Bad Boy

Chapter 4: Last One In Is A Rotten Egg

I look at Luna and see my today and all my tomorrows. I’ve never felt this happy in my entire life. The emotions and feelings I feel while I’m with her are just utterly indescribable just as her beauty was. 

Who was I before her? I sometimes have moments when I reminisce on the days I used to find myself so broken and defeated with no one to turn to. I would get into a fight at one in the morning only because they had looked at me a little too long on the streets. Sometimes I’d beat someone’s face up almost unrecognizable because my parents didn’t show up to another football game. I couldn’t even imagine just how much trouble I had caused my parents every time they had to bail me out of my own mess.

I had so much anger inside of me that looking back, I felt terrible for those that I have wronged. I knew that I had to make up to them somehow and it was Luna that helped me do it. She gave me the idea to get in touch with them and even though it was hard, I still remember her looking me deep in my eyes and telling me, “You are kind and you are full of love. Who you were hurt a lot of people, but who you are now can change that for the better.” 

And so that’s exactly what I did. The summer before freshman year in college involved a lot of going around, driving town by town meeting people whom I have hurt. It was tiring, emotionally and physically draining. But each time I looked to my side and saw Luna, I was somewhat instantly refreshed, like a battery getting recharged. 

There were difficult times, of course. Times when the people who see me immediately run away from fear, and I feel even worse as a person thinking I caused that. I had hurt this person so much that I’ve instilled that much anxiety in them just seeing me. 

I was a terrible person… but Luna never gave up on me. She helped let these people who were frightened of me see that I was much better and I was sincerely trying to do things right from now on. I honestly don’t know where I would be without her. 

She gave purpose to my once meaningless life.  

Because of that, I just wanted to do something that I know would make her the happiest. For a Donovan to set up this entire five star trip was easy because of all the resources. This whole trip cost me merely spare change, but to see her smile, to hear her laugh with all of her friends and mine, to be able to hold her in this paradise - it was completely and absolutely priceless.

“Last one in is a rotten egg!” Luna squealed in delight as she hurriedly took off her dress, running towards the clear blue water in just her swimsuit, her footsteps leaving marks on the white sand. 

I chuckled in amusement as she reached the water and immediately jumped up and down, shouting about how cold the water was and I couldn’t help but laugh even more. 

Her face turned to a look of betrayal and annoyance, or at least she tried to make it look that way but she was shivering immensely to make it look even remotely intimidating. 

I stepped into the water and felt the coldness travel all over my body, but it didn’t take long for me to adjust as I was used to the cold. I remembered all the days our football coach forced us to bathe in ice cold water, literally tons of ice in the bath. Aiden was the worst at it. The first time we had to do it, he pretty much cried. 

Luna tried to run away from me, her body pushing off the water as she created ripples around her, but it wasn’t hard for me to catch up to her. Her new caramel brown hair with blonde locks looked even lighter under the sun and I couldn’t help but pull her closer to me, my hands wrapping around her waist as I took in her every feature. 

“You are so beautiful, Luna. Now and even before. You know that, right?” I couldn’t help but let her know my thoughts as I looked intently at her. 

Even if I was with her for every second of every day, I would never be able to truly grasp her beauty inside and out, and I wanted her to know that. I wanted her to know that there was never a time she was never not beautiful to me. Even when she felt the ugliest with all her insecurities, even when she had to hide herself with baggy clothes, and looking down onto the ground so she wouldn’t have to get into eye contact with anybody. 

What happened to her during the earlier years in high school, I still regretted up to now. Even though Luna told me that she forgives me, that I shouldn’t feel bad, it was hard not to think and get mad at myself for not standing up for her more when she was getting bullied. 

I was stupid back then, but at least now I have all the time to make it up to her and I was going to do exactly that. 

“I do because you tell me everyday.” She replied, chuckling lightly as her eyes squinted a little, the exact look she always had whenever she smiled. 

