The dreams invaded Selena’s mind again. This time, at the waterfall where she was cornered by wolves except that there was a swing, hanging not too far from the waterfall and Selena was on it. White chiffon dress, long flowing hair, and a heart-stealing smile on her expectation brimming face as she gazed upon the waterfall. The same man came to was standing behind her, pushing her swing. The same soft and soothing flute sound came along the wind, drifting for a long time. Then the swing stopped by a pair of hands and the hands traveled up to cup her chin from behind and lifted her head up. A soft lip planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Mine…” Selena chuckled with the repeated word. She slide down from the swing, walked around to him, and laid her head on his chest. As a reflex, he embraced her in his arms, one hand over the back of her head, playing with hair strands.
“Are you going to say that every night to me? ” Selena’s voice was low and pitiful
“Hmm mmm” he nodded
“When are you going to show me yourself?” Selena looked up to his eye, a chocolate eye that is not too dark nor too light, somewhere like bronze. Bedazzled by the eye, she sunk deep into it, casting away self-awareness, submitting herself completely to him.
“When the time comes, my love…” he held her chin to kiss but Selena flinched away, switching into a playful mode.
Biting her lower lip with a smirk at the corner, she parted from him and paced towards the waterfall. There, she looked over her shoulder at him while slow and seductively, dragged the zipper on her back downwards. She stripped into two-piece and slowly stepped into the cold water. When she had settled, she ran a palmful of water over her face.
A pair of callosal hands held her shoulders from behind. She turned around to face him, awkwardly blushing as he leaned forward to kiss her by the lips. The familiar warmth engulfed, blinding her. He playfully bites her lower lips making her gasp. A smirk against her lips made her realize that it was a trick to make her open her lips. Taking the opportunity, he surged his tongue into the now slightly ajar mouth, exploring every inch of her mouth, making her shrug her shoulder to withhold the tickling sensation it created.
She woke up again to chirping birds again but this time it was a bit late. Around 8. 30 am. She recalled the eyes from the dream.
‘Is he revealing bits and pieces of himself? Is he real and bound to show up sometime soon? Or is it some sort of subconscious memory resurfacing to torture me?’
She had no definite answer but one thing for sure, she is having her first crush on a man, from her dreams. She covered her face with her palm and smiled shyly at the thought.
After she got ready, she came out of the room with Jewel. They could only find Bohemian themes dresses at the mountain foot. Selena was wearing a spaghetti strap, colorful full-length dress and her hair were loose. They were busy chatting when she looked up to see Orion leaned against the wall. A hint of admiration in his chocolate eyes with a gentle smile on his lips.
‘Wait, chocolate eyes?’
Selena just noticed that Orion also has chocolate eyes and her expression changed to a deadpan. Her eyes kept darting between his two eyes in doubt. He waved his palm in front of her face, making her snap from her daze.
“Let’s go for breakfast” he guided them further deep down the hall, where an opening with a thick wooden frame led them to a vast dining hall. An elegant woman with straight silver hair, in a light blue long shapeless dress, sat on the furthest end of the wooden dining table. Orion walked straight to her.
“Selena, I would like you to meet Mrs. Ruth Black, Zaden’s beloved mother”. She stood up, stretching her hand to shake Selena’s. She has the aura of a queen and anyone would feel small next to her.
“Nice to meet you, mam, I’m Selena and this is my friend Jewel” she pointed at the thin figure next to her
“Please, just Ruth. Zaden briefed me about you and your friends but I didn’t expect such a dazzling beauty. Please, have a seat” she said with absolute politeness. Orion pulled a chair on her left to sit while Selena pulled the next one beside him
“Orion, darling. Would you mind moving to the other chairs? I would like Selena to sit here…” Orion scowled at her as he shuffled with Selena, who by the way, is anxious and hesitant. Ruth slowly blinked at her as encouragement, and she sat down. There is an undeniable familiarity and attachment, pulling Selena closer to Ruth in a snap of fingers.
“Is he angry?” Selena whispered to Ruth
“Oh, dear. Ignore him. He is just too jealous but will completely forget it once the blueberry muffin is served…” her comment made Selena chuckle and Ruth joined her.
A low, steady rhythmic thud grasped their attention as Zaden stride into the space, heads down while scratching his eyebrow with his thumbnail. He froze for a moment, seeing the coziness between Selena and his mother, Ruth.
