Page 28 of Scorched Veil
It feels like the beginning of something else.
Something neither of us fully understands yet.
12
SUMMER
For a few hours, I forget about everything and enjoy my husband. Today has been one of the best days of my life. We drive back to the villa in the late afternoon, sun-tired and quiet. He carries the cooler inside, and I walk to the pool deck and look at the table set for dinner in the dining room through the glass.
"Can we eat out here?" I ask. "By the pool, nothing formal."
He looks at me and then at the pool. "Whatever you want, my love."
And that term of endearment loosens some stones in my heart. We don’t bother getting changed from today, we spent most of the day naked.
The staff brings the food outside, it’s a simple grilled fish, salad, bread, and wine. For a while, we eat in comfortable silence on the loungers as we watch the sky turn pink and purple above us.
I glance over at him. “Can I ask you something stupid?”
Kairo looks at me, the corner of his mouth lifting. “I like your stupid questions.”
I smile. “What’s something normal you’ve always wanted to do with … someone?”
“As in sexual?” he raises a brow.
I roll my eyes. “I mean in a relationship.”
He’s quiet for a moment, thinking. “I always wanted to be with someone with no agendas,” he confesses.
Oh.
Its simplicity hits me harder than I expect.
“No deals,” he continues softly. “No power plays. No using each other. Just waking up next to someone who actually wants to be there. Making coffee together, arguing about what to watch at night. Stupid stuff.” He seems almost ashamed of the answer, like admitting he wants something so ordinary makes him feel weak.
I watch him for a second, the fading light catching on his handsome face. “Are you disappointed with me then?” I ask quietly. “That you don’t have that?”
Kairo turns to look at me fully, and his expression softens. “No,” he says, almost immediately. “I’m not disappointed. I’m … trying to figure out how to give you that while still being who I am.” He lets out a small, self-deprecating breath. “I know I’m not normal. I know I’m possessive and controlling, and I don’t know how to do gentle very well. But I want to try.With you.”
I don’t know what to say to that, especially as it makes my heart flutter, and I’m still not sure if I want that. We sit with that for a moment as the sky deepens to purple and the first stars begin to show through the haze. The wine is warm in my chest, and his confession about wanting something normal still sits between us, fragile.
"Can I ask you something else?" I say.
"You've been asking me things all day, why stop now?” he jokes. I glare at him. He turns his head and looks at me. "Go ahead."
"How long do we have to stay married?"
I see him stiffen upon hearing my question. He doesn't answer immediately. He picks up his wine glass and takes a slow sip before setting it back down. The silence stretches long enough that I know the answer before he gives it.
"There's no timeline, Summer."
Knew he was going to say that. "What does that mean?"
"It means there's no deal that expires. No date when your father comes to collect you, we shake hands, and it's over."
My stomach drops. I knew that was what he was going to say, but hearing it out loud is something different entirely. “So, you’re saying we’re together forever or until you get bored of me and throw me away.”
Kairo looks surprised by my words. “I would never throw you away. Do you have any idea how much I want you?”
