B O N U S C H A P T E R 1

three years after the epilogue;

nags head, north carolina

》》》

The breeze blew a few stray strands of my hair as I pushed them back, inhaling the salty air that I loved. This part of the beach was secluded, and while I did not like the amount of money we blew on booking us a private beach house, sometimes, privacy that came with money was appreciated.

Nags Head was undoubtedly the most scenetic and beautiful beach town I'd ever seen. It wasn't like the Californian beaches I'd grown up seeing—orangey, pinkish and always merry. These beaches were often shades of stark green mixed with the murky grayish blue waters, surrounded by the thick canopy of green trees. I liked it. I liked how it seemed a definite explanation of the human turmoil and life.

The sun was out today which was precisely why I was soaking up the vitamin D on the beach, narrowing my eyes towards the two people that were dots to me because of the distance that was between us. One of them pushed the other in the water, as I heard a faint scream the latter let out, laughing the next second.

A sigh escaped my mouth.

Pages of the book that lay beside me flapped, this breeze particularly strong, yet cool. Gathering all that I had brought with me I stood up, trudging away through the sand to the house that we'd rented. The cold marble floor beneath my bare feet arose a line of goosebumps on my back, the lights switching on above my head. They were those sensor lights kind of lights, the one's that we only see in movies or dramas, but the one's that in reality can only be found in houses like these.

The silence inside was a stark contrast to the outside, where the lapping waves produced a repetitive sound that was calming, yet somehow disturbing. The sun had already set, just a few minutes away from diving into the horizon for a good few hours. The sky was grayish blue now, and all I wanted to do was curl into a blanket with a glass of red wine beside me.

"Love, I'm back!" The front door opened and in came my boyfriend naked from the chest above. Tucked beneath his arm was a surf board, his chest prickling with droplets of water, his hair bouncing with every step that he took. A smile made it's way on my face as I leaned against the counter, watching him wipe away the wetness with a towel, his movements too hot and too sexy for my liking.

"Nuh uh, put on a shirt first," Wagging my finger at him, I pushed him back, as he smirked, nevertheless throwing a plain black t-shirt and some joggers on him.

"As if you don't like me naked the best." That brat knew what switches to click and turn.

"That doesn't mean you can walk around naked!" In one swift motion, he was in front of me, pressing his lips onto mine as the surroundings around me faded for the millionth time. Never did kissing him felt boring. Or repetitive. Instead, the butterflies were always more than before, as I wondered, how deeply was I in love with this man?

Pulling back, his coffee brown irises zeroed in on my freshly kissed lips, flicking down to my attire and then back up at my face. The coffee brown had turned to an unmistakable black shade, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip. "I missed you." He let out, as his thumb caressed my cheek.

"I did too." Of course I did. But since I did not posses the knack for surfing, he'd gone out on his own with a few locals he'd befriended. We had days like these, where we'd do whatever we wanted to, mostly because personal space was a thing that we both needed. And not in a negative way. We both were two individuals who just grew up being alone most of the time, so often, we wanted to have days like those. But it never lessened our love for each other.

"Yeah?" Pulling me closer by the hips, he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "What did you do?"

The coil in my stomach tightened. "Uhhhhh, read a book, watch the ocean and think about food?" He burst out laughing, his lips finding a way onto mine.

"And by book you mean a romance novel which raises your standards every time you read one and then you tell me how I can never make you feel the way your book boyfriends do." I press my lips into a thin line, trying to hold back my laughter as he rambles on. "And who's that guy you keep talking about? Oh, yes. Aaron. From that Spanish Deception book, right? I've never been jealous of a person that doesn't exist."

"That's pretty much spot on." I replied, flicking his hair back and watching his face morph into irritation. "Come on, dramatic ass. You know it's true." Rolling his eyes at me, he turns away from me, as I pull him back. "What you said is true. But I need to tell you that what you make me feel can never be compared to anything. Sure, the books make me squeal, cry, laugh and swoon, but you make me feel those things ten times more intensely. You are a real person and you are here with me. So, guess who wins the best boyfriend award?"

That enticed a smile out of him as he exhaled, pulling me in for a hug. While I knew this was a friendly banter, I was also aware that Ray needed assurance from time to time. There were days when he would simply ask me to hold him and there were days when he wanted to physically touch me every second. I would try my best to make him feel loved and safe.

