Raine circled around the small room, taking in the rustic views of her cottage for the night. Xavier smiled, watching Raine's reaction with a content feeling in his heart. Although he was nervous of what her reaction would be to the small little cabin which was nothing like his house in New York City, Raine's glittering eyes as she observed the room, were enough to prove that she liked it.
"It appears to me, that you had doubts." Xavier spoke. Raine turned around, watching as Xavier entered the cabin, rolling in the last of the bags.
"What can I say?" Raine shrugged playfully. "You're quiet unpredictable."
Xavier chuckled as he shut the door, locking the chilled air out of the cozy cabin. Rubbing his hands together, he scanned the room, until his eyes fell on the pile of firewood, laying near the stone fireplace.
"Let me get the fire started so we don't freeze to death." Xavier announced as he walked towards the fireplace.
Raine nodded silently, watching Xavier work the fire. Her eyes took in the various aspects of the cozy little cabin. After a couple of attempts, Xavier had finally gotten the fire to burn, allowing warmth to flood through the cabin.
"Give it like 20 minutes and the room should warm up." Xavier assured to Raine who was blowing hot air into her palms and rubbing them together.
"Y-yeah" Raine said shivering. "When was the last time someone came here?" Raine asked with curiosity.
"Well, since my father no longer lives, no one." Xavier said, scanning his eyes over the small room.
"I can tell! It's so cold in here." Raine replied, her arms wrapped firmly around her body as chills passed through her spine. "I'm gunna turn into an icicle by tomorrow morning." She said teasingly.
"I apologize. I really didn't think this through. I should have just booked rooms at the hotel. It would have been a lot more comfortable, especially after that long drive." Xavier said letting out a breath. "I just....I thought you would like it here. You were telling me that you used to camp out in the woods with your parents when you were younger and...."
"Xavier." Raine smiled. "First of all, I absolutely love this cabin and it's way better then any hotel you could have taken me to." Her eyes shined with appreciation. "And second of all, that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."
"It's nothing." Xavier said waving it off. "I just wanted to make you smile the same way you did when you told me about that memory."
Raine moved towards him, taking his big hands into her smaller ones. Although it was freezing, his hands still held warmth to them. A warmth that Raine found herself melting into. "Thank you."
Xavier's heartbeat rose as he found himself drowning in her pristine brown eyes. Her radiant smile was all he had wished for when he brought her here. And seeing it playing perfectly on her lips was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
"You're welcome." He whispered ever so silently.
"So do you like it here?" Xavier asked scratching the back of his neck.
"Love it!" Raine beamed. "It's just like the cabin I used to go to with my parents! Except it was never this cold!" Raine laughed. "But what about you? I never thought I'd see you being interested in a place like this?"
"What do you mean?" Xavier asked.
"Well, this cabin, It's nothing like your house. No grand staircase. No marble floors. No exquisite paintings. But most of all, no security."
"Ah. Security huh?" He asked with a grin.
Raine shook her shoulders. "Well yeah. I don't really see you without your men. Especially Jordon."
"That's only because the world out there knows who I am and what I can do." Xavier said. "Out here however, I'm just a human being. Nothing special, just a mere human being.... Its kinda nice getting away from all of those lavish things and just enjoying the silence."
"I'm sure." Raine nodded. "Out there, it seems as if the whole world is out to get you. I don't blame them though. I mean, you are Xavier Thorn!"
"And that's all the world sees. Nothing more, nothing less." Xavier smiled sadly. He was tired. Tired of being judged only by his name. Tired of the fake people that surrounded him. Tired of the false relations that he had been intertwined in, simply because people wanted to get in the spotlight and being Xavier's acquaintance was the shortcut to fame. "I always feel like I'm being pulled in a million directions. None of them being things I actually want to do."
"What do you want to do Xavier?" Raine pushed. "It seems like you were dragged into this business the same way Ethan was."
"For now, just enjoy this moment. I haven't been here in forever and being here with you, it's all that I want right now." Xavier replied honestly.
"I couldn't agree more."
"Why don't we make ourselves home first?" Xavier said in a lighter voice. "I'll make sure your room alright. Give me a sec."
