Page 62 of Against All Odds

She flashed a smile. “Touché, but that doesn’t make what you did less naughty.”

She went to place a deliciously slow trail of kisses down my body, but before she could reach where I needed her most, I flipped her over.

Seren gasped, eyes widening in surprise.

“I said it’s my turn now,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite its slight tremor. She pushed herself up on her elbows, but I pushed her back down, fueled by the determination to taste her.

“Since you already know I’ve been fantasizing about you...” I quickly lowered my head to hide my burning cheeks. Clearly, I was nowhere near as experienced as she was – but I had an eternity to learn her body, and I would gladly start now. “Let me show you how I imagined it.”

Her gasp muffled her protest as I spread her thighs apart with my hands before pressing my lips against her clit. She made such beautiful sounds, my core clenched just from hearing it, already begging for another orgasm – but I was determined to take care of her now, to thank her properly for all the times she had saved me and broken cosmic law to help me grow.

I didn’t know how to express my gratitude with words, not yet. And so, I showed her with my tongue.

Her moans filled my ears and her hands tangled in my curls, showing me how she wanted to be touched – and feeling her finally lose that rigid control she held onto so tightly made it all worth it.

When we stepped outside, the light blinded us once again. Instinctively, I reached out to shelter my eyes with my hand – and from the corner of my eye, Seren did the same.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “After all that time in the lower realm, I guess it’ll take some time to adjust to the light.”

“How long has it been?” Seren glanced over at me. I took a moment to appreciate the sight – her raven hair and black denim outfit contrasting sharply with the white around us. She’d managed to find black clothes within the mostly-white closet – as if our new reality bent to her. Maybe it did.

“I don’t know,” I replied, intertwining my fingers with hers. “Does it still matter?”

She didn’t answer. I figured it would indeed take her some time to adjust, but that was fine. We had all the time in the world.

We started walking slowly. To my delight, walking was different from how it was on Earth. The ground bounced with each step, as if gravity were still there, but heavily reduced. It felt like walking in a lucid dream. It was what I imagined being on the moon was like.

Seren didn’t seem to like it as much as I did. Her hand reached out to grab my arm and cling tightly, eyeing the ground suspiciously, although she relaxed slightly as we walked.

Neither of us spoke as we took in the village around us – mostly white buildings with colorful accents, glistening gold, silver and bordeaux, deep indigo with purple streaks. Every corner we crossed, the world looked slightly different, and yet, it all fit together. Families, couples and groups of friends roamed the streets, seemingly without a care in the world.

“I love how they designed this.” My art-loving heart fluttered as I took it all in with widened eyes, squeezing Seren’s hand in excitement. “I wonder how big this world is. Do you think they would have portals to different realms within the afterlife? I’ve explored portal-jumping in my lucid dreams before, but somehow, this feels even more… tangible.”

“Of course you would mention portal-jumping in your lucid dreams like that’s the most normal thing in the world.” Seren flashed a careful laugh. “How about we take it one step at a time? We just arrived.”

I turned to look at her just as a fountain erupted behind her, glistening with silver water. Children around us squeaked with delight.

Something was on her mind; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” She took a deep, hesitating breath. “It’s just…” She blinked, and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed the unshed tears in her eyes. “Jurrian said all gray souls eventually find their way into the higher realm,” she tried, her voice choked. “So I’m just wondering…”

“Your parents,” I said, reaching out to lightly stroke both her hands with my thumb.

She nodded, pressing her lips tightly together. “My parents, and my brother and sister.”

“We’ll go look for them, okay?” I lifted her hand to place a soft kiss on it, my eyes never leaving hers.

“I don’t know where to start.” She took a shaky, hesitant breath. “Let alone what to say to them after all this time. I don’t know if they’ve been… watching my life.” She grimaced. “I haven’t exactly been a daughter to be proud of.”

I bit my lip. I wanted to offer her wisdom, but I had none. For some reason, I thought of Kyle. He would eventually make it to the higher realm after a long, happy life; I had no doubt about that – but would he still want to speak with me then?

“I’m trying to figure out what Jurrian would say.” Seren laughed through her tears. “I’m sure he’d have some wise words ready about how our paths will surely cross if they’re meant to, when we’re all ready.”

“Well, Jurrian should be somewhere around here, too, so let’s go find him.” Sliding my arm around Seren’s waist, I leaned in to kiss the tear that glistened on her cheek. Though neither of us had the exact memories of our time in the lower realm, I knew it had brought us even closer than before. “But can we try the ice cream first?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Ice cream? That’s on your mind right now?”

I pressed my lips together, trying to keep a serious face as I gestured to the ice cream shop at the opposite end of the plaza, its colors and flavors changing gradually. “It looks good, don’t you agree?”

She sat down by the fountain, and I started running. I closed my eyes as I ran faster and faster, feeling how the ground bounced deeper the faster I went. In a place without gravity, I could finally fly.