“And I will continue telling you every single day.” I told her as she shifted her look to the side, putting her hand down back to the water as she played with it. 

Holding her right now like this, our bodies close to each other as it both radiated heat while the coldness of the ocean began to get warmer, the sun slowly going down by the edge of the sea on the horizon… There was definitely nowhere else I would rather be. 

While I was admiring her, unable to stop myself from doing so, Luna had taken advantage of my momentary distraction as she suddenly pulled herself away from my hold and began to get me wet by pushing the water with her hands. 

“Theo Donovan getting all soft I see.” She giggled as she continued to do the same thing. 

I put my arms on my face, trying to block the water as I kept walking closer to her. 

“Why is it when I get romantic, you change the topic, huh?” I ask her, speaking in a louder volume as the water splashed everywhere and kids laughing echoed around the beach. 

I noticed Luna stopped for a second. She bit her lip as she stared out far away by the sun that was slowly but surely going down. Everyday the sunset came and yet it felt as if it was different every time. Vibrant and rich colors fill the sky and you just can’t help but feel in awe by it. The glowing sun illuminated a path across the water from where we stood and began to dip below the horizon. 

“Got you!”

“Ah!”

Luna squealed in surprise as I managed to get a hold of her, immediately pulling her up from the water as I grabbed her from behind and she laughed while telling me to put her back down. I do as she asked and turn her to face me. 

Somewhat instinct overtake me and my hand goes up to her face, slowly moving to the side and I push back a strand of her hair to tuck into her ear. Luna immediately blushed at my action and my heart skipped a beat looking at her beauty up close. 

They say that love need not be perfect, it just has to be true. But with her, with my sweet Luna, it was irrevocably both. Our love is perfect just as it was truer than true. 

I move my hand to caress her face and she tilts her head in order to feel my warm touch as her eyes close and she smiles. In the middle of the ocean water, the people around us immediately disappear, the noises earlier begin to muffle as the two of us somehow get transported into our own space with just me and her.

Oftentimes, this would happen. Whether we would just be walking in the park or studying in the library, every time I look into her eyes or hold her hands it’s as if it’s really just the two of us. A lot of our friends in college teased us about how it was almost annoying because we were too inseparable. Although sometimes they would confess that they were jealous of the kind of love we had, deep down they knew what we had been through. 

Half of the country did, actually. From the dare to the accident wherein Luna lost her memories and when she had gotten it back, the story spread like wildfire in most high schools and colleges that before we could even step foot in California University, they knew us as that couple. 

A lot of people knew what our relationship had gone through, but not the specifics, of course. Not how much I had cried for her or how she did for me. Not how much heartbreak I felt seeing my best friend holding the hands of the one woman that changed my life, and many more. 

But it didn’t matter that they didn’t. The only thing that did was that I loved her and I will never let anything or anyone tear us apart ever again. I don’t think my heart could ever handle going through all of that again. 

“People are watching.” Luna whispered as she bit her lip nervously and her eyes subtly shifted to the side as she saw others around us I didn’t even notice. 

A small smile formed on my lips before I pulled her in closer to me, a gasp escaping her lips as her body hit mine ever so softly. 

“Let them watch.” I told her before my hand on her face pulled her closer to me and I leaned down in order to take her lips with mine. 

They were slightly wet and tasted a tad salty from the ocean water, but her sweetness was still ever present as our kiss deepened and our movements synchronized with one another. Kissing her was like getting the answer to all my doubts. It was like being brought back to the first time I had met her when we were younger and realizing just how much we had experienced together. As well as knowing how much more we were going to experience.

Her existence is what keeps me sane, and it’s her lips that remind me that there is nothing else in this world that is better than to be with her. 

I kiss her deeply, my hands caressing her face and our breaths getting shared simultaneously. I kiss her as if there was no tomorrow. I kiss her as though my very life depends on it, and maybe… it does. Maybe it’s her that gives me life and without her lips, her touch, and her very being, I wouldn’t be able to go on. 

