Reiner went completely silent as his blue eyes stared deeply into mine. He’s so tall and the way he stared down at me made me feel so intimidated…but not this time…
“If I told you that this might be my dream, would you still stand in my way?” I asked although I knew that I was being unfair.
Please answer me before I start crying right in front of you.
Instead of replying to me, Reiner reached out and grabbed my wrist firmly before he tugged on my arm and pulled me into his arms.
“R…” I whispered his name in surprise as I felt the familiar warmth of his embrace surround me.
His arms tightened around my body before his large hand held the back of my head and pressed my face closer against his chest. I could feel the strong beat of his heartbeat against my ear and before I knew it, I had wrapped my arms securely around his naked upper body.
“I can’t let you go…” Reiner muttered softly, and his arms tightened again around my body.
“Then…can you find a way to come with me?” I asked before I tried to tip my face to look up at him.
I knew that I was being very selfish and perhaps that was one of the things that I was so good at. My life with him had been a series of me pushing him around the way that I liked.
“Please, come with me, R…I don’t want us to live apart either…” I continued begging him.
Reiner was silent for a while, and I knew that he was truly considering what I wanted. I pressed my body closer to his as I enjoyed the heat of his body against mine. In the end, we probably felt the same way and we didn’t want to be apart from each other.
“I understand,” Reiner finally said.
“You do?” I asked in surprise.
“I do. I’ll find a way…” Reiner whisper calmly from above me.
“Thank you, R!” I thanked him gleefully.
I never knew back then what Reiner had to give up to accompany me on my mission to right the wrongs of the orphanage and save those children.
…
**A few days later**
“We’re finally back!” I announced loudly and cheerfully as I danced my way into our small office in the orphanage.
No one else was waiting for us there apart from a wide-eyed Nick who was dressed in a basic white shirt and loose jeans.
“Wow! Welcome back!” Nick exclaimed excited as he jumped out of his seat.
I could tell that Nick had been busy and was probably behind on his sleep from the dark bags under his eyes. Apart from that, he seemed as energetic and motivated as before we left him here all alone to deal with all the mess.
“How have things been around here?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t say smooth sailing but we’re keeping it together. The children are happy and not impacted,” Nick reported with a bright smile.
“I have some good news on that front. You see, we didn’t just return alone, we brought some surprise guests with us!” I announced before gesturing with both hands at the opened door.
“Hi!”
“Hello!”
“Glad to be here!”
“Wow! We have a team now?” Nick exclaimed in surprise at the sight of three new members.
After I somehow convinced Reiner to let me return to this island to work on the orphanage and he somehow convinced King to allow him to come along with me, we also managed to gather three new team members. Of course, none of them had any experience in dealing with children or running an orphanage but that didn’t matter to us at all at that moment. The best things about these three new members were that they had the same motivation just like Nick. Hopefully the fire of their passion would help all of us survive as we strive towards our common goal.
“By the way, this is Kat, she’s my best friend,” I introduced Kat proudly as I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Kat laughed gleefully like she had forgotten and discarded all of her troubles behind her. During the few days that I was back on the main island, I got in contact with Kat and found out that she had been having guy troubles again. That wasn’t surprising, the most surprising part was that she wanted to move to this island to work with me.
‘I’ve had such shitty luck with guys, maybe I’ll do better with little kids…’
That was what she said. Apparently, things have gotten very sour between her and some of the male customers at the bar that Jamie was also relieved that I could take her off his hands. As for me, I was thrilled to have Kat join the team. Kat may have many flaws when it came to how she manages her relationships with men but when it came to working hard, she was a pro.
The other two people who came along with us were staff from the company that Reiner had somehow convinced or fooled to join us. Now that they were here, we just had to pray that Nick’s positivity would rub off on them and that they would stay.
Reiner stood to the side as he watched on as the scene unfolding before him. Sadly, the negotiation with King did not end with him allowing Reiner to help me out with my work. Although he could be here with me physically, he was not allowed to disregard his duties at the main company, and he probably had to fly back and forth sometimes to attend important meetings on the main island.
My lips curved into a small smile as I thought of how thankful I am to him and the sacrifices that he’s made for me. For a long time, I’m going to owe him for this one, if not forever. Somehow, I’m going to make it up to him. Perhaps, I can start by making his time here a lively and happy one.
–To be continued…