IRIS
We spent the whole day together on the island, except my brother and I needed more time alone. The sun was burning hot as we walked along the beach, burying our feet in the warm sand.
Aidan and I told each other stories from our childhoodâour silly pranks, the secret trips to the river, and the nights we hid under the covers to secretly eat candy. It was like we were trying to make up for all the lost time, as if we didnât have a second to waste.
I told him everything that had happened since the last day we were together. The friends I never had, the dreams I had given up on, and the new and first friends I made here.
He listened to me carefully, his gaze sometimes thoughtful, sometimes amused. Then it was his turn, and with every sentence I felt the years between us melting away.
He spoke about his struggles, his victories, and the moments when he had felt aloneâjust like me. It wasnât until that moment that I realized how much I had missed him.
Not just his humor or advice, but simply his presence. A laughter that only the two of us understood, a silence that was never uncomfortable.
The island around us almost disappeared, as if we were children again, for whom the world consisted only of adventures and endless time. I looked at him as he laughed at my stories, and he reminded me of our father.
Tall and proud, with black hair and black eyes. They had a purple glow around their pupils, and that reminded me of our mother.
My little brother had grown up to be a strong and smart man. And besides, a real soldier and fighter like our father.
Inna joined us while we were sitting on the beach, smiling with happiness.
âShe should stay with us for a few days⦠Maybe we can help her to learn to control her powers. That way, maybe her memory will return quickly,â Inna suggested.
Her suggestion was great and, of course, Aidan and I immediately agreed with her.
When I told my friends about my decision, Avery and Ava insisted that they would stay with me. And of course, I was happy about their decision.
Noah, Jade, and Elian headed home before nightfall. And to be honest, I was a little relieved that Jade didnât need to hear all my thoughts.
âIâll tell your father you stayed here,â Noah said, as he, Jade, and Elian said goodbye to us.
âWeâll put you up in a guest villa right by the sea. Youâll each have your own room and of course the best view on the whole island,â Aidan said when we got back to camp.
After dinner, I listened to the adventures of Avery and Aidan during their childhood while we were sitting on the balcony of our accommodation. We laughed and enjoyed hanging out until late at night.
But I could have listened to them for much longer; everything I had missed suddenly seemed incredibly valuable to me.
âItâs already late and I need my beauty sleep!â Ava said as she headed to her room.
âAs if sleep will help you in that!â Avery and Aidan called out after her at the same time, bursting into laughter.
âOh, how mean you are,â Inna said with a laugh.
âBut I think we should go to bed too,â she added as she glanced at Aidan.
âWell, children⦠when my Love calls me like this, I canât resist,â Aidan said as he placed Inna over his shoulder and headed towards the main villa.
I looked after them and smiled as Aidan spun her around while she giggled, as they walked away from us.
Only Avery and I were sitting on the balcony by the sea. The moonlight was visible on the surface of it, and the breeze left a chill on my skin.
âWe should go inside too, youâre freezing,â Avery said, pointing at my goose bumps.
I agreed with him and we walked back. Although I was cold, I didnât hurry, and Avery seemed to walk slowly, just like me.
We stopped outside the door to my room and glanced at each other⦠unsure, embarrassed, almost like two teenagers after their very first date. My heart was pounding so fast I feared he could hear it.
Every fiber of my body was screaming to touch him, to pull him against me and bridge this agonizing gap between us. But instead, I just whispered a soft âgood nightâ and slipped into the room, as if I were fleeing from my own feelings.
The door slammed shut behind me and I leaned against it, eyes closed. The cold wood against my forehead couldnât dampen the heat on my cheeks.
What a coward I was! Why couldnât I just tell him what I was feeling? That I longed for his closeness, for the warmth of his hands, for the familiar sound of his laugh, which had always sounded like home to me.
Perhaps⦠I should dare. Confess to him that every time I looked at him I was electrified, that every hour without him felt like an eternity.
Maybe it was time to finally give this love some space, unfiltered, without fear. After all, he was my destiny, the one soul who completed mine.
He would understand me. Yet my hands were still shaking.
I was still battling with myself. Outside, it remained quiet.
Was he waiting? Hoping? Or had he left long ago, disappointed by my hesitation?
I opened the door with the intention of going to his room, which was across the hall from mine. But Avery was still standing where he was when I ran into the room.
The last push was given by the door closing behind me, and I stepped out into the hallway towards him.
âAvery⦠I need to tell you somethingâ¦â I began, searching his eyes.
And that alone seemed to be enough reason for him.
Seconds that felt like an eternity passed before he walked towards me. With a determination that took my breath away.
Suddenly there was no door behind me, no doubts, no rational thoughts. Only him.
His hands found my body, pulling me toward him with a fierce longing, as if he couldnât wait another second. His fingers stroked across my skin, leaving a trail of burning sensations.
Every spot he touched was in flames⦠not painfully, but with an electrifying tingling that ran through me to the deepest corners of my body. It was as if he was bringing me to life, bit by bit, and I felt a perfection that I had never known before.
His hands were gentle and yet full of purpose, his every movement guided by a consuming desire. A thousand butterflies awoke in my stomach, their wings fluttering wildly, filling me with an unbridled warmth.
It was a sweet, almost beguiling energy, foreign and familiar at the same time. Our lips met in a kiss that expressed everything we had never said out loud, a swirl of years of longing, repressed desire, and this deep, inescapable certaintyâ¦
This felt so right.