elle

?" he asked, trying t

e dim light, he was striking-the kind of handsome that be

responde

rked

taring out at the ocean, wiping away tears now and then. So I cam

ain in my heart hasn't gone away since I lost my b

he curve of my face,

he asked gently, "that you l

urprised by the tenderness in h

did. But I hope, someday, I

said, stretching his hand towar

d wiping my face with

a note of gentle reassurance as he reached for the bottle. "I know we're

d, watching him pause wit

playing at the corners of his mouth

" I ad

lse. Twenty-one years old, and I had never tasted a drop of liquor, never felt a man's touch beyond

family's strict beliefs would never have allowed it. The weight of those expectat

gently, pouring the golden liquid into crystal glasses. "T

d gasp. But underneath the burn was something warm and golden, something that sp

el read in elegant script. Even I knew this was expensive cog

I murmured, taking another sip,

all of your problems," he said quietly,

ome invisible weight, the way his eyes seemed distant and trouble

the boldness. The first glass had dulled the sharp e

rystal catching the dim light filtering through t

I asked him, the alcohol m

he said "I got a call today. From a stranger." He took a long drink.

ught. "What

a grudge against my mum, maybe." I could

ately took her from me-and before I could ask who, the stranger hung up. Now, I feel like I coul

ens" I m

settling between us like a third presence. As the mo

d sit on the hood?" I asked g

t air was cool, the sound of waves crashing against the shore provided a rhythmic backdrop, pun

s Lamborghini, the metal still holding heat fr

ove us, stars began to appear more clearl

asked, holding

his third drink went down smoother, the

ked eventually, his voice

e in nutrition." The words came easier now, the dr

nuine smile, and something about the

he continued with a grin, and I burst into laughter-lou

iling as he gave a grin, wonde

ugh for a first timer" he

I'm okay" I responded, st

ity blunted by the warm haze of alcohol. The sound of the waves seemed more musical now,

his warmth spreading through my limbs, this lightness in my hea

ed me more than I'd realized, and my coordination wasn't what it should be. My hand slipped, an

d, and the sound of my name on h

wasn't family. I could smell his cologne-something sophist

ickened breathing, and sense the tension brewing between us. His eyes

brushed mine-my mind went blank except for one scr

me. We stared at each other in the moonlight, both breathing

stuttered. "It's not... umm," h