Chapter Text
Two and a half months.
That much time had passed since they officially became a couple.
Despite their busy schedules—Pablo’s long days at the smithy and Amelia’s demanding hours on the farm—they always spared time for weekly dates.
And with each one, the passion between them only grew deeper.
Ever since they shared their first kiss, something had been set alight. The flame burning deep within their souls—shifting everything they’d known about each other. Their goodbyes stretched longer. Their kisses grew hungrier and more breathless. Hands that once rested in innocent places began to drift—dangerously close to boundaries neither dared to cross.
Yes, they were adults. Yes, they had experience.
But somehow, this was harder.
Much harder than the locket.
Much harder than that kiss on the boat. And everywhere else.
Maybe because it mattered more.
First time had always been the hardest.
Somehow, it was always ‘almost’.
And ‘almost’ was never enough.
Still, no matter how close they got, it felt like there was an invisible line separating them.
And so, they danced around the subject. Around each other.
It was always there—unsaid but felt. In evenings by the beach bonfire, where Amelia’s singing voice—accompanied by the melodic rhythm of the borrowed guitar—drifted along with the ocean breeze. During stargazing nights where Pablo’s gaze seemed more luminous than any stars. In corners of the tavern where the world around them seemed to fade as they drowned themselves in each other’s presence. On picnic blankets where the food basket would usually be forgotten as they savored each other’s lips instead.
And even during their ‘book club’ afternoons at the library, where they often leaned into each other while reading their favorite medieval fantasy novel series, The Aria of Frost and Flames. Or whichever new book they were discussing.
Cuddled close, reading side by side—sometimes sharing the same book, sometimes pausing to exchange thoughts with whispered excitement, letting the moment spill into stolen glances and eventual touches.
Broken only by Millie’s scolding once their kisses got a little too passionate.
Get a room, you mischievous lovebirds, she liked to say.
Still, the idea of ‘getting a room’ to read together—cuddled like that, sharing kisses like that—felt impossibly charged.
There was a reason why he’d only set foot in her cabin once; and that was the gift for completing the scavenger hunt.
He’d been there for mere minutes; and yet, it almost undid him.
Still...
It wasn’t quite the right moment.
As the summer went on, the days began to stretch longer—the sun lingering well past dinnertime and granting more hours for outdoor activities.
More time spent under the watchful eyes of the townsfolk.
Maybe as a way of playing it safe.
The tipping point was finally reached at the end of summer—the beach cleanup day.
When every townie was finishing up; the sun still shining bright, but beginning to dip lower.
Tucked behind the large boulders—half-hidden from the bustling crowd on the main bay—the two of them were playfully competing over who could gather more trash. Pablo had thrown one of his cheesy lines, and Amelia had shot back with a sassy jab—exchanging flirty banters like they always did.
And just like he usually did, he slid in behind her with a grin, looping his arms around her—shoulders and waist—as he pulled her in an embrace.
A gesture that had become familiar and comforting.
Something done on autopilot, like a muscle memory or a reflex.
Until they both remembered they were in bathing suits.
Their bare skins were touching and suddenly, it wasn’t just a comfortable, familiar gesture anymore.
It was electric—and the spark awakened something inside.
Neither of them moved. Pablo’s arms stayed where they were as his breath stilled.
This wasn’t like any other day.
Did he mess up? Should he pull away?
...But why weren’t his arms listening?
Amelia could feel how strongly and loudly her heart was beating. She stood still, trying to process the sudden shift in atmosphere. The proximity—with barely anything between them—was charged with something intense from deep within.
She knew what that meant.
And so did he.
Maybe it was the thrill of being half-hidden in plain sight—like in the library.
Or maybe it was just because it was them.
The delicious anticipation that had been cooking for two months by then.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, she reached up and pressed her hands against his forearm, her fingers curling around the firm curve of his flexors—a sincere, wordless plea for him to stay.
That one small gesture unraveled something inside him—his skin prickling with heat, pulse quickening as his breath grew shorter, heavier; losing its rhythm.