Xavier headed towards one of the doors, leaving Raine alone in the living room. Her eyes trailed along the walls that seemed to be filled with photographs. Walking around, Raine followed the walls, observing each of the pictures. However, a frown appeared on his face when she noticed them to be newspaper clippings of Thorn Inc's success instead of priceless pieces of family history.
"Ok." Xavier said as he walked out. "That's your room. There's a bathroom inside and the fresh towels are under the counter. I've turned on the heater so it should be warmed up by the time you go to sleep."
Raine backed away from the wall, giving Xavier a weak smile. "Thanks."
"No problem. Oh, and my room is right over there." He said pointing to the door that was just on the side of the guest room. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."
"I won't."
* * *
After taking a quick shower and changing into her soft pajamas, Raine left her cozy room and entered the living room. Confusion swept across her face when she notice Xavier crouched on the floor besides the fireplace, shuffling through wires.
Raine cleared her throat, causing Xavier's head to shoot up. Startled, he ended up banging the top of his head on the stone mantle that stuck out just above it.
"Ughhh" he groaned, rubbing his head with a pained expression on his face.
"Oh my god!" Raine said, rushing up to his side. "Are you alright Xavier?!" She asked with concern.
"Yeah, sorry." He said, his eyes landing on Raine's concerned ones. "I'm fine."
"Thank god!" She stared, still unconvinced. "What were you doing anyways?"
"I was just connecting the WiFi router to the main panel. It needed to be rebooted so I disconnected everything and now it's just not working at all." Xavier stared down at the wires in frustration. "I've got some emails to take care of and I need to notify Jordon that we've arrived here safely. And if that's not bad enough, there's no service."
"Let me take a look at it. Maybe I can get it to work." Raine stated.
"Don't worry about it Raine. I'll take care of it." Xavier said holding her shoulders. "It'll only take me a minute."
"But I want to help." She pouted.
"Help, huh?" Xavier said glancing around. "In that case, can you do me a favor and proofread the speech I have prepared for tomorrow?"
"Yeah of course."
Xavier handed Raine a couple of pages on which Xavier had handwritten the speech. Raine glance over it, marking up all of the mistakes while Xavier fiddled around with the wires some more.
* * *
"Xavier?" Raine asked looking around the living room while Xavier worked away on is computer. His eyes were boring into the brightly lit computer screen as his fingers frantically pressed the keys on the keyboard.
It had been about thirty minutes since Xavier had been shuffling around the room, messing with cables and other equipment in hopes of rebooting up the WiFi.
"Damn it! The wifi still isn't working!" Xavier groaned, too engrossed in his work.
"Umm, Xavier?" She asked again, a little louder.
"I've done everything I possibly could. Yet I don't know why in the world It's not working!" He muttered.
"Xavier?!" She asked loudly.
"Yeah, Raine." He mumbled, hopping around to the back side of the coach and unplugging a bunch of wires.
"Do you possibly have some food here?" Raine asked embarrassed. "I'm kinda hungry. We skipped dinner so..."
As soon as her words registered, Xavier dropped the wires that were tangled in his hands and looked up to Raine with a guilty smile.
"Good thing you reminded me!" Xavier said, pushing aside the table he had moved and came in front of Raine. "I'm starving too."
"If you have anything here, I can whip something up. Where's the kitchen?" Raine asked looking around.
"How does pizza sound?"
"Pizza?" Raine asked with disbelief. "Xavier, we're in the middle of nowhere. Where on earth do you think the pizza will come from?"
Xavier left her question unanswered as he walked towards the kitchen that was tucked away behind one of the walls.
"Ta-da!" Xavier said, holding out a large pizza box in his hands and a grin on his face.
Raine looked at him in disbelief as he stood there grinning like a little boy. "Umm..."
"I made a stop at a pizza parlour when you were asleep in the car." Xavier said sheepishly. "I didn't want to wake you up but I figured you'd be hungry once we got here. So...." He added, scratching the back of his neck.
"Well?" Raine asked. "What are we waiting for? Let's dig in!"
* * *
The moon was at it's highest point in the night sky, surrounded in an ocean of glimmering stars. The surroundings were dead silent, the only noice being that of the small insects that chirpped in the wilderness. Xavier and Raine had long retreated to their beds, exhausted by the lengthy drive up to the cabin.
