Redress (gxg)

Chapter 40 "Faux"

Standing in the balcony, hugging myself for some warmth as the early morning breeze brushed past me, I let my mind wandered, while gazing afar at the orange and red hues of the horizon where the sun had just risen. The sight eventually made me feel nostalgic, and I suddenly remembered a certain memory with my dad. We used to watch sunrise together, and everytime we did, I would always feel peace just by watching the fiery ball in the sky, and at the same time, I felt safe being around the most important person in my life, the reason why I always looked forward to waking up early, everyday. But when they took him away from me, everything changed, the good life I had, had ceased to exist, and I knew then, only I could get the justice my dad deserved by taking matters into/ my own hands, not only because I wanted to, but also it was what I had to do, considering how powerful Clifford was. 

As I was engrossed with my own thoughts, Lauren's pair of arms suddenly snaked around my waist from behind, instantly squeezing me gently against her body, making me realize I was gripping the cold metal railing tightly. She draped my nightgown sleeve off my shoulder, and and started trailing kisses on my bare skin, enough to stop my mind from thinking further, and I eventually loosened up as my hands left the railing to hold her arms. 

"Penny for your thoughts, my love?" she asked with a sense of comfort in her voice as she rested her chin on my shoulder.

"I just recalled something I used to do with my dad..."

"What about it?"

"We...used to watch sunrise together. It was one of our morning routines, and one of my favorites..." I mumbled, feeling her steady breath faintly tickling my neck.

"Your dad...he was a great man, I could tell by how you talked about him.

I smiled, "He was, and I know, you two would have gotten along," I mumbled, my thumbs drawing circles on her arms as I briefly felt a pang of sadness, knowing she wouldn't ever get to meet him, but eventually, a moment of comfortable silence hung around us, and noticing her, on my peripheral vision, she was now also looking at the same view as I.

"I'm sure he's watching you from above, love, and I know he's proud of how you've come this far."

"That's why I can't stop now. I've come this far, and I'm so close to ending this, I'm so close in getting justice for him."

"I hear you Alex, and like I said, I'll be with you until you finish this," she said, kissing my bare shoulder once again, and I leaned back, feeling the warmth of her embrace. I could never get tired of this, just being this close to her, it always made me feel warm and safe, and it helped me clear my mind whenever it was a mess. "...That aside, how do you feel about the trip?" she added after a moment.

"Happy, and excited. I can't wait to take the trip, with you, and the rest of the gang," I answered, reminded by the thing I was looking forward to since I woke up.

"Me too, but you know we still can't let out guard down, right?" she reminded, and I nodded, before turning around to face her, her hug slowly loosening around my waist on the process, but still kept her arms firmly there as our faces were inches closer now.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it, we're not gonna be alone. You just enjoy with the others, and I'll do the observing," I said, smiling, and gently poked her nose. Her hand then reached up to my cheek, slowly caressing it with her thumb as she looked at me with a polite smile, before suddenly pinching it, making me yelp in surprise.

"The trip is supposed to be for you, to unwind, remember?" she asked demandingly, and I just slowly nodded, not having much of a choice. Her tone was already scary enough. "...So, I can't let you do that. We'll both keep an eye out instead, okay?" she said slowly, raising a brow.