” There is my handsome prince charming” Ruth acknowledged his presence, yet, he focused on Selena with a cold glare as he paced to sit opposite her or to the right of Ruth. The breakfast was served and Selena ate, shuffling uncomfortably in her seat due to Zaden’s sharp, unfazed gaze.
‘Is he really looking at me or am I imagining it? Only one way to find out
After consulting her inner voice, she looked up from her plate to see Zaden’s chocolate eyes staring directly at her and didn’t even wince after being caught by Selena.
‘Wait, what? Another chocolate eyes. It must be a common eye color around here or I am just being obsessed with mid-tone, bronzy chocolate eyes.’
Orion, Jewel, and Selena walked side by side with Orion in the middle, heading outdoor.
“Orion, can you bring us to the lake, the one that anyone can go fishing for dinner?” before Orion could answer that, Jeffry grabbed their shoulders, 1 hand on Selena and another on Orion’s shoulder, peeping between them
“And some fishing supplies?” he said with excitement. Oliver peeped on Orion’s other shoulder, nodding excitedly. That settles it, they are going fishing.
Selena decided to prepare some fish for the buffet dinner tonight since she felt really bad not contributing yesterday. Oliver whipped his fishing rod, throwing the weighted cord far across the lake. The girls stood at calf-high water with a fishing net in their hands, missing their balance and falling to the water once in a while but getting back up to their feet, laughing at their failure and helplessness as they throw their net into the water, again.
Some preferred to sit back and enjoy the view; Noah at the ridged mountain across the lake – Sultan, protectively over the entire group– Orion at Selena, tracing every curve that is visible due to the wet dress now.
“You like her, don’t you?” Sultan’s gravelly voice shook him as he snapped his head to him. When he realizes he had been admiring her all this time, he scrunched his nose as he rubbed his hand behind his neck, turning his face to the opposite side.
“You know it’s gonna be complicated, right? I mean, she is from the city and probably doesn’t want to stay here” Sultan expressed his concern and Orion just nodded as he pursed his lips. A few moments of pause gone by before he sighed out of frustration.
“I can’t help it. She is exceptionally beautiful from any other girls I have dated before” Orion said. After thinking for a while, Sultan replied
“Maybe– just maybe– she would consider staying if she finds something she loves here, between these mountains…” Sultan’s eyebrow raised a tweek, hinting at Orion, who in return gave him a fist bump.
Orion then stood up and walked into the water to teach the girls how it’s actually done. He bent down and held his hand ready. A fish came along and he remained as still as possible. When it was the right time, he grabbed the fish as he wrestled to keep it contained. His muscles on his arm flexed facilitating him to catch one with bare hands.
“Now, your turn!!!” Orion motioned and Selena bent down in front of him, giving a clear view of her back. Orion’s eye quickly darted indecently at her back. Jewel, Oliver, and Jeffry caught his act too, glancing over each other with million questions.
A rather large fish wiggled its tail to Selena’s feet. As per their lesson, she waited patiently before attacking it with her bare hands and pulled it out of the water but she didn’t have enough grit to hold it, as the fish started slipping.
Orion had to intervene and tried to grab the fish but Selena hugged the fish to her body. The 3 feet long fish squirmed with all its strength, threatening to jump out. Selena was losing her balance due to the fish’s force, but Orion stretched his arms around her and pulled her to his chest with the fish in between them. Her mind is preoccupied with the fish that she didn’t actually notice Orion’s arms around her.
With this much close proximity, Orion’s eyes wandered to her lips, smiling at the struggling fish. Her eyes squint when the fish sprinkled some water. Undeniable attraction Orion beamed towards Selena made her friends felt awkward as they exchanged confused or rather alarmed expressions. The new additions hoped Selena would stay here but her lifelong friends is out to protect her. It’s not like they can force them to stay, right?
Back at the brick house, Selena got a bath and changed into a dress, and headed to the kitchen. On the way, she came across Zaden and nodded at him with a smile.
“Hi” she motioned to the ladies in the kitchen.
“I need to cook some fish, can I know where the spices are?” they all pointed simultaneously towards a cabinet.
The fish was already cleaned and cut into slices as Selena begin cooking. Soon, one by one, the ladies cleared the space as their work is done. Selena carefully arranged the fish slice onto a grill pan, turning them once in a while, fully focused on the task in her hand.
