"Drowning is not the worst part.
Lacking the courage to breathe is."
No one saw her struggle.
No one saw her scars.
No one saw her bleeding.
No one saw her tears.
No one saw her depression.
They never realized the deep waters she swam.
If...
SHE was hyperventilating as her anxiety had washed over her in full force. It tore at her insides causing pitiful whimpers to erupt from her lips. Her eyes were wide as a deer's in its final moments before being murderously killed.
Thick muscular arms wrapped tightly around her slim torso not caring that her fingers dug into the shoulder blades as if she was trying to find a handle to hold on to.
Minutes passed but the moment remained brief as time ceased into oblivion. It was true a hug could calm the frayed hearts and minds. There was something about feeling the ataractic heartbeat of another against the frantic panicky pounding of your own. It was not a contest, but a nudging request of mirroring its pace and relax instead.
Slowly, she felt her nervous system starting to relax and her breathing came easier. Still though her hands remained jittery and sweaty as she let them fall to the sides picking at the seams of her jeans. Albeit, she did not lean back to steady herself on her own two feet, but continued to lean on the consoling frame that was Quinn Harte.
"Come on."
Reluctantly, she once again carried her own weight but felt relief wash over her as his hand clasped hers firmly pulling her with him.
He squeezed her hand lightly before he let go to grab a helmet and helped pulling it over her head. Two deep moments passed between them, the warming brown glow of his eyes met her whirling pools of blue, before he clapped down the protective lens of the helmet, depriving him of the tantalizing sight and he tugged the sunglasses resting at his collar off putting them on before sitting down on his bike, gesturing for her to climb on.
Without a second thought she did as told, her arms entangling themselves around his waist feeling his muscles contract and become taunt before he started the bike and kicked up the pedal.
He revved the bike a few times, muttering for her to hold on tight, the engine vibrating beneath them. She felt her heart swell by the notion but also let off a flutter of anticipation as he elegantly glided out of the driveway, only to accelerate furiously down the road, leaving her house as a small insignificant dot in the background.
She felt the ends of her loose locks rip in the air as they we not constricted by the helmet, her eyes absorbing every passing scenery as it shifted from the residential neighborhood, to a highway, to a lone road with majestic trees. Not getting enough she leaned forward resting as best as she could despite the helmet on his back, wallowing in the new perspective the ride gave her.
He revved the bike further, making her thighs squeeze together to keep her firmer grounded to the bike as he looked briefly over his shoulder.
"Let go." His voice was serious and gentle, coaxing her to obey the command, but still she could not let go of the fabric that was fisted into her palms.
"Let go," he spoke again, freeing a hand to gently caress her arms, sending tingles of trust through her entire body.
Hesitantly, she untangled her arms from his protective build, still though resting her hands on his hips as she feared what he asked of her. The beast roared beneath her almost as if it was chortling at at her skepticism reminding her of the feeling that latched onto her the last time she rode the burly monster.
Hanging onto the newfound strength she thought she had lost for good by the wrecking sight in the kitchen, she found herself leaning backwards. Her hands slipped away from the comfort that was materialized in Harte, and she pushed up the protective lens before straightening out her posture, creating an airy space between them.
"You feel it, don't you?" His words were almost whisked away by the wind before they caught her ears, but her body responded nonetheless, her arms spreading outwards while her head fell backwards. She felt the wind whip and tug at her clothes, just as she felt caressing slaps to her cheeks willing her to welcome the spark that ignited within her in that moment.
The feeling of life.
The hint of a smile that had vanished from view was now on full portrayal for Harte to view in the rear view mirror, her laugh to harmonize with the birds that twittered in the treetops, and her fingers to feel the playful wind making them bask like wings of a fearless bird.
"Yes," she sang out into the air and Harte willed the bike forward in response, making her squeal with delight, her hands once again finding their hold around his waist as they cruised down the road, veering in and out between moving cars.
She noticed how they seemed to be hunting the sunlight, getting them closer and closer to the big circle of light and she whispered in her mind for them to capture that light.
As she pushed herself further into Harte she felt her heart once again beat furiously in her chest, but this time not with turmoiling anxiety and fear.
Being here with him, feeling the monster he had tamed vibrate gloriously under them she did not feel scared. She did not feel like a shadow of herself.
She felt like Eve. Flesh and blood and with a little tiny ball of light handcrafted from the sun itself and now placed deep within her soul.
Being here in the now, bathed in the early sun and engulfed by the scent of fresh air, gasoline and the masculine explosive scent of aquatic nuances that made up the unique smell of Harte underlining the diversity of his personality, she did not feel empty. She felt alive.
With just a hug and a seductive request, he had managed to turn her day around.
He had made her play in the sun.
__________
A/N: 2nd update for the day. A bit of sunshine in an otherwise dark world.
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