WARNING: Mature Scene (15+)!!
"Our love story is the kind to be immortalised through poetry..."
– Nautica
❀❀❀
~ R E E C E ~
February 1998
It feels like I'm in a dream. A beautiful dream. A too-good-to-be-true kind of dream. If everything around me is, indeed, a figment of my imagination, then Dorothy Sherman is the best thing I've ever created, and I am terrified of the possibility of waking up.
But when Dorothy's head slowly dips onto my right shoulder, I get the reassurance that all of this - including Dorothy herself - is real, and I can never be more relieved, grateful and happy. I had feared that I lost all of my chances of being with her. Yet, here I am now, sitting in a coach that is heading to St. Anne's, with her head resting on my shoulder as she drools in her sleep.
I love her so much.
I intertwine my hand with hers before I bring her hand to my lips.
I still can't believe that she is finally mine. And I'm hers. It's just how I dreamed it to be.
She is the person I never want to stop making memories with. She is the person I can be my truest self with. She is the person who makes me want to do and be better. She is the person I want to spend the rest of my life loving.
Dorothy Sherman is the centre of my universe – my beautiful beloved.
When the coach finally arrives at St. Anne's, it is pitch black outside, except for the dimly lit coach stop in the distance. I gently nudge Dorothy to wake her up.
"Dorothy," I say, patting her head. "We're here. Wake up."
Since she is a light sleeper, she wakes up instantly, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh..." she mumbles.
Once the coach stops, the two of us get out. Dorothy locks her arm with mine while I drag along the only piece of luggage we have. She then takes a deep breath in, absorbing her surroundings.
"The air is fresh! Honestly, it feels so good to be back," she sighs in content, before she looks up at the clear sky. "Oh, how I missed seeing the constellations! And the moon is bright enough for us to see the way."
"You know," I say, draping my arm over her shoulders and pulling her close to me. "I used to look at the moon, hoping that you were looking at it too."
"Really?" she asks, glancing at me.
I nod.
"I would pour my love to the moon, hoping that it would redirect it to you when you looked at it."
"Hmmm... Come to think of it, I always found comfort whenever I looked at the moon," she says, tapping her lower lip with her index finger as she plays along. "I guess I know why now."
Grinning, I bend down to kiss the top of her head.
"My little moon," I tell her, squeezing her shoulder.
"Just like how Aspen is Colton's moon?" she says, referring to the characters in Anchor.
"Maybe a little more than that," I say.
She looks up at the sky again, pointing and naming the various constellations like the Ursa Major, Cassiopeia and Orion. I watch her, listening to her attentively.
"Oh my gosh!" she then exclaims, jumping up and down and grabbing onto my shoulder to shake it in excitement. "A shooting star! Reece, did you see the shooting star?"
She faces me with the biggest smile and the twinkliest of eyes, enchanting me.
"How can I when you made me confused?" I say.
"Confused?" she asks, frowning. "Confused about what?"
"Whether I should look at the stars in the sky or the one standing right next to me."
"I thought I was the moon?"
"And the stars," I say. "You're a whole constellation, my love."
She stops walking, and so do I.
"My love?" she parrots.
"My love..." I begin. "...for you is universal, for I have become an astronomer and you a constellation."
I'm not aware of where I'm getting this burst of energy and creativity from. I guess there's just something about this moment – being with the love of your life under a sky peppered with twinkling stars – that makes me want to unleash myself to her.
"...Are you alright, Reece?" she asks, amused.
"Never better," I say, shooting her a smile.
"Maybe the freshness of the air around here is making you high," she says, making me chuckle.
She then shakes her head, trying to focus.
"I have to make a wish," she says, closing her eyes.
"Did you make the wish?" I ask, after she reopens them.
She looks at me.
"I did."
"What did you wish for?"
"It won't come true if I tell you."
"Fair, fair. But if you tell me, I may make it come true."
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"Hmm... Tempting, but nah. I'll leave it to fate."
"Are you religious?"
