6. Oaklyn Bridges
OAKLYN brIDGES
“They better not kill him off. They better . . . Ahhhhhh! What the fuck?” I screamed aloud in shock and horror. “No, no, no!” I cried, feeling remorse for having to witness one of my favorite characters from The Prisoner of Beauty meet his end from a fatal stab to the chest.
I felt a million needles prick at my heart until it shattered into pieces.
I hated getting my emotions so involved with fictional characters, but I couldn’t help it.
Chinese dramas really had a way of making you fall in love with the characters.
Only good screenwriting could get someone so involved in seeing the characters that you were rooting for get a happily ever after, but a lot of historical dramas were good at one thing; that was completely crushing you by killing off the people they made you fall for.
Now I was utterly ruined, and it was still freezing in this damn cabin.
Slamming my phone down, I knew I needed a break for right now.
I was going to lose my shit if the villains got another one-up on the heroes.
It was another thing expected of C-Dramas, and after the death I’d just witnessed, I needed some time to gather myself.
I was low-key pissed I had even downloaded those episodes for my flight in the first place.
I could have some semblance of peace if it weren’t for my addiction to the storylines.
I tossed my legs off the side of the bed and slid my feet into my slippers.
Standing up with my blanket still wrapped tightly around my body, I decided to head back into the living room.
Not even wearing sweats underneath the cover was enough to ward off the chill that’d settled into the floorboards of the cabin.
The wind outside from the storm was causing the tree branches to slide across the glass, and it gave me an eerie feeling.
After Jasoni’s confession yesterday, I was less reluctant to share space with him, so I squared my shoulders and walked out of the room.
If I were being honest, I was a little curious about him.
His disposition was a far cry from the lanky boy in my memories.
I think it was what he said about not having any new memories to cherish that made it a little difficult to continue hating him.
My steps slowed when I entered the living room to hear grunting.
I tiptoed deeper into the room, unable to see where the sounds were coming from.
It wasn’t until I dug my knee in the couch and peeked over the back of it that I found him back there.
He was doing push-ups with ease. I paused, seeing all the muscles in his arms and back contract with every move.
My lips slightly parted, and at the same time, my body temperature rose, offering heat as if there was a fire going in the furnace.
I couldn’t even blink from fear of missing the show.
Once I realized I was damn near drooling, I plopped down on the couch.
I closed my eyes, hoping to free myself from the improper thoughts that wanted to take over, but all I could see was his perfectly-toned body.
A back should never be so sexy. Not to mention, he was still back there, huffing and puffing, making it hard to forget about his existence.
I was so lost in my thoughts and memorizing every detail of his cognac complexion that I didn’t notice he’d stopped and was now standing over the couch, looking at me. “When did you come out here?” he asked, snapping me back into reality.
My eyes popped open, and the intensity of his gaze made me want to hide under my blanket.
It felt like he knew every nasty and dirty thought echoing in my mind.
I was so ashamed for lusting after him, but I wasn’t blind.
Jasoni had always been handsome. Now, he was a fully grown and adequately-designed man with pecs that glistened with sweat.
If I thought his back was toned, his midsection was ripped.
I couldn’t help but explore every curve, dip, and drop of sweat as if I’d find a pot of gold at the end of my exploration.
“Um, not too long ago,” I finally admitted, though my esophagus was thick with desire.
He nodded once and picked up a towel I hadn’t noticed on the back of the couch. I had yet to peel my eyes away from his astonishing physique, so I got to witness him drying himself off. “You wanna do it for me?” he asked in a dangerously low tone.
My wide eyes snapped to his seductively low ones, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “What?” I squawked, sounding every bit of guilty for my thoughts. “Why would you ask me that?”
He shrugged so nonchalantly that it was innocent in its own way. “You’re looking mighty hard. Thought you saw something you liked.” His voice was so even and confident that it made me antsy in my seat.
I scoffed. “I was just thinking that the military served you well. That’s all. Don’t run out.”
The smile that graced his face softened his features.
He seemed more approachable when he smiled because his resting face gave ‘say something, and I’ll break your face.
’ I gulped down the cotton lodged in my throat, thankful that he finally looked away.
I fanned myself when he wasn’t looking because being in presence felt like being in a boiling pot of water.
His laugh was lighthearted as he took a seat on the floor.
Curious to know what he was up to, I peeked over the couch to find him doing sit-ups.
Clearly the body I was obsessing over was earned through hard work.
Lying back down on the couch, I realized I’d completely forgotten the heartbreak that sent me into the living room in the first place.
All I could think about was Jasoni and how amazing he looked.
I kind of hated myself for it because I wasn’t even supposed to want to breathe the same air as him.
We had ten years’ worth of beef rotting between us, yet in an instant, one look from him could make me forget it even existed.
Everything he’d said to me so far, it echoed in my ears as if he’d spoken every word on a megaphone.
I placed a hand over my heart, wishing it could regulate my breathing, but the silence in the room made it hard to forget what was on my mind—and the man making me think about a friendship I was certain would never make a return from the dead.
I decided to shatter the silence. If I was left alone with my thoughts for another second, I wasn’t sure what would happen.
A part of me wanted to lock myself in the room as a form of escape, but from the way I tightened my grip on the cover wrapped around me, I knew that wasn’t an option.