"NO!!!!!"
"Don't touch me!!"
"Please!! Please don't.... No!!!"
The sound of pained screams broke Xavier out of his sleep. Confusion sweep across his face as he looked around, not finding himself in his own room. But just as the surrounding made sense to him, another scream echoed through the cabin.
"DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"
His heart seemed to stop when he recognized that voice to be Raine's. Within a split second, he was out of his bed and storming out of his room. His eyes connected with a metal rod that was laying in the corner of room. Quickly, he reached out for it, grabbing it as he walked in haste to the guest room, barging in with a bang.
His eyes scanned the room like a hawk, searching for any sources of danger. But when he found none, confusion appeared on his face. His eyes landed on Raine, shocked when he found her murmuring incohiant words as beads of sweat rolled off her face. The rod slid out of his hands, clanking onto the floor.
"No! Please! Don't....No!" She chanted, her body trembling as sobs raked through her body.
Immediately, Xavier rushed over to her sleeping figure, his hands shaking her body in attempt to get her to wake up.
"Raine!" Xavier shouted. "Wake up Raine! It's just a dream! "
"Don't hurt me! Please, I'm begging you! No..." She sobbed, her body shivering in Xavier's arms as she cried hysterically.
"Raine, please wake up!" Xavier said. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest, pained with Raine's frightened appearance. It hurt him in was he had never imagined, seeing Raine's state under the light of the moon.
"RAINE!" Xavier shouted loudly.
All of a sudden, Raine's eyes shot open. She launched herself off the bed in an upright potision, panting heavily. Her hair was scattered on her face, looking nothing less then a bird's nest and her eyes were bloodshot, tears still leaking from them.
"Raine!?" Xavier said once more, his hands resting on her shoulders and concern was swimming into his midnight blue eyes.
"Xavier!" Raine scream as soon as her eyes fell on his panicked ones. Within a fraction of a second, her arms encircled his body as she hugged him tightly, throwing all of her weight on top of him. Xavier barely managed to seady himself before he wrapped his own arms around her body securely.
"What's wrong Raine? What happened?" He asked with worry as he rubbed her back.
Raine didn't answer his question. Instead she continued to sob in Xavier's arms. Her tears wetting the soft material of his t-shit.
"Tell him to stop! Xavier! Tell him to stop!" Raine sobbed, muttering incoherent words.
"Who Raine?! There's no one here!" He consoled worriedly.
"X-Xaver...He's gunna kill me! Xavier save me! Please Xa-Xavier p-please!"
"Shhh...Look at me Raine." He ordered, pulling her face from his chest and cupping it so that it was facing him. "Look at me. I'm right here. No one is going to hurt you. No one is here. It's just you and me. It was just a nightmare!"
Raine looked around the room, her eyes still dripping with tears and her body still shaking. Once her eyes had scanned the room, her breathing slowed down, realizing that there was no threat present.
"I won't let anyone hurt you, let alone touch you. You hear that?" Xavier whispered softly into her ears. "I'm right here ok?" He spoke tenderly. "And I'm never leaving your side."
"P-promise?" Raine asked weakly.
"Promise." Xavier said, a soft smile appearing on his face.
Using his figures, his wiped away all of the tears that had soaked her once, flawless face. Pushing her hair out of the way, Xavier pulled her closer, pressing his lips onto her forehead.
"Come on now. You have to get some sleep." Xavier said.
Her breathing fasten at his statement. "N-no...heâ"
"I'm right here." He said. "And I'm not leaving."
Raine stared at him for a little longer before Xavier guided her back down on the bed. He laid her down carefully, covering her with the blanket before he crawled around the the other side, sinking other the blanket himself.
"Go to sleep Raine. No one's hurting you tonight." Xavier whispered softly. "Good night."
* * *
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The soft melody echoed in Raine's ears as she laid on top of an unbelievably warm pillow. With every thump, the pillow seemed to rise, carrying her body with it, and then fall.
Raine snugged further into the pillow that was working wonders on her mind. Although her head felt heavy and her body felt exhausted beyond belief, the soothing melody of the pillow seemed to calm her body down, helping her dive deeper into slumber.
