Felix.
She felt a shiver of pleasure course under her skin when she thought about him. Was it normal to feel attraction so viscerally? She wanted to admit, if only to herself, that what they had was special, but she had no point of reference. The ache in her stomach and flush along her collarbone when she looked at him, told her this thing between them must be special. But she had no 'control' to test her theory against.
Could this be what it felt like to be in love? If it was, the timing was shit. Some might call it unfair that the start of something so amazing would have to end so quickly. Life wasn't fair, though, she knew that already, and her recent experiences at the camp had reinforced that belief ten-fold.
Surrounded by noise, chaos, the desperate callousness of those with nothing to lose and the humanity of those with nothing to gain, was life-changing. She would never be the same.
Jess had vowed, the week after arriving, that she would never moan about the things they couldn't afford back home. It would be an easy enough promise to keep. She'd only have to look at the pictures she'd taken to remind her that she was, by these standards, privileged. Jess had always felt her and Dad were permanently skint, but she also knew people elsewhere were far worse off than them, that's why she'd volunteered to come out here. But knowing you're one of the lucky ones and really knowing it was the metamorphosis the camp provided.
A home. Safety and small comforts. Yes, she was lucky. She could leave.
A few weeks ago the thought of her dad and their flat would have been enough. Now the image lacked something. Home meant being without the daily sight of those curls. Without the sight of his biceps twitching as he hefted a pail of water at the pump. Without the sound of her name being called softly from his mouth. It would lack the brush of his lips against her earlobe as he whispered their shared secrets under the stars.
One more day with him. That was all she had right now. Then, back at home, maybe they'd find away to find a way to be this close again.
Leaving didn't have to mean the end, did it?
YOU ARE READING
Not Your Cinderella
RomancePrince Charmings are still around. But do modern Cinderellas really need saving? Jess doesn't live in abject poverty, but she's certainly not rich. And lately, she's had her eyes opened about how lucky she is. Doing aid work has not only changed her...