"I believe in a God, yes. But when it comes to practicing it... Not much. I mean, I just try to be a good person and hope that that is enough. What about you?"
"Agnostic."
"Interesting," she says.
We continue to banter as we walk down the winding path.
***
Dorothy bangs on the wooden door. Frantic shuffling is heard from the other side of the door, until the door opens wide open to reveal a plump, middle-aged woman wearing a conservative white gown. Her widened brown eyes are glued on Dorothy before she snaps, startling me.
"Oh, no, no, no. You better not have run away from your home again, Dorothy, or else I will make you sleep with the cows tonight!"
There's no way in hell I'll let that happen.
"I didn't run away this time, Sister Alexa," Dorothy says.
So this is Sister Alexa. My annoyance towards her immediately is replaced by respect. Dorothy has told me that Sister Alexa was the one who saved her from that night and took care of her in those seven years.
"Is that so?" the senior woman says, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes. I swear it."
Sighing in relief, she then envelops Dorothy in a big hug. Dorothy returns it with a grip as tight as hers.
"I missed you," Sister Alexa says.
"I missed you too," Dorothy murmurs, before they let go of each other.
Then, Dorothy gestures to me.
"This is Reece," she says, holding my hand. "I brought him here so that you two can meet each other."
"It's an honour to meet you," I say, extending my hand out for Sister Alexa to shake.
The look of excitement she wore with Dorothy vanishes. She scans me from top to bottom. She wears no smile. She shows no hints of approval. She is only indifferent.
"It is late," Sister Alexa says, making me drop my extended hand.
Dorothy has mentioned that she is sort of like a confidante to her. I'm sure she knows what I had done to Dorothy. I mean, Dorothy did come here after I had hurt her. I don't blame Sister Alexa for not being exactly too welcoming towards me.
"We have a room available," Sister Alexa says in a monotone. "You can take that."
"That is very kind of you," I say, before I face Dorothy. "Where will you be staying?"
"I'll be sharing with Sister Alexa," she replies with a smile.
"Ok."
Sister Alexa escorts me to my room, a simple room with a double-sized bed.
"If you need anything, do let me know," she says.
"Thank you."
She gives a curt nod before she leaves, closing the door. I flop onto the bed, sighing. I fish out my phone from my jeans pocket.
Eight missed calls from Dave.
Ignoring them, I place my phone on the bedside table and shift into a comfortable position, making the bed squeak during the process. I then stare at the empty space next to me, involuntary resting my hand on it.
I wish Dorothy were here. Next to me. In this very bed. I want to hold her throughout the night and wake up knowing that she's still in my arms. I want to be cocooned by her arms and legs as she sleeps (she is completely unaware that she cages me in her sleep). I want to bask in her warmth and smell her hair.
Damn, I miss her so much already.
***
It's nearly seven in the morning when I enter the shared kitchen. There, sitting on a chair at the dining table, is Sister Alexa. She sips on tea before her brown eyes land on me.
"Morning," I greet, sending her a small smile.
"Good morning, Reece," she replies. "Come sit next to me."
Surprised, I nod before I comply.
"I hope you slept well last night?" she asks, facing me.
"I did, yes. Thank you for letting me stay."
"Not at all. You are my guest and it is my duty to make sure that you are comfortable."
"I appreciate it."
She then stands up.
"Would you like tea? Coffee?" she offers.
"I can get that myself–"
"I insist."
"Coffee, please."
"Eggs?"
"Scrambled."
She pulls out a pan from a cabinet.
"So you and Dorothy are together now," she states.
"Yes."
"She has been keeping me informed through her letters."
"Oh."
"Though there is only so much letters can convey. Would you like toasts with the scrambled eggs?"
"Yes please."
She fishes out two slices of bread and inserts them into a toaster.
"Dorothy is a pure soul, Reece," she then says. "She thinks with her head rather than her heart, and that makes her sensible and selfless. Unlike many girls of today, she is innocent and simple, she values honesty and integrity over money and fame and she fights for what she believes in. And she is loyal. Oh, so very loyal."