A strong pair of arms wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her close to the mysterious pillow. Â They enveloped Raine in a bundle of warmth that was like no other.
However, it wasn't until Raine felt some calloused fingers tickle the bare skin on her stomach, that caused a frown to inch onto her sleeping face. She squinted her eyes, rubbing them gently before her soft eyelids, unveiled her chocolate brown eyes.
When Raine's eyes opened, instead of meeting sunlight like she always did, she met a pair of royal blue orbs staring back at her. She froze under their gaze, mesmerized by the pools of blue that drown her in their beauty.
"Raine..."Â Came a whisper, ever so softly.
And the owner of that voice? It was someone who had Raine's heart thumping loudly against her chest at every sight. Xavier.
Her eyes scrunched together and confusion washed all over her face at Xavier's presence in her room, on her bed. But it wasn't just that, which got her cheeks blushing pink on an icy cold morning.
Her head rested on Xavier's hard chest, and his heartbeats the owner of that soothing melody Raine had fallen in love with. Her legs were intertwined with his own, hidden under the soft cotton fabric of the blanket, while her hands were pressed up against his chest, just above his abs which were clothed in a soft t-shirt.
But what stood out the most to her, was the sound of their hearts beating rapidly in sync.
"Raine?" Xavier repeated once more, concern flashing amougst the deep blue sea that lived within his eyes.
His calloused figures pushed strands of hair behind her ears, exposing her blushed cheeks. The proximity had Raine frozen and speechless. Her mind inched to say the thousands of feeling that were racing through her mind. Yet, her heart refused to let go of this magical connection they seemed to be infused in.
"Are you ok?" Xavier asked, breaking the trance. His curious blue eyes shining with shards of worry.
"Xavier?" Raine asked, quickly pushing herself away from him and creating a distance that their heart, so strongly seemed to disagree on.
As soon as the contact was lost, a chill swept through her body.
"W-what are you doing h-here?" She asked once more, in utter confusion. Her hand made it's way to her head which was still heavy due to the eventful night.
"Last night you...." Xavier began. But just as those words left his mouth, Raine's expressions dropped. Realization hit her hard and Xavier didn't miss the embarrassment and panic that settled in her eyes.
"What's wrong Raine?" He asked softly, leaning closer to Raine. "What is it? Tell me Raine?" His voice was so gentle and held so much care, that for a moment, Raine found herself giving in before quickly getting rid of such thoughts.
"N-nothing." Raine stuttered, her eyes glued to the ground. "It was just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?" Xavier said, his voice rising slightly. "You were screaming in the middle of the night. You were crying Raine. You were sobbing. You were shivering. But most importantly, you were scared. And if that isn't something to worry about, then I don't know what is."
"I said it was nothing!" Raine said in an irritable tone.
"It wasn't nothing." Xavier refuted. "It wasn't nothing when you were trembling in my arms Raine! It wasn't nothing when you were begging for your life." Xavier said, recalling the words that had left her mouth in her sleeping state. "Tell me what's going on. Let me in, Raine."
A lone tear welled up in her eyes, swimming to the edge of her eye before diving out and trailing against the soft skin of her face. But before the tear could drop to the ground, Xavier's figures caught it, pushing it away.
"Tell me what's wrong Raine. I can help you." He whispered in a voice that held so much love and affection, causing more tears to fall from her eyes.
Although her mind disagreed severely, her heart went beyond control. Raine's arms launched around Xavier's torso, engulfing him in a hug. She let her body fall into his own, her head buried in her chest as she wept silently.
A look of shock took over Xavier's face for a second before he registered what was going on. His hands circled around Raine's fragile body, rubbing her back in a soothing way. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear in attempt stop the tears that were soaking his shirt once more.
"It's ok Raine. I'm right here. "Shhhh..."
______________________
A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. I had a week full of midterms last week, which are thankfully over! And now I'm back! Hope you all enjoyed this part! Also beautiful header made by unstoppable73 Thank you!!
Question of the day: Anyone watching the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang? If you are, what are your favorite sports and who are your favorite athletes?
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