Page 62 of The Pact

I want to lean down and kiss those perfect lips, however right now, with her talking about how my hands touching her got her going, I don’t think I can control myself. I distract myself by unzipping the backpack she’s wearing and pulling out a blanket.

“A moment of happiness,

you and I sitting on the verandah,

apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.

We feel the flowing water of life here,

you and I, with the garden's beauty

and the birds singing.

The stars will be watching us,

and we will show them

what it is to be a thin crescent moon.

You and I unselfed, will be together,

indifferent to idle speculation, you and I.

The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar

as we laugh together, you and I.

In one form upon this earth,

and in another form in a timeless sweet land.”

“That’s beautiful,” Thea tells me as we lay on the blanket, staring up at the stars in the now darkened sky.

In one hand I hold a book of poems, while my other traces circles over her bare shoulder. She tossed the jacket an hour ago when it got too hot to wear it.

“Jalal al-Din Rumi wrote it. I think it’s kind of perfect for tonight.”

Thea scoots in closer to me, laying on her side, resting her head on my shoulder and her hand on my chest. I wish she knew how right this feels for me, lying with her under the stars.

“Thank you for bringing me here. I needed this.” She pushes up on to her elbow and peers down at me. Her eyes wander over my face and I feel the pulse of that strange, yet overwhelming, thing that somehow connects us.

Thea leans down and kisses me. Our mouths move slowly, there’s no rush. Dropping the book, I run my hand through her hair. I want to deepen it and slip my tongue into her mouth, needing to know how she tastes, but I can’t.

I break our kiss. She looks confused. “I want to take our time. This has been building up for a long time and I want to do this right.” I hate lying to her.

If she could only see how much I’m holding back out of respect for Cole. If it was up to me, I’d let my tongue devour her mouth, her tits, her pussy. I wouldn’t stop until I tasted every inch of her, making her come over and over again.

If it was up to me, I’d confess how much I care for her and never stopped in the decade apart. Although I can’t tell her these things…yet. She won’t understand why Cole needs to go first. It’ll complicate things. Right now, her life doesn’t need to be any harder.

She lays her head back down on my shoulder and I smooth my hand over her wavy hair. “The stars will be watching us and we will show them…” I recite from the poem once again.

“Yes we will,” she replies softly.

THEA

I’m pulling on my pants when my phone buzzes. It’s early, no later than ten. I could use another hour or two of sleep. Sutton didn’t drop me off until two in the morning. We talked for hours under the stars and he read me all of his favorite poems.

The number comes up as unknown, however, the area code is local, so I answer.

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