Triumph of Love | Romance Anthology

24 | 'The Imperfect Plan' by @AsiaAlexandria

"Thought I'd find you up here."

Mako.

That voice. It's deep and grumbly and seems to vibrate through every morsel of my being, both calming me and igniting an urge long forgotten. I turn my head to him, no longer hopeful for the outcome of tonight. Knowing if he didn't appreciate me at the start of the night, I've got no hope now.

A frown disturbs his features, rippling his eyebrows and twisting those lips I was ridiculously planning on kissing.

"Hang on." His grumbles reach me after he's disappeared back into my room.

I reach for the window to climb back inside. Being here when the celebrations start no longer appeals. Not alone. When Mako's face appears inches away from mine, I flinch and slip back down. "Ugh."

"You know," Mako drawls, ignoring me and sliding through the window. He jumps down with surprising elegance for a big guy. "You could hurt a guy's ego making noises like that."

I press my lips together to refrain from grimacing. I want to be left alone long enough to be able to get past this blip. Before I can usher him back downstairs, dark, heavy fabric is tugged over my head.

"What the?" Blinded, I flap my arms out against the restraint. "The fuck, Mako?" I lose my footing and Mako's strong, capable hands steady me. I still, but only because Mako's scent is consuming me.

"Woah, girl. Calm down." He shuffles the constraint and my head pops out the top of his hoody.

"Is this yours?" It's a stupid thing to ask, but I can only cope with so much Mako before my brain turns to mush.

"Yeah." He takes a step back, another hoody clutched in his hand. "Didn't wanna go through your stuff."

I don't complain. There's something soothing about being wrapped in his scent.

"Putting yours on?" Sticking my hands through the arms, I wave the excess fabric at the hoody.

"Er." He shifts between his feet and winces, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What?" When I reach for the hoody, Mako stumbles, dropping it to the roof. "You play rugby with those reflexes?" I say with a laugh.

He bends to claim the sweats I mistook for his hoody and looks away. "Not against you."

"Huh?" I frown at him through the darkness.

"Nothing. Here. Thought you'd be cold." He holds out the sweats. I study the unusual uncertainty covering his face before accepting the sweats and pulling them on over my shoes.

"There we go." He steps closer to me and slides the hood up, letting my hair fall over my chest. "You look more like you now."

I force a smile. Every minute that passes, I get more confirmation I already knew the truth. I've somehow found myself where I wanted to be, but now I'm here, I don't want to be. There's a gaping chasm between us as if he knew what I've been thinking all day.

I turn away from him to look over the town. This has become my sanctuary. The one place nobody can reach me. I can find peace watching the sea wash up along the shore, or the reds bleed through the dusk sky as the sun sets. But between my thoughts and the restricted view, the magic is lost.

A hand wrapped around an ice-cold lager appaears, tugging a smile at the edges of my lips.

"You're my hero." I claim the lager and pull off the cap with my teeth, not caring how Mako views me anymore.

"This is one of the reasons I like you so much." He nudges his shoulder against mine and I force myself to ignore the way my chest swells and my heart leaps. "You're not afraid to be yourself." He copies my action and pockets the cap.