~Chapter 31~
After snapping me out of my reverie and finishing up his cabinet work, Skye led me toward the ladder just below the open roof. We were both huddled up together at the top of the ladder slightly above the opening. It did nothing to calm down my overly nervous body. I could feel the sparks in this proximity and wanted nothing more than to close the already non-existent space.
I still can't believe the fact that Skye Williams is also Skylar Nolan and that the guy I love is also the guy that I used to have a crush on. What are the odds, right? I could feel the average amount of intelligence in me laughing at my stupidity.
"Hey, you okay?" Skye asked me, nudging his shoulder with mine and there went those mocking sparks.
I avoided looking at him and stared at my hands. "Yeah... just thinking."
"Oh? Then I'd suggest you lift up your eyes to look at the stars instead of your hands," he told me, sounding very much amused.
Chuckling, I did as he told me to and I could spot a few of them in the darkness of the night. "I wish we had a telescope right now. It would have been so much better," I said with a grin plastered on my face and finally met his eyes.
Skye furrowed his brows like he was seriously considering my words and nodded his head. "Now I wish for it too." He smiled down at me with that same tender gaze.
It was like my hand had a mind of its own because I raised it to softly graze his jawline. At that particular moment, my body was at peace and those over heightened nerves evaporated into the thin air.
He raised his eyebrows as our eyes were locked into an intense stare. I don't know what I was doing but I knew that I felt good. Breaking the eye contact, my eyes slid down to his slightly parted lips.
The moment was however shattered when the cabinet door that Skye was working on just minutes ago unhinged and fell down with a loud crashing thud. I was jolted out of my trance and quickly retreated my hand back, laughing nervously. "There was a wood smudge on your jaw," I lied swiftly.
Skye didn't buy it because he averted his eyes heavenwards and a smirk formed on his lips. "Sure."
I wanted to slap myself for not thinking my actions through. Trying to tone down my mortification, I followed his eyesight and tilted my head upwards as well. "You know..." I began, all of a sudden with a wistful expression. I don't know what made me say the next words but I guess watching the dark skies brought out some childhood memories fresh in my head.
"Yeah?"
"My dad used to always tell me that night has the power to heal our scars. There's no better and working medicine than nature's gift - night. You sleep with a headache but wake up with a fresh mind. You sleep with a cold and cough but wake up with a free nose. You never question how you become all well once you wake up. Likewise with the real scars. Because, we all know that night is magical."
"I... completely agree with your dad. Night is dark, mysterious and beautiful."
It was silent after that and we continued staring at the dark skies with a blissful tranquility. I was so lost in my own world when suddenly I felt him staring at the side of my face. Giving him a quick glance, I tucked my hair behind my ear consciously. For some reason, I was being pulled back to the day when we had kissed, if it could even be considered as that.
"I am curious," Skye spoke, still not taking his eyes off of me. I could feel my face getting hot but I nodded my head nonetheless. "What would you have been if you weren't a copywriter?"
"I am still not a copywriter," I joked but he frowned, not finding it funny. Clearing my throat, I stared at my open hands. "Honestly? I don't know. In fact, there's never a single thought in my head for what I'd have done if not this when it comes to my career. I never gave myself any options which actually makes me talentless, if that's even a word." I released an awkward and embarrassed laugh.
"That's not true," he argued with narrowed eyes. "You're so good at what you do, Val."
"That's the thing. Ever since I was a kid, I was so sure of what I would do when I would grow up. That was a huge blockade for me to explore myself, to find out new things and try myself out there. Kids my age would roller skate, swim and play around while I'd cockily just write a few catch lines here and there. And the worst thing? I am still not even a writer to begin with. I can't write an article nor a poem and song. Or anything, you know? Except for a broken tv or radio script." I inhaled a deep breath.
Skye took my hand in his but he did not say anything which I was grateful for. He knew that I needed to get this out of my chest. His thumb rubbed soothing circles on my palm and I felt better. The comfort he was giving me felt so personal and I was enjoying every second of it. A small smile took its place on my lips.
"This is frustrating since I am practically jobless. At times like these, I wish I had a hobby or maybe had learnt something as a kid," I muttered sadly, not having the strength to look him in the eyes.
"You can still learn something new. It's never too late," Skye assured me gently.
"Yeah... sometimes..." I sighed, finally turning to look at him. "Sometimes, I can't help but compare myself to my dad. Like he can write about anything. Poem, song, article, book, you name it and he'll do it. I remember this particular day vividly. I had come home with a frown on my face and my dad didn't know what to do." I chuckled, reminiscing about the day when I was eight years old.
"So he did what he's good at. Wrote a lullaby and would sing it for me everyday before going to bed. I just... I feel like I don't even come close to his creativity," I finished before gazing up at the sky. The wind swooshed past us, making my hair billow behind me.