She turned away for a moment to slice lemons when Zaden’s deep voice and a fish splattering came coherently, making her jump out of scare, cutting herself in the process. She groaned, holding her injured finger in her hand. Zaden quickly moved from behind to grab her hand in panic, spreading warmth to her hand, stirring something in her tummy.
Her soft index finger is now oozing with blood. Zaden looked around for tissue but he couldn’t find anything. He darted back to the finger which is dripping blood now. He bent his head slightly to grab the finger between his lips and sucked at it hard. It hurt so much that Selena started hoping low at her spot as she wrung the other free hand when Zaden let go for a minute to observe the wound
“Hold still for a minute” he ordered making her stiff at her spot.
He inspected her wound, gently caressing the split skin and it started bleeding again. He quickly bends down again to suck the finger. She shut tight her eye and sucked in air, causing a notch in her throat as she placed her other hands against his chest, ready to push him away if it gets unbearable.
The sensation of his lips on her skin amplified to thousand times when she closed her eye and practically all her senses. Soothing warmth with a slight swirl of his soft, firm tongue. He seemed to be concentrated on her cut and nothing else. When he let go, her heart whimpered at the loss of contact, and she blinked open her eye.
He blew lightly on the cut.
“Ok, the bleeding stopped. Come!” he instructed as he pulled her by her cut hand. Selena managed to switch off the stove before being dragged away.
“Sit” his voice was low and calm with an uncompromised dominance, causing Selena to blindly obey. She climbed up a bar stool which made her taller than she is.
Zaden grabbed a first aid box under the sink and dabbed some alcohol on the sponge before cleaning her cut, earning a hiss from her. He glared at her face
“Do you always scare that easily?” his low-toned insult didn’t miss her ears.
“Not always. Only when someone sneaks up to me” sensing the sarcasm in her tone, he pressed on the cut a little bit harder, making her pull her hand away with an ‘arghhh’ and started blowing onto her cut. An ache deep in his chest slapped onto his face and he softened, sorry for her, and grabbed her hand softly, pulled it towards him again as he continued his treatment, applying antibiotic and wrapping it with a bandage.
“Now what?” he thrust his hands into his pocket before questioning her
“What?” Selena asked in confusion. He nudged his head towards the stove. Selena realized she left the cooking in midway. She slides off the stool
“Thanks,” she said as she walked back to the stove, resuming her cooking.
“Do you need any help?” the dark-haired, masculine figure in a black V-neck t-shirt and light blue jeans, trailed behind her, calm and slow, hands still thrust into the pocket.
“It’s ok. The cut is not that bad” Selena switched on the stove.
Zaden came to stand next to her, earning a confused look as she scanned him from top to bottom back to top. A knife in his hand, slicing lemons now. She chooses to keep quiet and continue with her chore.
“Have you cooked before?” Zaden asked not moving his eye from the cutting board
“Occasionally” She kept it simple and short. A moment of silence followed before Selena decide to ask a question that has been tumbling in her for a while now
“Can I ask you something?” he nodded
“Aren’t you guys afraid of wo–” she paused and decided to use a different word “Wildlife around here?” he frowned
“We have never been attacked before. Plus, wildlife tends to keep away from a spot that has signs of frequent movements” he answered casually as he finished slicing the lemons.
“What’s next?” taking he wanted to help more, she pointed at a basket of asparagus by her other side as her eyes remained on the fish. He reached to the basket, hands crossing her back as his nose came close to her neck.
He bit his lower lip at the sweet scent she is emitting. He managed to grab the basket and return to his original position.
“Nice perfume,” he said in a low and husky voice. Her eye looked up, confused at his face since she is not wearing any perfume.
“Thanks…” and with that, a conversation started rolling. Basic information exchanged. It seems like he did study Business Management, he likes sports and dislikes asparagus
“You should try some, you know, being open to possibilities,” she said as she was pan-frying asparagus with some olive oil, garlic ginger, oregano, and salt.
He scrunched his face in disgust, making her let out a low sigh.
“Sit” she pointed her spatula to the kitchen counter, as she picked up a small plate and placed a few asparagus on it. He did as told with his arms crossed his chest.