I smile.
"I know," I say. "She is one of a kind."
She stops what she is doing, staring blankly outside the window.
"She truly is," she whispers, before she clears her throat and resumes with preparing my breakfast.
"Milk for your coffee? Sugar?"
"No thank you."
She pours hot water into a mug that contains the coffee grains.
"You have to look after her," she says.
"I will protect her with my life," I say firmly.
"But you did hurt her, did you not?" she says, as she mixes the coffee with a teaspoon.
"It was a mistake–"
"Even if the misunderstanding were true, no girl deserves to be treated like that."
"I know. I was wrong, and there is nothing I can say that can justify my actions. Ever. What I did is absolutely unforgivable."
"Yet, she forgave you."
"She shouldn't have. I told her that I did not deserve it."
She glances at me, before she focuses on making my breakfast.
"You know, she used to stay up past curfew just to write you letters."
"She did?"
She nods.
"Everyday."
"I never received any – Wait, did you say past curfew?" I ask, with wide eyes.
She nods again.
I stayed up a bit later than the curfew that was set for us. I was caught. The nun who caught me was a psycho. She... with her r-ruler...
It can't be...
I am the reason why she got hurt...
If I hadn't been her best friend, she would not have had an excuse to stay up so late. She would not have suffered. She would not have been traumatised.
My chest starts to feel heavy as I struggle to breathe.
"When?" I ask.
"During her first year here."
I slump on my seat as a wave of guilt and sadness washes over me. Mum and I moved to live with Dave just a short while after Dorothy left for St. Anne's. Suddenly, rage replaces all of my feelings. Rage towards that man.
He ruined everything.
"Last night, Dorothy told me of how you saved her," she then says, shoving the eggs onto a plate and tossing the toasts next to them, oblivious to my murderous intentions.
I snap out of my thoughts and look at her.
"I am grateful that you were there for her. Only the Lord knows what horrid things would have happened if you had not helped her. Even though the two of you had a rough reunion, I am glad that you two were able to overcome that and finally be together. It is, after all, overcoming hardships together that helps set a fortified foundation in a relationship," she continues.
She turns around, holding a plate and a mug.
"I noticed something different about Dorothy last night – something that I have never seen before," she says.
"And what was that?" I ask.
She then smiles at me as she approaches me. A warm, affectionate smile, catching me off guard.
"Her eyes were full of life," she replies, as she places my breakfast – which smells and looks very delicious – in front of me. "And it's because of you."
***
Dorothy emerges at the top of the staircase, with her chestnut brown hair cascading to her waist. When her vibrant green eyes land on me, the most breathtaking smile appears on her face. Underneath her oversized beige-coloured cardigan is a plain white dress that reaches her calves. She wears a pair of brown knee high boots that are worn and faded.
She goes down the stairs, like an angel gliding towards me, bewitching me.
"Are you ready?" she asks, standing right in front of me.
"I am."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you forgot to breathe."
"Well, you did take my breath away," I say, making her roll her eyes.
After earning Sister Alexa's approval, I checked on Dorothy, who had just woken up when I knocked on her door. She expressed her desire to go for a long walk with me and show me around. I happily agreed. Of course I would. This is the place where she grew up and where her personality was moulded and refined. This place is a part of her, and I want to familiarise myself with it.
Fortunately, it is a sunny day, though we'd shiver when the wind blows. We walk along the verdant fields and the bubbly Dorothy would greet the farmers when we walked past them.
It's nice to see her in her niche and interacting with people she has known for years. She appears very comfortable, confident and vivacious. One can definitely tell that she has been missing St. Anne's.
When we enter the woods, we marvel at the scenery in front of us, with the rays of sunlight pass through the openings of the canopy above us. It is so peaceful around us, with the bouncing birds on the branches chirping and the leaves rustling. Not a single person is here except for us.
I hold onto Dorothy's hand, making her face me.
"You wrote me letters," I say.