"That felt good to hear." His voice is barely a whisper and I pull him closer.

"Yeah?" Massaging his scalp, I lead us onto the couch, as we fall over, Ray immediately pressing his face onto my chest and sighing. "What should I make for dinner?"

"Hmm?" He looks like he's euphoric, his eyelids shut and breath even. "Oh." He gets up suddenly. "I was planning to take us out for dinner."

"Really?" I sit up in excitement. "Where? Do I need to dress fancy?"

He flicks my forehead. "Calm your horses. You can dress casual." Pushing himself off my body, he stretches, his waistline visible as I clear my throat. "We should crack on soon if we want a good night's sleep for our early morning flight tomorrow." I'd completely forgotten about that. Summer was over, and so was our vacation. Ray did not really have work to get back to since he was an individual artist, but I had a company that gave me only limited holidays.

The thought of returning back dampened my spirits, but ever slightly so, since we had a whole evening to look forward to before we went back to our daily lives. "I'll use the bathroom first!" He shouts, as I nod and make way to the wardrobe. Pulling out a plain white silk shirt, a checkered vest and a mini black skirt, I change into them, checking myself out in the mirror.

"You look fine. More than fine actually." Warm hands slid over my stomach from behind, his cologne that's a sweet mix of mint and lemongrass—not too strong yet not too dull—wafting into my nostrils.

"I do?" I smile, as he nods sweetly, kissing my nape.

"As always. Throws me off every single time. What did I do to deserve this?" It's a sentence he loves to repeat and I hate to hear, because it's kind of self depreciating.

"I don't know. I love you because you're the worst person I've ever met." He laughs, his body leaving mine as he straightens out the collar of his black dress shirt. "You said I didn't have to dress fancy." I huff. "And here you are, looking like a hot CEO of a billion-dollar revenue generating company."

"Stop reading those CEO romances." Rolling his eyes at me, he puts on a sleek black watch on his left wrist, a lone strand of hair falling over his forehead graciously. His tattoos peak behind the collar of the shirt, and I suddenly start feeling hot. "It's not fancy—okay maybe it is, but I'm the most comfortable in all black. Should I just put on a black shirt and leather jacket?"

"I'm just kidding. You look good. Like, really good." I clear my throat, my eyes flitting up and down from his face to the floor. His expression darkens and he leans against the wall, eyeing me.

"Don't make me want to just have my dinner here, because trust me, I want to." Hot lava flows through me as I lean back against the opposite wall, gulping.

"Then what's stopping you?" For a minute he looks like he's contemplating because his eyes dance over my body as if they're desperate to strip the clothes off, but then he shakes his head, running his fingers through his hair.

"We should leave. I made a reservation." Chuckling silently, he drags me out, as I narrow my eyes at him.

"That's nice. That's really fair. Turn me on and then do nothing about it." I scowl, as he straps my seat belt in. The car starts as we zoom down the coast road, sea on one side and trees on the other. I'm still angry—sort of?—but momentarily forget it when he pulls in to a beautiful restaurant that sits tucked away in a corner.

Sasha's Kitchen—it reads on the board. At first sight, it looks like a local hangout spot, but when you step inside, you see how intricately decorated and posh it is. Soft leather sofas make up for the usual chairs; the tables lined up with colorful stones and flower arrangements. The back of the restaurant has a live band lightly singing and playing, the sound of the artificial waterfall on the wall giving it a nice background. The waiters buzz around in comfortable black uniforms, the same for men and women which make me so much more happier.

"You have a reservation, ma'am?" The waiter addresses me, as I nod. Ray gives them the details as they lead us to a table in a corner. Placing two menu cards and two glasses of water on the table, they smile and walk away, giving us space to choose.

"The usual Al—"

"—Alfredo Pasta for you, I know." He cuts me off, scoffing. "Why don't you try something else?" His tone is humorous but I feel the need to explain.

"I like to experiment when I'm not that hungry. Because when I come out for dinner, I want to order my usual since I know it will be what I like." He shakes his head and chuckles, ordering a steak for him and some wine on the side.