"Funny," Skye mused from beside me.
"What is?" I didn't mean to but my voice took an offensive notch.
"Now I don't remember the exact lines of that lullaby because I was drunk and kinda out of it but I could tell that it didn't mean for you to feel down. Instead it talks about you being a warrior by chasing away your ghosts. It says that you have to stay because it gets better everyday. It says that you should smile because you have a beautiful one," he explained to me and least to say, I was beyond awestruck.
"Wow." I released a breathy laugh. "But didn't you fall asleep on me before I could even finish the whole thing?" I asked him with a mocking glare.
"Well..." Squinting his eyes, he leaned closer to me with a mischievous grin. "Was I? Maybe, I was just waiting for you to pick me up bridal, no wait... ostrich style."
I was floored hearing those words and gaped at him. "You jerk! You were awake!" I exclaimed, shoving his shoulder without intending to put much force but it happened unintentionally.
The ladder shook and I instinctively held onto his arm. A squeak left my lips while Skye guffawed loudly. "I was kinda asleep but I was kinda conscious too." He choked back a laugh when I gave him an unamused look.
"That's mean. I had to carry you like a drunk ostrich," I muttered, holding back a smile.
Another laugh rumbled through his chest and he unhooked his arm from mine. I was disappointed but it soon evaporated when he wrapped the same one around my shoulders with a cute smile. I swear I could have swooned at how adorable he was being. "Aww, Val. I think it was cute."
I tried not to blush due to us being so close because our bodies were practically glued to each other. I couldn't believe Skye didn't notice that because he didn't seem bothered by it. "What about you?" I blurted out to exude nonchalance.
"What about me?"
"What career path would you have chosen if you weren't the CEO?"
He sighed which almost sounded distressed and retracted his arm back. Clasping them together, he leaned his elbows on his knees to stare ahead into space. I regretted asking him that question because he clearly didn't seem so happy. "I've always loved carving things out of wood. So probably would have done that," he replied simply.
"What do you mean probably?" I inquired as another swoosh of wind blew past us. I was enjoying the feeling of staying half inside the tree house with our upper bodies hovering above the roof.
"I mean, I've always known that it was an empty dream. I was exposed to so many choices and I thought I had them but at the end of the day, my dad made me believe that I am destined to work for his company," he answered, running his hands through his hair.
I decided to stay silent as well just like he did when he was hearing me ramble about my life. We both seemed like two old friends seeing each other after ages and talking about our sad problems. As if we had seen a lot of hardships when it came to our life. I might not be suffering with things as much as Skye was. He's constantly under the public eye's vicinity, facing their illogical and unwanted criticism. I could only imagine what he has to go through all the time.
"Honestly? I never wanted to be the CEO and God knows how much I try to work the hardest but I always end up disappointing everyone. Truth or not but I feel like ZAE Inc. has actually lost its essence after I took over the company. Most of the time, the Board is displeased with my carelessness. I just..." He sighed again, closing his eyes before opening them back. "I can never be good enough because no matter what, at every step, I am just compared to my dad."
I bit my lip and guilt started flooding through my system. "We are so similar yet so different, aren't we?" I asked him sadly.
"How so?"
"You were exposed to choices but couldn't choose any of them while I was given the choices but I was too complacent to even look at them. I compare myself to my dad while people do the same for you. Why can't we just be happy?"
Skye pursed his lips, thinking my words through.
"You know, like why are we so immersed into proving ourselves? And now since we're jobless anyway, we've got nothing to prove, right?" I grinned and slowly a laugh bubbled out of his throat. "Come here. I think you need a hug." Lie. It was the other way around. But I swear, it was also because I wanted him to forget about all his insecurities.
Skye gave me an amused look when I wrapped my arms around his neck. In an instant, his arms snaked around my waist too. He rested his head on top of mine while I put mine on his shoulder. "No, I need you to sing me that lullaby." I heard the teasing crawl in his voice.
"No ways," I disagreed, laughing silently.
"Why? I was half drunk that night!" He whined and I relented hearing his request. "I don't remember the lyrics so I think I should get a chance to properly listen to them."
"Fine."
"Good. Oh, and..." He trailed off, wrinkling his nose adorably and leaning his face away from me. "I'm worried that I smell bad and sweaty because you're sitting so... close to me." He seemed weirded out once he said that.
I tilted my head because truth be said, he smelled really good, like wood and something that I had no idea of. "You don't have to worry about it," I whispered softly, my eyes falling on his beautiful lips. I could feel my whole body shaking because of my erratically thumping heartbeats.
"Why?" He whispered back. I was relieved to see the slight upturn of his lips.