As her warm, unsteady soft breaths tickled his skin, he could feel his self-control slowly but surely slipping away; overtaken by a restless hunger that made it feel like he could devour her right there, right then.
But then, like a divine intervention, a familiar voice cut through the haze.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Kids nowadays...”
Scott casually strolled by with a shake of his head, already turning and walking away—but not before casting a teasing, judgmental smirk to their direction.
And just like that, the spell was broken.
Pablo quickly withdrew his arms and stepped back, preventing the last drop of whatever self-control he still had from falling.
He muttered—half to himself, half to the empty air. “The hell... he’s younger than me...”
That wasn’t the problem. Surely not. But his words tumbled out awkwardly—as if he was trying his best to fill the sudden silence.
He glanced at Amelia’s back—noticing how red her ears had gotten.
“Sorry,” he said, voice rougher than intended, throat dry like it refused to cooperate.
She gave a small nod, “It’s okay.”
Her voice barely louder than a hush—still facing away from him.
After a deep—somewhat forced—steadying breath, he fixed his gaze on the water.
“I’m gonna go for a quick swim.”
He didn’t even wait for her to respond.
Instead, he sprinted into the sea—because cooling off suddenly felt like an absolute necessity.
Especially because his excitement was beginning to show, and he didn’t want anyone—especially her—to notice.
And just a few days later, that one faithful Saturday evening finally arrived. When they, like many times before, met up for their weekly date.
That night, after enjoying a nice dinner at Cliffhaven, they headed to the tavern—where laughter mingled with clinking glasses, endless banter exchanged, along with the pool rounds initiated by the crew; the ones the lovebirds kept winning.
As the night grew darker, complaints broke out that they should never be allowed to team up in pool ever again.
Unfortunately for them, having the two compete against each other turned out to be even worse...
Mostly because they’d turned the entire thing into some bizarre system of rewards and punishments—smug victory kisses, or ‘loser drinks’ that somehow always ended up shared, and the two acting far too pleased about it.
And when they weren’t playing, it was like the cringe flirting could be felt even from the far corner of the tavern.
So the crew did the only reasonable thing left to protect their own sanity: to kick both away from the pool table.
And so, accompanied by laughter and exaggerated shooing motions, the couple ended up on the dance floor.
For a while, everyone was happy with that solution.
But as the music shift, so did something between the two.
Sometimes they got too close—her chest pressing against his, his hand low on her waist—their faces just a few inches apart.
The weight of anticipation pressing down; like something strained long past its endurance.
Amelia had put up her hair in a high ponytail tonight—wavy golden strands flowing as she danced, swaying in a way she knew would drive Pablo crazy.
Maybe she didn’t know it was his favorite look.
Or maybe she did.
Maybe she wanted to coax that gleam in his eyes; the way he watched her like he was seconds away from losing control.
She’d always wanted him. What held her back wasn’t doubt, but the lingering shadows of a past she’d tried to chase away—times she’d said yes when she hadn’t truly wanted to.
Times her needs were treated like an afterthought.
Chapters that ended in bitterness, with cruel accusations that it was all her fault; that she was nothing more than a pretty face—underneath it cold, boring, and undeserving of passion.
A haunting fear that anything too intense and too perfect was never real to begin with.
That once the mystery was gone, so was the love.
Pablo never rushed—he stayed himself; steady and warm, until she found herself slowly letting him in despite her reluctance. With him, her happiness came first, and she knew she would always do the same for him.
They were simply two people who cared about each other, giving their best to one another. With the small everyday gestures—with the way he listened to her, spoke to her, held her—he’d helped heal wounds she thought would never close.
Her heart had already learned to trust him.
Why shouldn’t her body?
The tavern was slowly growing too warm—whether from the drinks, the dancing, or the heat simmering in-between.
So they stepped out onto the pier, catching their breath beneath the night sky, the sea peaceful and endless beyond the horizon.
Just a moment’s break, before he walked her home like he always did.
Before the date ended like it always had.