Through Her Eyes (19 page)

Chase grabs my hand, squeezes lightly and motions to go toward the cab. Neither of us wants to wait another minute to start dinner. We want to return to the boat and quench the lust bubbling up within us. His fingers lace through mine, and he pulls me toward him. His other hand lifts my chin and his lips descend.

“Maybe we should stay on the boat?” I purr.

“We have nothing I want to eat on it.”

“Who needs food?” I smile coyly at him.

“As much as I prefer your idea, I need to feed you.”

“Why?” my lip pouts as I bat my eyes.

“Because you will need all your energy for what I have in store for you.”

After maneuvering our way through the dock, we proceed up the narrow path that leads to the top of the hill. We pass designer shops and little restaurants. On the left of the street there’s a quaint trattoria overlooking the ocean. The view is spectacular. The restaurant sits high on the bluff. From our table we have a perfect view of the island’s jagged shoreline and an even better view of the blue sky as it’s just beginning to meet pink in the far distance, dancing across the horizon. We sit across from each other in a silence. I’m suddenly nervous. I shyly smile at him through my heavy lashes. I’m foolish to be this unnerved, but today has changed everything between us, and I’m not sure where the night will go.

A young woman approaches our table wearing a wide smile and carrying two menus. Her hair is perfectly pulled back and she has a dusting of small freckles across her nose. Chase greets her, momentarily looks over the menu and proceeds to order for us. She nods and walks away. We sit in silence and within minutes she returns but this time with a bottle of wine. Quietly and with perfect precision she pours us each a glass and leaves us. Nervously, my finger rims my glass until I can’t stand the silence between us, and I speak.

“What’s it like photographing someone new every time?”

“It’s like going on a blind date every night.”

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

“Surprisingly, it is. Learning new things, experiencing something for the first time.”

“Umm, okay,” I say, bringing my attention back to the glass. At that moment the waitress arrives with two large bowls filled with pasta then makes her retreat.

“There’s no need to be nervous. Okay, more questions. Ask me anything. That should take the edge off.” His eyes twinkle, and I’m shocked to realize just how much he has grown to know me and all my nuances over the last few days. It’s almost as if he has known me my whole life. He smirks as I lift the fork filled with penne to my mouth. His eyebrow arches upward.

“Delicious, right?”

“Mmmm.” My mouth is still a little full when I mutter out my first question between bites. “What was taking your first picture like?”

“The first time I took a picture, I wasn’t a natural.”

“I have a hard time believing that.”

“I’m pretty perfect, aren’t I?” He shrugs, and I shake my head at him.

“Pretty modest.” I snort. “Tell me something I should know about you, Chase Porter.”

“Like what?”

“Tell me the craziest thing you’ve ever done”

“That’s easy. After I dropped out of college, a buddy and I decided to hike up Upuigma-tepui.” My face must look utterly confused, because he proceeds to elaborate. “Venezuela.” I nod, and he continues with his story. “It’s a relatively isolated and unexplored peak. Basically sandstone flanks rising above the rainforest. Climbing them would be a giant feat. We were so young, only twenty and ill prepared for what lay ahead of us. We knew it would be adventure to get to the top. We just didn’t realize how big of one. To say the land was uninhabited was an understatement. There was open grassland, then raging rivers. Jungle so dense we needed to use our machetes to cut through, and that wasn’t even the worst of it.”

“What was the worst?” My eyes go wide with awe.

“The blood sucking sandflies. Let’s just say we barely made it out alive, and when we did my buddy was laid up for days in a hospital to patch the wounds those vampires left behind.”

“Wow, Chase. That’s intense.”

“You have no idea, Princess. You have no idea. But like all things in life, there was a lesson to be learned from this trip.”

“And what was that lesson, Chase?” I wait on bated breath for the profound statement I’m certain Chase will deliver.

“Never go climbing in a South American rainforest.” He chuckles, and I giggle along with him. “I’m kidding. The lesson I learned was no matter what the odds and challenges you face, all you have to do is set up a new path, and you will find your way home.”

“That’s remarkable. That’s how I want to live.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He shifts his attention back to me. His blue eyes search mine, probing into my soul.

