Sarah is in the shower. She is looking at the floor with top of her head leaning on the shower wall. Her arms are spread with palms on the wall just above her head. With legs slightly parted, she has a good balance and that allows her to close her eyes and focus on the water which is gliding down her body.
Sarah usually imagines that all her stress and worries are being washed away like that… traveling with water from her head, down her neck, back, legs… and disappearing down the drain. And this works. Eventually she convinces herself that her stress is gone, and her mind is ready to start anew… and if stress comes back, that only means she needs another shower. Maybe…
She is not certain about many things anymore. So maybe even this technique is faulty. Because no matter how much she stays in the shower, horrible feeling of being rejected is not possible to wash away.
And she is missing him so much that it hurts. She felt her eyes burning.
Sarah told herself many times that he is right next to her: handsome, caring, looking at her with eyes full of love… and she should not complain. But each 'not now' makes her feel that distance between them is increasing… and she is missing him. She is missing that feeling of belonging which is crumbling bit by bit with every 'not now' that came out of his mouth.
She is missing him so much that even now her mind is playing tricks on her and she can feel his arms around her, his chest on her back, and his kisses trailing down the back of her neck. 'Oh, God!' She is missing him so much and her vivid imagination is making it feel so real that her knees are trembling!
Aiden placed his hands on Sarah's hips and tried making her turn around to face him, but Sarah resisted.
"Sarah?", he called between kisses.
His deep voice made her whole body shiver. She let out a small moan in response.
"Turn around, love…"
"No…", her voice was weak, but stubborn.
"Why?" He was not able to suppress his irritation.
"Because… you might disappear…" By now she realized that it's real. That Aiden is with her in the shower. Holding her, kissing her… But maybe, just maybe, this is her imagination, and she does not want everything to fall apart if she turns around.
Aiden sighed, turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. He wrapped Sarah in the towel and carried her to the bed, ignoring her weak protests.
He placed her gently on the bed and laid next to her.
"Open your eyes, love…", he kissed both of her temples.
Sarah inhaled deeply and obeyed. She met his intense gaze and devilish smile which makes her forget everything. Her eyes sprang open, and she swallowed hard while taking in naked brilliance of her Greek God lying sideways next to her.
It took her some time to realize that bed is covered in flower petals. She shifted her head and noticed a cart with iced beverages, fruits and neatly packed food items on the side of the bed.
Sarah took one shallow breath and her heart trembled at the thought what current setup means: her wait is over.
Her gaze settled back on his handsome face. A tear escaped and slid down her temple.
Aiden's eyebrows creased slightly, and he wiped the tear. "Did you miss me that much?"
Sarah responded with a small nod and shared her thoughts: "Insecurity crept into my heart, made me think I'm not good enough… that you don't like me anymore."
He caressed her cheek gently. "That was never my intention. I'm sorry. I know that it can be suffocating to feel that way."
Sarah was happy that he apologized, but she didn't believe that a man like him knows how it feels to be insecure. "What do you know about insecurity?"
He smirked. "I remember not knowing if I even exist in your eyes, and wondering if I will ever be more than a customer to you… I remember when you introduced me to Sophia as a classmate, and I wondered if it's my looks, my intelligence or my status that is lacking and is making you ashamed to acknowledge me as your boyfriend… should I continue?"
Sarah frowned and her eyes showed how shocked she is. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't…" Aiden interrupted her. "I don't want to make you feel bad. I just want to tell you that I feel insecure as well. Even now I believe that there are many things that you could see or find out and… reject me."
"There is nothing, absolutely nothing that could make me reject you!" She looked at him straight in the eyes, hoping that he can see how resolute she is. After few seconds she realized that there is one thing that might make her resent him, and she added in a soft voice: "Except if you cheat on me. And even if you do that, my broken heart would still love you…"
Aiden's eyes moved over Sarah's face before locking onto her eyes. "I will never cheat on you. You are my beautiful, intelligent, kind, warrior goddess… and I worship you."
Sarah forgot how to breathe. His intense gaze was burning while he branded himself into her soul, and she was not able to look away.
'Warrior goddess' , rang in her head. Small smile crept in at the thought how he would react if he finds out that she is addressing him as 'Greek God' in her mind.
He saw that she is lost in a daze and a devilish smile bloomed on his face. "Now… my goddess… I love talking to you. But that is not why I brought you here tonight."
Aiden didn't miss that Sarah inhaled deeply and is waiting for him to continue.
His hungry eyes moved from her face, over her body which is wrapped in a towel, all the way down to her toes and back again.
"You know what I want to do… right? And I need to know only one thing… Are you willing?" His voice was deeper than usual, and it made all the strength seep out of her body for a moment, making her a nervous heap. But she didn't mind it at all.
Sarah closed her eyes and exhaled while enjoying the feeling of butterflies in her stomach.
"Yes…", she whispered.
"Are you sure?" His hot breath caressed her neck for a second before he kissed it lightly.
She opened her eyes and paused when she saw that he is holding a necktie in his hand, slightly above her face.
Butterflies spread from her stomach through the rest of her body, and she was not able to suppress shivers while anticipation consumed her.
She swallowed hard. "Yes…"