Chapter Seven
Six Years Ago
Knowing this night wouldn’t last, Chris tried to absorb every last moment.
The tall swaying grass, the stillness of the pond, her calm spirit inviting him in.
The beauty of her soul reflected in her face.
He imagined her with her sisters, listening attentively to their gossip and their dreams. He could see her offering encouraging words if one were to come to her asking for advice on how best to prepare for a husband.
He could see her reassuring smile and soft touch, just enough to bestow much needed strength and replenish their self-confidence.
There was no rational explanation for it, but he could even hear her talking her youngest sister out of mischief.
Perhaps Mimi had wanted to exact revenge on unrequited love, or see how fast a pig could run.
Regardless of the circumstance, he envisioned Nobi as the soft-spoken, level-headed sister.
Similar to him. Perhaps he had finally come to understand what kindred spirits were.
Really, there was no other way to say it though, she was an angel. Ah, look at him waxing poetic. It was not his default way of behaving, but around her, something was drawn out of him.
He couldn’t get enough of her. And somehow he knew if he was the lucky recipient of it all, he might not even be able to manage it all at once. It was almost as though she needed to drip into him, one drop at a time, so that he could fully appreciate every single last drop.
Like a good tea, this needed to steep.
So he let himself relax in the calmness and just take it all in.
When he looked over the inky sky, he scoured the stars for any constellations he knew.
“Have you found any yet?” she asked as if reading his mind.
“Not yet. You?”
“I’m still searching for Sagittarius. The Teapot asterism. It’s my favorite. I love my afternoon tea.”
How perfect. Of course she would be looking for that when he basically just analogized her to tea. Closing his eyes, he shook his head, unable to give that symbolism more thought.
When he opened his eyes again, in a flash, he caught sight of a shooting star.
He leaned into her, smelling her faint rosemary and mint scent, and pointed up with his arm, saying, “Nobi, look over there quickly and make a wish.”
He studied her for a second until he knew she saw it because she closed her eyes tightly. He could almost hear her wish being whispered into the universe.
Looking back up to catch the star for himself, he closed his eyes and made his own wish. But he didn’t use his wish upon himself. Her selflessness had imparted itself on him, and he felt compelled to give her something that she would never ask for.
He made his wish for her.
It had hardly been a conscious thought or decision to do so. It just felt natural and right. He only hoped he made the right wish for her.
When he sat back up and caught her gaze, she had a delighted smirk on her face. He wondered what such a precious soul would wish for. Apparently she was thinking the same thing.
“What did you wish—” Nobi’s question was cut off by the sound of footsteps on the other side of the tall grasses. The two of them hunkered down a little further even though they weren’t visible to the couple from such a distance. They themselves couldn’t see the couple, they could only hear them.
A drunk laugh belted out into the sky. The falling star he could almost have predicted with how ethereal the night felt around her. But this…impending drunken debauchery did not fit.
Thankfully, Nobi’s first reaction was merriment. Her eyes went wide in amusement to what sounded like the two stumbling and falling down onto the grass several yards away. Clearly the couple was inebriated.
And if they had only been inebriated, it wouldn’t have been cause for too much concern. However, as alcohol often did, the couple was also motivated, of the sexual variety.
Of course, Chris had that gut foresight given the time of night, the location, and the state of the couple, but Nobi was showing her innocence by not immediately recognizing the course of action that was imminent.
What was at first an amused look on Nobi’s face quickly turned to one that looked awfully like panic.
They were stuck. They couldn’t make an escape because if the couple did spot them, it could turn to scandal. He didn’t trust that their actions could be stealth enough to go unnoticed, especially since they couldn’t bypass the couple to return to the ballroom.
So in the worst way possible, they were actually safest to stay exactly where they were, hidden by the tall grasses.
He couldn’t think of a more awkward predicament.
It had been one thing the other night to feign a tryst to deter the husband-hunter, but to be forced to be present for another couple’s…
coupling…was beyond the pale. If he could pick her up and sweep her away from this, he would.
But it wasn’t worth the risk of being caught alone together.
In all honesty, the drunk couple probably wouldn’t notice, considering not only how drunk they were but also how focused they were on each other.
But if they did observe him and Nobi…he couldn’t stomach thinking of those ramifications on her reputation.
The panic-now-terror on her face told him everything he needed to know. She was mortified. She was an innocent. And she wasn’t ready to be exposed to the carnal actions of a man and a woman.