"So," he clears his throat, "tomorrow is the day we go back." His eyes are dead set on me and I nod, the gloomy feeling from earlier settling into my chest yet again. While we did live in LA, we had a hard time trying to commute and meet each other. Our timings didn't match, since he worked at night and I worked in the day. At the end of the week, we were too exhausted to try and explore the city together and ended up snuggling in bed. Not that it wasn't fun, because it was, but traveling together, which we both absolutely loved had become next to impossible.

"Yeah, I guess." Fiddling with the fork I answer, my eyes downcast. "It was a good summer though." I smile at him and a soft expression settles in his eyes, as he nods in agreement. "I don't know how I'm going to live with the fact that you won't be next to me when I wake up for work, but nothing ever does go your way, right?" The pasta which was unusually good seemed bland. The rich and alluring atmosphere of the restaurant seemed dull and gloomy.

"Hey, it's alright." His legs twined with mine below the table as he took my hands in his. "We've been together for six years, haven't we? We'll manage. As always." Tears sting my eyes at the thought of seeing him only twice a week. He worked for art galleries and also commissioned customers. He had deadlines to tend to, and painted continously for hours since it required his full attention.

I worked as a copywriter for a famous publishing company and work swamped me up almost everyday. I was also in the process of finishing my first fiction novel and absolutely had no free time on my hand. We loved each other but we understood that our careers were as much important. We needed to make a life for ourselves. We respected that about each other.

The waiter cleaned up our plates and placed two fortune cookies in front of us. "Complimentary!" Smiling, they walked away.

"Isn't my cookie a bit too big?" I mused, eyeing the cookie which was also coated in chocolate. "Is this a new edition?" Because I had never seen a fortune cookie wrapped in chocolate sauce ever.

"I don't know, just eat it." Ray had already devoured his, holding the piece of paper in his hand. I opened the plastic wrapper and bit into the cookie, as suddenly, a metal object fell onto the table with a loud clang.

"What the—" My words remained stuck in my mouth as I repeatedly chanted this is not what I think it is in my mind. "Is this—?" My voice wobbled, as his smile grew only bigger, confirming my suspicions.

"Yes, June Williams. This is the key to the house that I bought for us." Picking up the key in his hand, he held it out towards me.

"Will you move in with me?"

My eyes keep flitting between him and the key—that could very much be the key to my future—not able to take in Ray's eager yet happy expression and the thought of living together at the same time.

"We can sign the lease together, so don't accuse me of buying it all myself. I too believe in sharing the responsibilities, whatever those may be, equally." Still hearing no reply from me, his voice falters. "I just, uh, thought that it would be good to live together, you know. Since we both struggle so much and it almost becomes unbearable to not be able to see each other. The house is owned by my friend, and since he never uses it because he lives in Seattle, he offered to sell it to me—no, us—at a reasonable rate. You can take your time to think about it, or if you don't want to, that's okay as well—"

I shut him up by kissing him, his hand immediately coiling into my hair as he pulls me closer. We separate, a newfound desire and happiness echoing around us. "You talk too much." I whisper, his lips an inch away from mine. "Where's the key?" He raises it in front of me as I take it. "Yes. Yes I'll fucking move in with you Ray Rutherford." A smile spreads on his face as he tries to pull me in closer, the table between us not letting him do so.

I stand up and pull him closer by his shirt collar.

His eyes widen.

I smirk.

"I said I'll move in with you, didn't I?" He nods, almost unconsciously, his eyes dead set on mine. I position my lips next to his ear, the next words meant for him and him only. "So take me back to the beach house and fuck me hard. Fuck me till I'm begging you to stop."

In a second he's up, throwing the bill money on the table. The next he's dragging me by my hand until we exit the restaurant. After that he's picking me up and throwing me over his shoulders, grumbling and muttering profanities.

Strapping my seatbelt in, he looks at me with eyes that match the shade of black coffee. "I was going to fuck you hard either way, but you've challenged me now. And I love challenges, since I like to win."

I sit back and watch his chest heaving heavily, his breathes ragged and an eerie silence about him. But I also watch him drive us back to the house safely and I watch him open the door for me, unstrap my heels and give his sneakers to me.

I watch him give me a million more reasons to love him.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A sweet (hot) bonus chapter for you guys since we hit 70K—HOLY FUCK!!

Y'all are seriously the best, ily guys.

Dw, smut bonus chapters are in the making for you lovelies.