She clung to me like I was all that she needed and I reveled in that thought. I would hold on to her forever if she wanted me to.

Suddenly, a relatively large wave passed us and the water drifted us apart, our lips having been pulled away. I took her hand before she could get any further and the two of us laughed as waves continued to come. 

“Ah!” Luna squealed when she almost tumbled down but I managed to pull her in closer to me, holding onto her waist so she could get steadied. 

“Want to go?” I asked from behind her as I rested my chin on her head while watching the sun slowly disappear and the moon greeting us. 

“Just a few more minutes with you, please.” She whispered before tightening her grip on my arms around her waist. 

We stayed in the water while the stars began to twinkle in the night sky as both our bodies took in each other’s warmth amidst the cold water. Nothing could be better than being with my Luna. 

“Hey! Hey!” 

We were both taken out of our moment when we heard a familiar voice behind us shouting to get our attention. 

“Is that-?” Luna tilted her head a little upwards and to the side to look at me with a questioning expression. 

I let out a sigh before smiling and momentarily closing my eyes as I took in the last few seconds holding on to Luna like this. Of course it had to be those two to disrupt our moment together. 

“Hey lovebirds!” The culprit screamed once again and we knew we had to get going.

“No one else.” I replied to her unamused and we lightly chuckled. 

We turned around and saw Alexa jumping up and down as she held hands with an embarrassed Aiden. It was still crazy to me how the tamed Aiden would end up with a rather wild child Alexa, but when he called me about her one night, it somehow made sense.

I think Aiden must have been so distracted with his feelings for Luna that he wasn’t able to see how much connection he felt with Alexa. At least not until that night they were at the club and he saved her. He took care of her and it seems at one point they must have realized the two could be more than friends. It was a good combination, somewhat opposites do attract kind of thing, and as long as they were happy, Luna and I were as well.

“Finally! I thought you guys were going to make out there for forever.” Alexa said as soon as we got out of the water and began to walk towards them. 

“I did get a cool shot, though.” Aiden said as he let out the camera I got and lent to him while they went off to who knows where. 

“Oh my gosh, that is so cool!” Luna said as her eyes widened and she took the camera away from Aiden to show me. 

It was us in the middle of the water, the sunset behind us creating the beautiful mixture of colors we saw earlier, and we were… kissing. If this was any other time, I would have felt weird being captured doing something so intimate, but the way Luna looked at it so excitedly and the fact that it really did look beautiful made me forget about everything else. I think I might have found my perfect photo, besides the one I took of her secretly during our first day in high school.

“Wait, I was going to tell you something even more amazing!” Alexa said as if she had won the lottery and Luna of course was already excited as she ran up to her best friend.

“What is it?” She asked, evidently curious. 

“Guess who just got us invited to the Copacabana Palace Magic Ball?” Alexa’s smile practically reached from ear to ear. 

“What? No way!” 

“Yes way!” 

The two began to screech and jump up and down the sand as well as talk about their outfits while Aiden and I just looked at each other, shaking our heads. 

“Girls.” He said and we both chuckled. “I honestly don’t even know what that event is.” He confessed. 

“Probably the most famous Carnival Ball in the entire continent. Anyone who’s anyone in Brazil and South America’s elite and some international VIPs go to party there.” I told him and Aiden looked at me with a raised brow, probably wondering how I knew. 

“Bro, you’re talking to a Donovan. I’ve avoided going to that since I turned sixteen. Parents used to annoy me to go since it was a good business opportunity.” 

Funny how life had a way of catching up to you sometimes. I had forgotten about that Ball and didn’t think Luna would be interested, but seeing her reaction, at least she was excited. If there was one person I would go to that event I had tried to avoid for years, it would definitely be her.

“So much for avoiding it, huh?” Aiden said and I let out a sigh that was somewhat of an acceptance to reality.

“Tell me about it. Guess we’re going to have to find us some tuxedos.”