As loud moans ripped through the air, her hands flew up to her ears.
The woman was giggling and the man was provoking her.
She mewled her delight and it was clear that they weren’t going to stop any time soon.
They had a very intentional destination and they were going to arrive there, no matter what.
Likely together, and from the sounds of it, likely loudly.
The torment was still evident on Nobi’s face. Obviously she could still hear them despite covering her ears, and it was only going to get worse.
He had few options available to him. He could interrupt the couple, disclosing his presence and asking them to stop.
But…really, they would probably just expect him to move on while they continued doing what they were doing where they were.
Thus, he would be leaving Nobi alone to fend for herself.
And yes, he wouldn’t be there, so in some ways that probably made it less awkward for her…
but leaving her alone didn’t sit right with him. Not one bit.
The best option (as far as he could tell) entailed him drawing nearer to her. Which, yes, initially sounded like a terrible addition to an already awkward situation. But he had plans for this nearness.
He slid close to her, pulling her against his protective frame. Then he pressed his hands over her own, muffling the sounds. She buried her face into his chest, and all he could feel was her ragged breaths climbing up to his throat.
Her body was shivering against him, and he knew it wasn’t from the cold. He was certain she wasn’t crying, as he didn’t feel anything wet against his chest, but he could feel the depths of her mortification to the point it was causing him pain on her behalf.
Being a man of the world, he had experience. Not as much as some other men, but he knew his way around the female body. So he could view this situation through the lens of amusement more than discomfiture. Yet the grip his stomach was in was something new to him.
He couldn’t run his hands down her arms or in circles on her back to ease her tension, because the worst part of all of this was the sounds.
The most he could do was swipe his thumbs back and forth over her fingers.
He wanted to kiss the top of her head because she was a treasure, but it felt too intimate.
Especially given their precise circumstances.
So he leaned his cheek against the crown of her head, offering what little solace he could provide.
Gradually, her breathing regulated and the tension seeped out of her body. Their breaths found a rhythm together and stillness, at least between them, was restored.
He was so concentrated on her that he hardly heard the cries coming from the couple. But hardly was not nothing, so he had to admit to hearing the final yesses from each of them.
Hopefully they would be done recuperating and head back inside soon. No matter. He would hold Nobi as long as needed.
After a few heavy sighs and normal breaths, he could make out the sounds of them getting dressed. Their moans had turned to murmurs and light laughter. He overheard the female ask, “Shall we return inside, my dear husband?”
Chris heard a light swat, probably placed squarely on the woman’s bottom, as the man replied, “I don’t want to, but we should. Let’s go, my love.”
At least Chris could convey that tidbit of good news to Nobi. Her ears hadn’t been completely scandalized.
Once he was sure the couple was gone, he lifted his hands from her ears. When she looked up at him with questioning eyes, he nodded and mouthed, They’re gone.
With caution, she removed her own hands from her ears.
“I’m so embarrassed,” she muttered. As if he needed the explanation.
“It’s all right.”
The look in her eyes was so tender, he wanted to brush his finger along her cheek. Pull her bottom lip down with his thumb. Run his fingers through her hair.
He did none of that. Just waited.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” she admitted quietly. And in that moment, vulnerability almost sounded as though it were spotted with curiosity.
“I should tell you something about what just happened.”
She raised her hand in protest. “No, please don’t.”
He laughed as he covered her hand with his own and brought it down to his chest. “Trust me, I think you’ll want to know this.”
She nodded judiciously.
“They were married. I heard the woman refer to him as her husband.”
“Oh.” That one word found rest somewhere in the thick air between them as her lips locked in the o-form.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Her eyes drifted up to him. “Yes…I think it is. No, I know it is. I just…well, I never would have thought a married couple would do that.”
“True, it’s often a more forbidden affair, but it doesn’t have to be.” In fact, it was refreshing (though awkward) to witness that love and passion could be so alive after marriage. Maybe one day he would have that. “Are you all right, Nobi?”
“I think so.” She nodded, looked down at her lap, and then back up at him. “Thank you.”
Those two words lodged their way into his heart, and he wasn’t quite sure why. He might have to ponder that later.
For now, he lifted her to standing and they walked back to the party. As he watched her reenter the ballroom, he didn’t realize he hadn’t let go of her hand until he was forced to do so.
And he knew, without a shadow of doubt, that the next time they met in the gardens, it would be much more intentional.