She handed him the plate as he picked asparagus, ate it, and looked up, glaring at her. She rolled her eye and picked up a piece of fish with cooking tongs and placed it on his plate. He broke a piece with his finger and was about to eat it when she stopped him
“What are you doing?” she shook her head irritatedly. She then squeezed some lemon on top of the fish and placed a green, creamy sauce on the side of the fish, took a fork, forked asparagus and then a small piece of fish, then slightly dipping the fish in the sauce, before bringing it near his mouth, feeding him. It took a few chews before the flavors mingled together, filling his oral cavity, awakening every single taste bud on his tongue. His eyes drift shut and moaned softly, throwing his head up.
“Good huh?” she wiggled her eyebrow at him sarcastically with a smile. Her hands next to his thigh, on the counter. He suddenly dropped his head, nose to nose with her.
“Better than sex,” he said low making her laugh.
“And that’s how, chief, you eat asparagus” she moved away from him. He continued cutting into the fish while Selena went back to cooking
“Anyway, from what I have heard, nothing is better than sex,” she said while flipping the fish. Zaden frowned in confusion
“Wait…what? From what you HEARD?” he exaggerated the word heard. She nodded not paying attention to him or possibly to what she is saying.
“Selena, are you a virgin?” she froze for a moment, thinking carefully about the past seconds and what her next reaction would be, settling with a simple shoulder shrug.
“Oh my god!!!” He exclaimed with burst of a laugh.
“Oh shut up” she threw a glare at him and proceed to boil water in a small pan.
Zaden’s laughter slowly faded. They continued conversing, while she kept placing asparagus or fried potato wedges, or bacon on his plate. He didn’t stop her and just kept talking while eating. In a few moments, she took something white from the boiling water, strained for a few seconds, and placed it on his plate, seasoning it with some salt and pepper
“What is this?” Zaden
“Poached egg” Selena. He cut into the egg and took a bite with a good amount of yolk and enjoyed every bit of it
“Can I get another one of this?” Selena obliged and made him another one.
By the time he was done, her friends came along, mentioning that the tables are all set and so did Selena with her fish. They then carried all the trays she prepared to the buffet table before each took a plate and proceed to eat, except for Zaden of course. He excused himself to check on his villagers. Selena was the last one to leave the buffet when she was stopped by Orion and Makeala.
Makeala was carrying a baby girl in her arms, possibly 6 months or so. Selena soon learned that the baby was her own and Orion and Makeala are siblings. When the baby became uncomfortable, she excused herself to feed her, leaving behind Orion and Selena alone.
“So…love the fish” Selena smiled at his comment and before she could thank him, they heard Jeffry’s voice from far. He was waving his hand, motioning Selena to come to them at an almost dark corner. Without thinking much, Selena excused herself and walked to them
“Can you keep your distance from him, please” Jeffry whispered in her ears once she was close enough. She rolled her eyes.
“What? I don’t like his vibe and the way he looks at you” the others looked at her with concern as if they agree with him. Selena just shook her head with a smile “SO… Jeffry’s overprotectiveness is contagious!!!”
“Come on Selena, we don’t want our Bambi to be broken when we return,” he said that out a bit loud
“Who is Bambi?” It was Zaden, standing behind Jeffry and wide-eyed-Selena, blushing in embarrassment.
“Hmm… that’s Selena’s nickname back home. Ouch!!!” Jeffry just got kicked on the foot by Selena.
“Why Bambi?” Sitka joined him from god knows where– fueling more of her blushing.
“Because she can melt any animal with her eyes. She will tame them, make them do what she wants just via eye contact” Noah explained
“Any animal?” Now it was Xavier. Curious about who else was there, Selena turned her head to see the whole ‘Zaden team’ behind her.
‘Great!!!’
“I don’t see you eating, Chief?” Noah asked with concern
“Hmm…I’m full. By the way, I don’t see any poached eggs at the buffet. You forgot them or did they finish up too fast?” Selena and her friends exchanged a confused look.
“I didn’t make any for the villagers, only two for you,” Selena said. A tingle crept up his neck–for no apparent reason, he felt happy that she cooked personally for him. The bacon wasn’t on the table, so she must have cooked that for him too. A tiny smile bloomed on his lips.
“That’s too bad. Zaden told us it was great. We were hoping to get a bite” Sultan finally spoke
” I can make some in the morning, for breakfast” she answered with hesitation and they all agreed.