Forty-five minutes later when we are finished with dinner, we walk through the local shops, weaving through abandoned cobblestone alleys. Every so often, Chase stops to photograph a building. Again as he takes the images, he stops to place the camera in the crook of my neck and fire off another round. I draw in a breath with each pass his fingers make across my shoulder blade. I never know what he’s doing, or why he even bothers. But Chase is Chase, and one day he will tell me his vision. As we walk toward the edge of the city, I place my hands on the railing to keep me safe from crashing into the ocean below. A series of clicks from behind has me turning my head over my right shoulder to find Chase now taking shots of me.

“You should see this shot. You’re beautiful. You are living, breathing art,” he says while he admires his work. “I could photograph you and only you for the rest of my life. Your beauty will always inspire me.” My cheeks flush as I look up at him.

“You can make anything look beautiful,” I reply.

“Beauty isn’t something you can buy or possess. Beauty is something that flows from the soul. True beauty is incomparable and free of all restraints.” His voice is filled with conviction, and I’m in awe of his passion.

“You weave poetry when you speak.” I turn my attention back to the ocean and catch a glance into the distance. The sky is now on fire. What was once a mixture of blue and pink streaks is now scorching red flames in the distance. It burns bright and ignites reds until it descends into the purple horizon. In the opposite direction of the water, the buildings in the distance appear ominous. The haze of the daybreak now gone. The only light cast upon the ancient structures comes from the small glow reflecting outward from the glass windows. A shadow casts down on the path where we walk.

“It’s a bit scary now.” My voice is only a whisper.

“I’ve got you.” Chase squeezes my hand, and I know his words mean so much more than he says. “Come on up here.” I feel the tickle of his breath against my neck. He hoists me up a narrow set of stairs on the side of the terra cotta building in front of us. My foot catches on the first set of prongs. Steadily, I climb to the top, and the view is magnificent. Lights flicker in the distance, a million majestic diamonds reflecting off the dark abyss of the sky. Gripping his hand a little tighter, a grin spreads across my face.

“It’s beautiful.” I marvel at the view.

“Uh-huh,” he mutters, and I turn my face toward him, scrunching my nose.

“You’re not even looking at the view, Chase Porter,” I playfully scold.

“The view I have is quite spectacular, too.” He smirks as his eyes twinkle.

“What is that?” My hand points out into the distance, across the island.

“That’s Anacapri. I’ll take you there tomorrow if we have time.”

The air is damp, and the sweet smell of rain infiltrates my nose. I peer up to look for traces of clouds but the darkness that blankets us from above makes it nearly impossible to see anything, let alone the impending rain, which I’m sure will come. Chase draws me into him, his breath tickling my neck as he inhales deeply.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m breathing you in.” Puzzled, I look fixedly at him, speechless. My right eyebrow rises in question, waiting for an explanation. “You’re my air, Aria.” My heartbeat batters inside me as my chest tightens. I remain fixed on him even though cool water begins to streams down my hair and into my eyes. The sky has apparently opened. The hard rain pricks our skin like small needles. Water is collecting around our feet, the puddle filled with a murky liquid. I can feel the soft caress of hands under my knees, and I’m being lifted into Chase’s arms. My hands wrap around his neck of their own accord. He begins to carry me toward the nearest wall of the building. We need to find cover from the torrential water, but instead he pushes me up against the wall, rearranging his arms as he slams my body against it. Our mouths collide. His grip tightens around me. He pulls away and places feathery kisses down the damp skin of my neck.

“Please, Chase,” I plead with him.

“I don’t want you to regret this.” There’s uncertainty in his voice. I shake my head adamantly back and forth.

“I could never regret you.”

Enraptured.

Breathless anticipation.

Our eyes meet, and his gaze burns into me, locking intensely on mine.

Setting me on fire.

“God, you’re amazing, Aria. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. If you did, it would make things so much easier.” His words come out slowly through his shallow breaths.

His fingers gently stroke my chin, and my back continues to press up against the wall. I’m eager to feel the soft caress of his mouth. Our mouths smash together again, and this time I don’t ever want to let go. My arms enclose his neck tighter, deepening the kiss. His tongue gently licks mine.

