1927: Redemption

What is love?

“The path doesn't care about the terrain, that's for me to deal with. The path is the path. So whatever comes I keep going. When I get knocked down I have to get up, 'cause there's no other way. I know what's out there though, I know 'cause the universe told me. It said "just walk" and so I did, I still do. It says at the other end is peace, real happiness for everyone, and I gotta keep going even if the path makes me bleed. Sometimes it has, sometimes so much I just wanna stay down and feel the cold... then I remember why I started this journey and find my feet again. It's lonely though, and I think some company would be nice if you can be brave enough. It's freedom, it's the dusty, it's leading and following. I can't promise comfort, but there's plenty of stuff to k****e your soul and bring the sorts of smiles you thought only belonged to the stars.”

21 DECEMBER 2021- MIAMI, FLORIDA

There was silence from the bottom of the tree for a moment, while she tried to calm her heart down. Then:

“Come down.” The voice was cold and controlled which sent a spark down her spine, leading her to lose her grip on the branch and she slid down the trunk of the tree, not caring if she tore her shirt or even her hands. She had more important things on her hands than a little blood.

“Hold.” The same voice ordered and instantly her arms abided by the order as if she was compelled to the voice and did what it ordered.

Then, slowly, hanging on the branch of the tree she looked down. Ace had stepped back- and well had worried expressions as she raced towards the ground. And then, there he stood….. her saviour, her beast, the only person who could make her heart race by just his voice or one look. He stood right there in a black shirt and trousers with a black mask on his face, however, had no such worry as Ace in his eyes, he stood there like an ancient Mayan statue, his eyes flashing like icicles.

It was hard enough for Adeline to hold herself as her entire body was shivering, her hands were shaking.

What the hell was happening to her all of the sudden?

This never happened before with her in his presence, then why now?

Swallowing hard, she closed her teary eyes and tore their staring contest, and then opened again to yell. “Step back!” Hurtling towards the muddy ground.

But, he just gave her a look, he did not even need to utter a single word, and she still understood: Not a chance in hell!

Just at the right moment, he stepped forward. His muscular arms came up and closed, tightly. The impact knocked the breath out of her. For a moment, she thought she would have been better off landing in the mud than on his stone-hard form, because the moment he touched her, the newest spark ignited in her soul as for the first time, she saw his eyes turned golden without getting angry, or high emotions.

What was this freaking connection?

But, her thoughts were cut off when they toppled over, rolling through leaves and over roots until they come to a rest and she ended up, panting heavily, on top of his perfectly sculpted chest, her eyes staring into his marvellous golden eyes with a tinge of forest greens, her lips only inches away from his mask covered mouth.

His dusky brown hair was tousled, as he had his perfect muscular arms around her waist, while his breathing was even- she was breathing heavily as she got lost in his eyes like they were trying to express something and she was unable to decipher it.

Then she felt something hard between their chests, tearing her eyes off his face, she looked down and found a silver chain around his neck, which was long enough to be hidden under his shirt.

Sliding down the index finger of her right hand along his neck, she felt him shiver under her teasing touch, her finger halted on his chest when she found a spherical object hidden inside his shirt.

Adeline pulled it out of his shirt to find a beautiful blue sapphire ring hanging in the chain.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she asked, “What’s this?”

Till now he hadn’t paid attention to her actions while he was busy feeling her, studying her, enjoying their proximity.

“What?”

“This-this ring.”

She had never seen any man get out from under a girl so fast. Well, to be honest, she had never seen any man get out from under a girl at all, they quite enjoy it. Not him though, because he was out from under her and upon his feet in half a second, leaving her lying in the dirt.

“It’s nothing, get up now.”

“No need to order m-“ she began but cut off with a yelp when he grabbed her hand and jerked her to her feet.

The moment his hand touched her, she tried hard not to focus on how it felt like she was being electrocuted or something with guns touching her, she was all but panting when she finally managed to catch hold of him, grabbing at his shoulder tightly.

And, she got this warm, crazy feeling when she touched him that made her stomach start twisting and doing somersaults and it felt like she was being electrocuted. But in a really good way, if that made sense.

Holding her, he said in an extremely deep voice. “I can, and I will.”

Her thoughts were spinning in her head and she thought she was about to top over backwards off because he was touching her. She had no idea what on Earth she could say to make it seem like she did not agree with his statement.

Under normal circumstances, she would have replied to him with some come back that would be twice witty, but she could not right then.

Because right then her heart was pounding erratically against her chest and she felt like she might pass out on the spot. Ace had been right. Ace had totally been right.

Adeline had feelings for her saviour, her beast.

Well, wasn’t this just fantastic?

They didn’t move an inch and looked intensely in each other’s eyes, getting lost in the process.

Get a grip, Adeline. Get a grip, Adeline. Get a grip, Adeline.

That was what she was chanting in her head over and over again like a mantra while she tried really hard to keep herself short of hyperventilating.

Maybe it was imagination that was making this seem like something more than it actually was. It would be pretty stupid of a mind to spin a fantasy where she was almost positive that he was about to kiss her.

But wasn’t his face covered with a mask?

His thumb skimmed across her cheek while he leaned closer to her, and his eyes were locked with her. She could tell that her face was an embarrassing red colour and a heart was pounding loudly against her chest, but for some odd reason, her eyes refused to look away from him.

A part of her did not want him close to her, not after he left and came unannounced, and she was trying to force herself to move, to stop this, but she quickly realised that it was pointless.

Who was kidding? She wanted to rip off his mask and kiss him really, really badly.

Did her anger subside or was she too engrossed in the pools of desire in his eyes?

Whatever it was, it needed to be stopped, because if Adeline needed to hold her ground, she needed to overpower the sensation of being electrocuted whenever he touched her.

But could she?

Well, that could be a discussion? Well, there was certainly more than one topic that could be discussed.

Like, for instance- whose ring was he wearing?

Did it belong to someone special in his life? If not, then why was he carrying it around his neck, closer to his heart.

Another could be, why did he always wear a mask?

Was he afraid to show his face? Or afraid that he could be recognisable to the world, or rather to her?

And at last, the question of the century, what kind of connection did both of them possess?

Was it driven by lust or desire?

If not then what? Was it.....love?

No, no, no! How could it be love?

How could Adeline- an intelligent, practical girl love a man whose face she had never seen?

But, did love was all about seeing someone's looks and then making a judgement that whether you love him or not?

If not, then what is love? Thought Adeline.

She was lost in her thoughts when...

Well, what happened?