Immediately, she raises her eyebrows.
"How did you know?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, looking down at her hand.
"I didn't think it mattered."
I look at her face.
"Of course it mattered," I say softly. "I never received them."
"I figured."
"How?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.
"You would have definitely replied if you had received them."
I nod.
"I wasn't living at our present house then," I reveal. "Mum and I moved out for about a year to stay away from him. We lived on the first floor of some club."
"Oh," she says.
Though, there's something about her lack of reaction at this piece of information that baffles me.
"It's in the past, Reece. It doesn't matter," she says.
"It does," I say. "You were writing me a letter when it happened, right?"
Her eyes widen.
"Did Sister Alexa tell you–"
"No. I figured it out myself. You told me that you stayed up past curfew when it happened, and Sister Alexa mentioned how you would write me letters past curfew. Why didn't you tell me?"
"...I didn't want you to know because I was afraid that you'll hold yourself accountable," she whispers.
"But if it weren't for me–"
"If it weren't for you, I'd still be up past curfew to write letters to mum," she adds.
I look down at our intertwined hands, feeling a dull ache in my chest.
"I wish I had read them," I whisper. "Do you remember what you wrote?"
"I mainly wrote of how unhappy I was here, how I needed you to help bring me back to London and..."
"And...?"
"And how much I was missing you," she says, sending me a small smile.
"How much?" I ask.
"My vocabulary at the time wasn't broad enough for me to describe it properly."
"So a lot, then?" I say, tugging the corners of my lips upwards.
"I think you're overestimating my vocabulary," she says sassily, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
I pout at her, making her sigh.
"Fine. It was miserable without you," she says.
Before I get the chance to say something, she speaks again.
"But not as miserable as actually having you around," she quickly adds with her eyes filled with mischief, before she runs ahead of me.
"Why you! Not so fast, Dorothy!" I say loudly, chasing after her.
She tries to run faster when she sees that I'm gaining on her. I then grab onto her small frame and pick her up, making her squeal. I then tickle her sides and she bursts into laughter.
"N-No! S-Stop! P-Please!" she breathes out, laughing between words. "I-I surrender!"
I then pin her down to the ground, with my body lying on top of hers. I love how her body fits with mine perfectly - as if she is the only puzzle piece that is able to complete me. She looks at me with an irresistible pout. Giving into her cuteness, I peck the tip of her nose, left cheek, right cheek, chin and finally her forehead, making her giggle.
"Goodness Reece!" she exclaims. "You're a kissing machine!"
"It's not my fault. You are just too kissable."
And she really is. If it were up to me, I'd be writing poems on every inch of her skin with my lips.
I scan her face, from her lips to her cute button nose to her twinkling, green eyes.
"You are so beautiful," I breathe out, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear.
"What if I get fat and ugly?" she asks.
"You'd still be beautiful," I reply.
"How so?"
"I fell in love with the beauty inside of you, Dorothy."
I rest my head on her shoulder while she plays with my hair. Closing my eyes, I divert my attention to her heartbeat. It's fast and strong. I sigh in content, just when she begins to barrage me with more 'What ifs'.
I answer each and every one of them truthfully.
"What if I become intolerable?" she asks.
"Then I'll be the one to have the honour of tolerating you."
"What if we eventually run out of things to say to each other?"
"I can be eloquent in silence."
"What if I told you my deepest, darkest secrets?"
"You'd still be able to brighten up my day."
"What if you realise that you deserve better?"
"Impossible. There is nothing – no one – better than you."
"What if I break your heart?"
"Then break it. My heart is only yours to break anyway."
"Reece, I'm serious."
"I'm serious too," I say. "I've been a mess. I've had demons possess my mind in the middle of the nights. I used to seek refuge in intoxication."
I lift my head to look at her face.
"Until you," I breathe out. "You saved me, Dorothy, and if you breaking my heart is the price to pay, then I'll endure it."