Tugging.

Nipping.

A whimper escapes my mouth.

“Please, Chase,” I moan.

“Shh. Soon. Soon.” He continues his assault on me until I’m begging and panting for release, but he keeps me at bay. Teetering above myself. My heart thumps erratically in my chest, like a freight train going off the track.

“How long did you know you wanted this?” I ask through my labored breath.

“From the very moment I saw you sitting all alone and sad on the veranda, drowning your sorrows in a Bellini.”

“Am I just some girl?” I need to know, even if I don’t like the answer. I’ve never felt like this with someone I just met. I need to know if this is one-sided, if I’m just another ‘Maria.’

“You are more than just a girl. You are my Aria. You are my air.” My heart ceases its pounding. Goosebumps run up my arms. Passion, emotion, they engulf me.

His words break me into a million pieces and then pick me back up and mend me. I have no words. No reaction other than loss of all thought. A strange feeling weaves its way through me.

Urgency. Desperation.

“You banish the darkness, Chase.” Chase stares at me intently, with a strange look in his eye. His movements are sudden, as though he’s lost all control of himself. He fists my hair in his hands and pulls back, his lips finding my neck. This isn’t sweet, this isn’t loving. This is a frenzied kiss as if we can’t get enough of each other. He owns me, has laid claim to me.

A cool breeze streams in, whipping its way through my hair. My body doesn’t cool though, not until his soft hands lift the hem of my dress. Chills run down my back as the pressure of his fingertips increases on my upper thighs tracing patterns on my ivory skin.

Soft fingers trace the edge of my lace panties, delicate feather-like whispers against my skin.

“What are you doing to me, Aria?” he groans. “I feel like you’re holding me prisoner. Once I peered into the endless abyss of your eyes, I knew I would drown.”

Cold water fills my veins, dousing my body with a chill that, over the years, I’ve grown to know all too well. My lungs feel like they are filling with water. My breathing grows more and more rapid.

Drowning . . .

Drowning . . .

Drowning . . .

I’m drowning again.

Breaking the surface.

Ripples in the current.

“Stop! Stop, Chase. I can’t do this right now!”

“What . . . what’s wrong? What happened?” Concern rims his eyes. I must look like a crazed animal, my eyes feral and unfocused.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry,” I say as tears spread down my cheek.

“
Shh
, Aria. What’s wrong? Please, Princess. Tell me what happened. What did I do?” His touch becomes more hesitant as he watches me warily.

“Drowning. Drowning,” I repeat in confusion. “You said you were drowning.”

“Shh, breathe. Aria. I’m okay. I’m okay. We are fine. You are fine. No one is drowning.”

My breathing regulates as I start to focus. Chase softly lowers me to the ground. I hold on to him for dear life. Reality is setting in.

He holds me for some time bringing me back to my surroundings. His lips lay soft kisses on my hair as he strokes my back, and makes me feel loved. He cherishes me completely, and as I watch him through tear-stained eyes, I know I can one day fall in love with this man.

When we return to the boat, his arms wrap around my back as he lowers us into my bed. Our breathing is tandem. The images before of Owen were so clear, so vivid, but in Chase’s arms they fade. He pulls me from the numbness, rescues me from the waters that threaten to drown me.

“Will you please stay? Hold me?”

“Always.”

I look up at him with dreamy eyes, half asleep, almost in twilight.

“Thank you, Chase.” He stares at me with dark eyes.

“You are a beautiful dream, and I’m afraid to wake.” His arms wrap tighter around me as if he really is scared I’ll leave. This is my fear, too. That this is just a beautiful dream and when I wake up everything will come crashing down again. That the reality of everything from my past will hit me and I will never be able to awaken from that nightmare. I inhale, and my chest tightens. The weight of all my decisions once again hangs over me.

Dangling. Waiting to drop.

Waiting to cover me once again. Cloak me in darkness.

I exhale and try to push it aside, pretend it’s not there. Pretend that if I look up, the parts of me I’m running from won’t come crashing down. And then he pulls me tighter and encases me in his warmth, and everything I worry about slips away.