Then another part wanted to remain frozen in place, submerging myself deeper into an ocean of thoughts and daydreams. The last thing I wanted was to be caught staring at the ceiling with a permanent grin on my face.
I gulped harshly as I considered the third side that wanted to hang off the back of the couch while studying every flex of his muscles.
I could still hear him back there, grunting while he worked out, and it was disturbing my peace of mind.
Sitting up in a quick motion, I swiped at the corner of my mouth, making sure there wasn’t any drool left as evidence of my infatuation of Jasoni’s sexy body.
Tucking my legs under me, I tightened the blanket around me and licked my dry lips. “How can you just sit in silence like this?” I asked, breaking the ice wall between us. I sucked in a sharp breath while waiting for his response.
“When I was in the military, I used to pray for peace and quiet, so to me, this silence is an answered prayer . . .” He paused then added, “Along with you.” He returned to doing his sit-ups, feeling not an ounce of shame for the way he was swindling me with his words.
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, so I just allowed a tiny one. His words warmed me and made the strings of my heart awaken with a melodic stroke I felt vibrate in my bones. My fingers gripped my blanket so tightly that if it was a person, they’d be strangled to death by now.
Instead of falling for the bait, I tried my best to take control of the moment by steering the conversation in another direction. “What was life like when you were in the military?”
He was in the process of sitting, so he paused at the top once I asked my question. “Very structured and isolated.”
“Isolated how? You had to be around hundreds of people every day.”
For a beat, he didn’t say anything. I watched his chest heave up and down before he slowly turned to look at me. “That’s true, but I didn’t have who I wanted every day, so I couldn’t really get close to anyone else.”
I hugged myself tighter as the weight of his words sent a chill through the room—more powerful than the blizzard outside that rattled the windows and could make babies cry with its howling.
Was he talking about me? I shook my head because he couldn’t have been, when he was the one who created distance between us.
I refused to believe he could perceive me as someone so vital to his existence after a choice like shutting me out and then cutting me off.
“You did get close to someone though, so I’m confused on why you’d be isolated,” I snapped, unable to hide the irritation in my voice.
Soni chuckled so softly I barely heard it. “You ever heard that saying you don’t know what you have until it’s gone? Well, let’s say I’ll never make certain choices again without considering their weight, and if I can truly live the rest of my life at peace with them.”
I pulled at the collar of my sweatshirt, suddenly feeling restricted by the cotton material. “What are you trying to say, Jasoni? Stop trying to make it sound pretty.”
Without a pause, he gave me his thoughts straight with no chaser.
“I never should’ve cut you off.” His voice neither stuttered nor lowered, so I knew he meant to say every word.
This time, the chill that raced through my body was because Mother Nature decided to help him sear his words into my skin by dropping the temperature.
“You’re cold?” he asked, taking notice of my shivering frame.
I gulped down icicles and grief to say, “Yeah. Feels like the temperature dropped outside.”
He hopped up from the floor quickly and rushed toward the fireplace.
I nibbled on my lip as I watched him busy himself with starting a fire to warm me up.
When it was crackling in the furnace, he spoke again.
“I know you probably don’t believe me, but I’ve regretted that choice from the moment I made it, and I know you, Oaklyn.
You don’t forgive easily, and you’re stubborn as fuck.
Space and time were the only way I would ever have a chance to have this conversation with you right now. ”
He slowly turned to face me, and my heart stopped.
I’d never seen regret on a man’s face so up close.
And it wasn’t even his frown or the sheen across his eyes, but the inky black tendrils of energy swirling around him.
Not in an evil, menacing way, but more like little wisps of smoke with the power to suffocate you.
To think he was living like that for the last ten years made my shoulders ease down my spine, and my heart finally returned to a normal tempo.
My stomach rumbled, and I was thankful for the distraction.
I’d heard every word of his confession, but now I needed time to process them.
We were locked in this cabin together, so I saw no rush in saying everything that needed to be said.
It would take time to sort through my emotions and thoughts, but I was thankful to know how he felt and relieved to know that there could be a chance to salvage what was once a special bond between us.
I offered him a genuine smile before standing up with my blanket still wrapped around me. “Would you like a sandwich? I’m starving, and we probably should eat the food we can before it spoils in there.”
He gave me a simple nod. By the subtle quirk of his mouth, he knew what I was truly offering—a truce. I began to walk to the kitchen but paused when he spoke. “No mayonnaise, please.”
I waved him off without turning around. “Oh, trust me. I remember you like dry ass sandwiches only.”
His chuckle behind me made me grin widely now that he couldn’t see me. As I shuffled the rest of the way into the kitchen, I thought about everything he’d said, but more importantly, how those words made me feel.
“What were you in your room yelling about earlier?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when he spoke behind me because I was buried in the fridge and had no clue he’d followed me in here.
I slammed the meats on the counter, along with the cheese, before placing a hand over my heart.
“You almost gave me a damn heart attack,” I scolded him with a pop to the arm.
“My bad,” he apologized with his hands up in surrender.
“Mhm, but I was watching a C-Drama. Now that you’ve reminded me, I’m sad again. I can’t believe they killed off one of my favorite characters.”