Innocence Betrayed

Chapter 5

"Hey, Clea," he said, giving her his signature full smile.

"Hello, Ryan," she said in a small voice and opened the door further to let him in.

"How are you?" he asked as he made his way over to the couch. 

"I'm fine, thanks," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Ah! I was about to make some coffee. Do you want some?" she asked, getting nervous under his constant gaze.

"Sure," he said leaning back against the couch, his eyes still locked with hers.

"Okay," she said and walked towards the kitchen.

Once inside and away from his scrutinizing eyes, she held onto the kitchen counter tightly and closed her eyes.

Why the hell are you getting so nervous, Clea? He is just Ryan, the same Ryan who you have known since the last four years. And why is your heart rate increasing? He is just Ryan...just Ryan, my friend.

She opened her eyes and let out an audible sigh. She relaxed herself completely before opening the cabinet to get the utensils out.

She reduced the heat of the stove as the water started boiling and looked over at the boiling milk. She took the milk off the stove and kept it aside to cool down. Just as she was about to look at the water, she felt him behind her.

Her breath hitched as he came closer from behind her. Her hands clutched the counter tightly as she felt his increasing presence near her. He did not make any attempt to touch her. He simply slid both his hands in his pockets and leaned forwards. Clea could feel his breath on her ear as he slowly closed the distance between them.

Just when he was an inch apart from touching her, he stopped. He leaned into her ear and whispered, 'I was worried about you. You don't know what the night was for me."

Clea didn't say anything, simply stared down at the fingers clutching the counter.

"You very nearly gave me a heart attack, you know," he whispered further. "And I had to come and see you."

Clea's heart was beating very fast. She couldn't think of a sane thing to say to him. She couldn't even look at him. Finally, he slid his fingers under her chin and turned her around to face him.

She turned around and found herself trapped between him and the counter. His left hand lay on the counter and the fingers of his other hand were still under her chin. She kept her eyes down, looking at her shoes as he looked at her.

"Look up at me," he whispered softly.

She didn't react. She didn't say anything but continued to look at down. She had never felt so shy in her life before.

"Clea, look up. I need to see them, your eyes. They tell me more truth than you do," he said again, and this time she looked up and their eyes locked.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, instantly colouring them bright red. "Beautiful," he said in a low tone.

And everything turned silent for her. She could no longer hear the birds, she could no longer see the house and she could no longer feel the breeze playing in the house, all she just saw was Ryan, just Ryan.

Her body was radiating her heat and his body was absorbing it, connecting them in a way so powerful that would have burnt the entire forest in seconds. She felt electricity course through her as he leaned towards her.

Her eyes were peaceful. She knew she could not move, until he permitted her to. She saw his face, with content in her eyes and back into the pure brilliance of his eyes. He looked fixedly at her; it was not a glance, but just an act of ownership.

He slowly leaned forward, his eyes now on her lips. She closed her eyes as she felt him inch even closer to her. She rested her hands on his chest as she readied herself for the moment.

They could feel each other’s breath, their bodies almost touching. Ryan was about to close the remaining distance between them when he heard Luca’s voice,

“Clea, I’m home.”

She startled out of her trance and her eyes snapped open. They locked on Ryan's eyes for a moment before she pushed him back and turned back to face the still boiling water.

“Clea,” she heard him again.

“Yeah…I…I’m in the kitchen,” she replied as she turned off the stove.

Luca walked in to the kitchen and was surprised to find Ryan leaning against the fridge.

“Hey, man, when did you get here?” he asked as he walked towards Clea.

“A while ago,” Ryan replied, running his hand through his already messed up hair.

Luca smiled at him and turned to Clea. “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Are you all right?” he asked, creasing his forehead. “You look flushed.” He placed his hand on her cheek and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Oh! Yes, I’m. I’m fine, just a bit…” She looked in Ryan's direction and back at Luca, “…tired.”

Luca smiled again. “You should rest. Go up and sleep for some time, I will wake you up in time for dinner.”

She nodded and walked out of the kitchen without sparing a single glance at Ryan. Once out of the kitchen, she ran all the way to her room, closed her door and stood leaning against it, her breathing slightly erratic.

She closed her eyes and the moment flashed before them again. She could still feel his presence, even though he was not there with her. She could feel his breath, and she felt the sensation of love and peace, of beauty and life settling inside her.

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Ryan slipped his hands in his pockets as he walked back home. He couldn’t get Clea out of his mind. There was no necessity for him to spare, lie, agree and erase himself out of being, it was just him and Clea. He found a will in thinking about her, a will which granted him to recognize his own entity, untouched and not to be touched by except her. It was an act of tension, as intense as electricity and it became pain as he longed for her again. It was an agony, waiting for her to realize what she is to him, an act of passion. And there he was, waiting for her to own him, to be seen and touched by her. He knew she could not have been anyone else's but his; as his face, his soul and as his body. He desired her. There was no effort to be made with her, it was real and right. It made everything right, everything natural.