Lifting my eyes, they met up with his heated ones. His stare was intense and I felt like I was being ignited. Maybe it was the look he was giving me or maybe it was our proximity that had enthralled me but before I could stop myself, my lips moved on their own accord. "I... I l-like you," I stuttered, chickening out. My intentions were to express my 'love' for him but I wasn't ready yet.
My breath hitched when I saw Skye's stumped countenance. At that moment, I realized how out of the blue my confession might have sounded. He opened his mouth to respond but clamped it shut instantly, still speechless.
For some reason, I was seeing him in a different light. A light wherein I could see him as Skylar Nolan, my high school crush. If I could say so myself, Skye's still like that teenager because of his gentleness. Everything was the same except for his bodily changes.
My eyes roved over his upper body and I realized that even though it's toned and perfectly carved, he had managed to go from being healthy to lean. I was worried if he worked himself out more than it was required but I didn't voice it out loud.
I looked back at his face, this time more confidently. "I really do like you, Skylar Nolan." My smile grew wider when his already bulging eyes rounded even more.
I don't know how it happened but he began to choke on his own spit and I gasped softly. Rubbing his back, I tapped it with my fists softly a few times. As I was about to head down for a glass of water, Skye wrapped his hand around my wrist to stop me.
"I was ab-" I was cut off by my own yelp when he pulled me back and I landed on his lap ungraciously. The ladder swayed once again and my hands automatically flew to his biceps. Gulping, I gave him a perplexed look.
Skye narrowed his eyes but there was not an ounce of anger in them. It was like he was analyzing me and I did the same. Even though I had a hunch that his face was familiar, I still couldn't figure out who he was until I saw that picture. To be honest, his features did match to his younger days except now they were chiselled and sharp.
"You okay?" I asked him, referring to his coughing fit just seconds ago. Surprisingly, he seemed fine now somehow.
He nodded and finally decided to open his mouth. "How did you know about... about me being Skylar?" His voice was raspy as if he was restraining himself from letting his emotions take over.
"I saw the picture on your desk," I mumbled guiltily and hung my head low. I don't know but for some reason, I felt like I had invaded his privacy by looking at it.
"Oh." Was all he said. "You remember," he mumbled again to himself and I gave him a 'duh' look.
Taking a deep breath in, I looked at him from my peripheral vision to see that he had visibly paled. Taking his face in my hands, I caressed my thumb on his cheek. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to explain anything to me. You're not obliged to give me your reasons. You can talk whenever you're ready, hmm?"
He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine, tightening his arms around my waist. "Why are you so fucki-" He quickly cleared his throat. "Why are you so freaking beautiful?" He whispered with his eyes still closed.
Giggling softly, I squished his cheeks. "I don't understand why you always push back your swears." I might be seeming nonchalant from the outside but my insides were jumping in delightful effervescence when he called me beautiful. Can I love him any more than I already do?
"Only when I am with you. I like to keep my words clean around you because I know that you somehow always make me wanna be a better person. Better than yesterday," he told me, slowly opening his eyes.
I almost stopped breathing when his sweet words tickled through my fast beating heart. "And to answer your question, I am beautiful because you make me," I replied with an unfiltered smile.
Before I could even blink, his lips were on mine, catching me off guard. I don't know what was happening but soon my senses managed to do something, like coming back to themselves. Snaking my arms around his neck, I pulled him closer and he did the same. We were completely flushed against each other.
Not wanting to be hung up on a single peck like last time, I decided to take things further. I bit his bottom lip and soon our tongues were meshing and exploring together. He tasted really good, like peaches and honey, making me drunk on it. The kiss was slow but beautiful in every aspect. It was like a portal to express our feelings for each other and I didn't feel like breaking it just yet.
Although we had to pull apart as soon as we fell short on our breaths. Our noses were still touching and Skye's breath was fanning on my now swollen lips. I was scared to open my eyes and look at his face. "Look at me, Val," he breathed.
I did and was greeted by his grinning lips. Mesmerizing. Was the first thing my mind could come up with. "I want to kiss you again," I mumbled and was even surprised to not shy away from my own words. In fact, I felt confident for some reason.
"Trust me, so do I.'' His eyes peered into mine with deep intensity and I couldn't pull away my gaze from his. He's such a beautiful specimen and I don't think I would ever get over him. Not that I would ever want to.
I smiled at his words and I was about to kiss him when he put his index finger on my lips. Frowning, I raised an eyebrow at him.
Finding my expression amusing, he started laughing deeply and smirked. "Valerie Jones... I like you too." With that said, his lips were back on mine. After some time, I had lost count of how many times we had kissed.
That was how we spent another hour or so. Kissing and talking about light stuff. I couldn't stop smiling even when I had come back to my apartment nor did I stop giggling or laughing when I laid down on my bed. That night, I slept like a baby and was actually looking forward to the next day.