aamon paxley X o.c. • the duke and the runaway

31.

A SHORT chapter.

Yes, and there's a reason why.

:3

—

Aamon snapped himself back to the light from the darkness.

His chest spasmed; water filled his mouth, bitter and salty like blood. His throat hurt as he coughed out the liquid from his lungs, his eyes stinging due to the seawater. The man curled up, racked with deep coughs whilst feeling a hand rubbing his back, another one holding his shoulder steady.

He was shaking as he continued to expel the seawater from his body, grazing his skin against the damp sand. It slightly gave him panic, thinking that he was once again drowning in the depths of the ocean.

However, as his coughing slowed and ceased, relief hit him as he rolled onto his back and stared up at a woman and the sky behind her.

It was Seraph.

His lady.

His angel.

She was expressing fear and panic on her fair face that it caused him to feel disappointed with himself. He didn't want her to see him like this. He tried to speak, to drawl out words of assurance, to tell her that everything was going to be fine but he couldn't. He was exhausted and speechless, contemplating on how to speak to her.

"Y-You're alive," she stammered, her lips quivering as she teared up, "Y-You idiot, you had me worried!"

He could tell from her gestures that she was angry, upset and relieved at the sight of him. But those tears sliding down her cheeks were so visible that it throbbed his heart.

"Seraph," he said. His voice was weak, probably due to the water in his throat, coming out rough and hoarse in his ears. "I'm— I'm fine."

"You aren't! What were you doing?!" Her voice rose, somehow speculating that he was doing exactly what she was thinking during the time she ran through the woods to search for him.

The moon hovered over her, behind the Crisiant's head like a halo. At that moment, Aamon truly thought that he was seeing a real angel.

He coughed briefly, causing her to pull him upright. She was kneeling on the sand, holding him against her as he sat up, rubbing her hand against his back.

"I went to retrieve your necklace," he muttered to her ear and she shivered, "The light— the light faded out from the crystal when I was about to reach the surface."

He showed her the possession that she valued, her eyes widened as she didn't make a move to get it from his hold.

"You..." She shakily whispered, "We were waiting for you, I was waiting for you. How could you be so reckless?"

Her wet, golden brown curls cascaded on her shoulders, some of the strands sticking to her skin. She appeared guilty, thinking that it was her fault that he was like this.

"I— Your necklace is important to you and I had to try and—"

She glared at him, shouting, "And you are important to me, Aamon!" He blinked as her fists were clenched at her sides. She wasn't shivering from the cold, he realized, she was shaking from rage. "I thought you are supposed to be the duke who is so careful, planning before diving into the problem— now, you are being impulsive! Why would you risk yourself for a simple necklace when your live is more valuable?!"

He tried to reason with her, "I didn't want you to throw yourself into the ocean—"

"So that you can possibly die?! What are we supposed to do without you?! What am I supposed to do without you, Aamon! I felt restless that I couldn't put myself to sleep, I was thinking about you, worrying about you that I felt like I was having a dangerous disease! You are always on my mind until I realized that you are actually putting yourself in danger!"

He didn't speak as he listened to her sobbing, breaking down before his eyes.

"You promised me earlier back in the boat— during the fight against those sea demons. You promised that you are going to talk to me about something. You promised!" She looked back at him with glossy eyes, "Are you expecting me to wait for a long time, only to have you gone?!"

"I—I didn't mean to hurt you, Seraph."  He told her, holding her hands with his, the necklace still wrapped around his palm. "I really, really didn't intent to make you upset."

"Are you joking?" Seraph bit her lower lip, her green eyes shining like fire. "Is this a joke to you? Am I a joke to you, Aamon?"

The way enunciated his name with such significance burned at his heart, warming his chest like the sun.

"No, no—" He wanted to say that it wasn't a joke.

"You don't understand, don't you?" She whispered in a frantic state, "I-I can't lose you. I'll die— I'll let myself drown in the sea, just to see you alive. I-I can't— I was so scared. I pulled— pulled you out of the water. You weren't breathing at all and I just can't handle these emotions— so rapid. Why are you making me feel this way? I don't understand why you are doing this to me. Aamon, just why—"

Seraphima stopped talking so suddenly. She wasn't sure if she had accidentally collided with him.

Or perhaps, he pulled her towards him. She wasn't so sure.

But she felt his mouth on hers.

Aamon was kissing her.

The brunette tried to pull away from him upon the realization, tears still trickling from the corners of her eyes but he didn't allow her to escape as he cupped the back of her head, his fingers entangling in her golden brown hair.

You can't just do this! She thought, wanting to tell him that but his movements basically tell her that he can just do this. That he wanted this.

She didn't know what to do but to keep spamming her fisted hands against his chest, a swirl of emotions piling up inside of her.

However, the man held her steady, despite his strength faltering due to his struggle in the water, he perfectly had her flushed against him.

Afterwards, the woman stopped, finally surrendering herself to him. It felt like he had put her under a spell as she fluttered her eyes close. He could feel her figure relaxing in his embrace, her hands remaining on his chest. The man slowly let one his hands grabbed her chin, tilting her head to the side, deepening the kiss.

To be frank, Aamon never thought that this intimate gesture he initiated would make him feel drunk, relishing in the sweetness of her. It gradually caused his heart to quicken its pace, hammering at him like echoing thunder.

Then he stopped, pulling away gently as he witnessed her blushing face and her half-lidded eyes that showed her pretty lashes. Aamon licked his own lips whilst leaning close, their foreheads touching.

Seraph could feel his warm breath fanning her cheek, causing her to feel shivers. Then she mustered some courage to gaze into his blue-grey orbs but she couldn't even stare at him for a second that she had to look away, her core heating up like a fire inside a furnace.

"What was that for?" She incoherently mumbled but he had heard it as a sweet, genuine smile made its way on his face.

"To show you that I'm being serious about you and everything about you," he whispered a reply, his voice low and husky as his hand was motioning her to look at him, "And that promise I made, I already fulfilled it with just that one kiss."

She blinked then a tear slid down her cheek, processing his words while he took the chance to put the necklace around her neck, letting the crystal dangle like a floating starlight. He also brought his hand to her cheek, using his thumb to wipe her tear.

"I," she softly began, "I didn't know. I can't believe this."

Then he smiled and he gazed down at her lips, leaning in, "Then perhaps, I shall prove it to you once more, my love."

Before she could say anything, he sealed her lips again with his own as they stayed underneath the midnight sky, blessed with the tender touch of the moonlight.