"You saved me too, Reece," she says, cupping my face. "I only wanted to be happy. I spent years forcing myself to believe that I was happy, even though deep inside, I sort of knew that I wasn't. But you make me happy, Reece. You are my happiness."
"Really?" I ask.
She nods.
"I love you, Reece."
I brush my lips against the crook of her neck, making her still.
"Say that again," I murmur.
"I-I love you."
I start to pepper deep kisses on her neck.
"I..." Kiss. "Love..." Kiss. "You..." Kiss. "Dorothy."
"R-Reece," she moans out, overwhelmed.
Her moan ignites something inside of me.
Desire. Lust. Passion.
Before she gets a chance to speak again, I capture her lips with my own, allowing the animalistic instincts within me to take over. Her lips are so soft, so sweet, so addictive. Slowly, her arms wrap around me as she returns my kisses with just as much passion, if not more. When I nip her lower lip teasingly, she yelps, eliciting a low chuckle from me.
We eventually pull away from each other to catch our breath. Panting, we stare into each other's eyes. To think that she is mine and I'm hers throws me into a state of total euphoria.
How did I get so lucky to have her? Right here, right now? As my forever?
"Reece, I..." she begins. "I want to try something. Can I?"
"Of course," I reply, pleased that she is mustering up the courage to open up to me.
We both sit up. Swallowing, she tentatively holds onto the hem of my jumper. Ever so slowly, she pulls my jumper, along with my shirt, over my head, and I allow her to. She then pushes me down to the ground as she hovers over me. Her cold fingertips then brush across my bare chest, sending pleasant shivers down my spine.
Then, to my utter surprise, she leans down until her lips gently press against the left side of my chest. I close my eyes, sighing. Her soft kisses then trail towards my neck before they reach my jawline. I savour every single kiss of hers.
I can stay like this forever.
I am glad and relieved that she is attracted to my body, just like I am to hers. There is just so much for me to discover about her physically, like where exactly does she like to be touched and how I can satisfy her needs and please her. Even though we have barely ventured into the 'Eros' aspect of love, Dorothy has now convinced me that it is inevitable for us to not only enter it, but also dwell in it forever.
When her kisses stop, I open my eyes, only to see her blushing. I cup her face, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs, as I smile warmly at her.
"I... I don't know what I just did–"
"You were perfect," I tell her.
"...Really?"
"Absolutely perfect," I say, reassuring her, before a smirk makes its way to my face. "Who would've thought that Dorothy Sherman has temptations."
With a flush of embarrassment rising to her cheeks, she whacks my chest, making me chuckle at her innocence and cuteness. She then looks down at my chest, drawing invisible designs on it with her index finger. And she continues to do this in silence for a few minutes, deep in thought. But thankfully, there are no hints of discomfort or regret coming from her facial expression.
The last thing I want is Dorothy doing something against her own will or something that is outside of her comfort zone. I want to support her with whatever she chooses. Even if she decides to be celibate for her entire life, I will respect her choice.
Because I love her for her.
When her eyes land on me, I notice that they turn a bit dull.
"Reece..." she whispers in a serious tone, making me concerned.
"Are you ok?" I ask.
She nods, sending me a small smile. But I do not buy it.
"What's wrong? Look, we don't have to do what we just did again. We won't even speak of it–"
"No, it's not that. I... I loved what we did."
My eyes widen.
"Really?" I say.
She nods, making me relieved.
"Then what's bothering you?" I demand.
She takes a deep breath in.
"I want you to meet someone," she says. "And I want you to know something about my past, so that you are aware of what kind of person you are getting yourself involved with."
I look at her with a frown, trying to find hints of playfulness or mischief in her expression.
But she is dead serious.
No matter what she tells me, I will not leave her. I will remain by her side. I did not wait for her return for seven long years just so that I can discard her. I will never discard her.
"Who is this person?" I ask.
"Bonnie," she replies.
*~*~*~*~*
WHAT DO YOU THINK?!
Don't forget to vote, comment and share!!
Follow my Instagram account for RH sneak peeks!
Username: nautica_tm