Page 24 of Guarded By Death

He senses my change in mood and grabs my hand, leading us towards a mass of dancing bodies. I try to keep up with his long stride, but I stumble on the rugged cobblestone floor and clumsily bump into a girl. We fall into a heap on the warm stone, our legs tangled. I profusely apologize, unsure if she speaks English until she responds, “It’s totally fine!” Her boyfriend looks concerned, and he helps her up, relaxing when he sees she’s okay.

Pierce extends his hand to me, lifting me with ease. We walk through the crowded pathway and he smooths my dress out. “Scar, be careful!” He jokes, teasing me.

We get to the patch of dancing people and I twirl around to the lively music and giggle when Pierce brings me close to his chest. I ignore the rumble of my stomach as we take a moment to get lost to the beat, immersing ourselves with others who are equally as happy as us. I can't believe we’re in Brazil right now. My mental state from last night to now is completely different. I feel so comfortable around Pierce. It's like these crowded streets are empty, like it's just him and I dancing to the sounds of the town.

The delicious aroma of spiced food flows into my nose, and my stomach demands attention. I stop dancing and look to Pierce. In unison we both mouth ‘Food.’ He laughs as he throws his arm around my shoulder, leading us towards a small restaurant just ahead.

We walk past a family with a small terrier who upon peering his large eyes at Pierce, cowers to the ground, whining. We quicken our steps, and I don’t question what just happened.

My fingertips trail along the textured stucco walls of the restaurant, bright murals painted on the surface bring life to the small building. The hostess leads us to a back deck and gestures for us to sit anywhere we’d like. We walk on the weathered wood deck and I take in the simple yet elegant décor.

Pierce decides on a small, circular table tucked away on the edge of the deck. He pulls out my seat and I smile as I sit down, taking in the subtle warm light coming from the low hanging globe above us.

He looks simply perfect as he sits across from me, his sharp edges illuminated by the cast of golden light. He smiles at me and my heart flutters as I take in this moment. Unscathed by the threat of looming attackers, I don't worry about my problems right now, all I can see is him.

I reach my hand out and place it on top of his. "I needed this, Pierce. Thank you for doing this," I say. He smiles before moving my hand to place it in his, instead of on top of it.

The waiter breaks our silent moment of staring at each other. I can't understand what he's saying, as I don’t speak Portuguese.

"Nos teremos duas aguas, por favor," Pierce says to the waiter. His voice is velvet as the foreign words roll off his tongue. The waiter nods and walks away with a smile.

I throw my hands up. "Of course, you speak Portuguese." I dramatically roll my eyes, earning a small laugh from Pierce.

"I've had a lot of time," he says, his eyes trailing away from mine, looking out at the dark ocean. He's deep in thought and I can't fathom what his version of 'time' might mean. I need to change the subject because I'm not sure if I want to find that out, just yet. I'm blissfully aware of my ignorance of the situation but for Pierce's sake, and my sanity I will happily pretend this is a normal, everyday date.

"So, what did you tell him?" I ask. Pierce’s eyes travel back to me. Before he can answer, the waiter places two glasses of ice-cold water in front of us.

The waiter patiently waits as Pierce’s eyes roam the menu. "What would you like?" he asks, setting the menu back down in front of him.

"Anything, just make it seafood," I reply with a smile, I'm not picky at all. I just know I want seafood, especially in this setting. He places our order, and the waiter sends another smile before walking away.

I quickly grab the ice-cold water and drink half the glass. Even though I had two bottles earlier, I am so thirsty from swimming all day.

Light conversation flows through us as I eagerly wait for whatever he ordered to arrive. I wanted to ask him what he ordered for me, but I enjoy the surprise.

The waiter walks towards us with a massive tray, piled with all different kinds of seafood and vegetables. He places a plate in front of both of us and I thank the waiter with a smile not wanting to say the wrong thing; I should have paid attention in foreign language better.

"This looks amazing!" I inhale the delicious aroma.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so this platter sounded like a good idea." He places shrimp and crab legs on his plate, and I stack mine full. The hunger from our busy day makes me think I can eat more than I probably can. He laughs at the size of my plate. "Hey, don't laugh, I like to eat!" I say playfully.

"No, I love that you like food. I just don't know where it all goes," he winks, looking over my body. I blush at his subtle compliment.

We enjoy the food with light conversation, and I finish my oversized plate just to prove a point.

I realize how tired I am as we make our way back to the dark alleyway. I look up at Pierce and see that he's on high alert on the dark streets. His carefree smile is gone, replaced with a scowl as his eyes dart around us. I wonder what made him nervous. I grab his hand in mine and wait for him to look down to meet my face, but he never takes his eyes off the crowd.

I nearly trip over my untied shoe a couple of times as we make it to the alleyway, I lean down to tie it once we stop. When I get up, he pulls me into his warm embrace, and I close my eyes. I'm not sure if I would see anything if I opened them but I don't want to find out. This way I can pretend we were already wherever he is taking us.

When I'm sure we’re at our new location, my eyes pan upward, and we stand in Liv’s driveway. "What if she saw us just appear!" I stutter.

"She's in the bathroom, taking a shower," he tells me.

My stomach drops. "Umm. How did you know that?” I lightly scoff, irritation lacing my voice.

"Calm down, babe." He wraps me in a tight hug. "I left for like one second when we were still in the alleyway and heard the shower running in the bathroom," he assures me with a grin. I’m thankful his playful demeanor returned, because he looked ready to kill moments ago.

I laugh to myself, embarrassed. "You have no reason to be jealous, my eyes are only for you," he tells me, washing away any worries as he brushes his lips against my cheek.

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