Sweet Burden (33 page)

Her eyes scanned to her left and right as she ran. Staying on her feet was becoming a task as she slipped and tripped on mud and tree roots. But she was determined to find him. As she ran she started to worry about what to say to him. She couldn’t just run up to him and tell him she loved him. Her mind was mixed with emotions. She wanted him to know how she felt, but she was scared to know how he really felt. But he
had
come back.

Her lungs began to ache from the cold damp air. Her mud covered feet were beginning to feel numb. She grabbed onto a tree to quickly catch her breath. Hitomi leaned back against the trunk and tried to focus on slowing her gasps. She tilted her head up looking for the sky. But it could not be seen due to thick tree coverage. Her body shuddered violently from the frigid air.

She scraped her feet against a patch of moss at the base of the tree trying to clean them off as much as possible. Despite her freezing, a trickle of sweat traveled down the side of her face and she wiped it away. She took a deep breath preparing for another run. She stepped away from the tree swiveling her head from right to left when she saw him walking in her direction.

His head was down and his hands stuffed in his pockets as he unknowingly walked towards her. She took a few steps towards him and stood directly in his sight line. Suddenly his head lifted and his eyes met hers. He stopped for a second as she started forward.

Her heart was ready to burst through her chest as her pace accelerated. His hands slipped out of his pockets as he moved to her. Her mind raced as her steps turned into a jog. She still had nothing prepared to say, but at this moment it didn’t matter. She was seeing him again and that’s all she need. Their eyes were fixed on each other as the distance between them shortened. She was almost to him, only a few feet away, when she abruptly stopped.

But Obi did not stop. He stepped up to her, placing his hands on the sides of her face. Obi leaned down pulling her face to his and pressed his lips hard against hers.

Obi could feel the heat radiate through him. The darkness and somberness of his body felt as though it was being broken through with beams of pure light. Kissing Hitomi was like swallowing the Sun. Every muscle in his body was aching for more.

He wanted all of her. One of his hands slid down along her shoulder and arm, and then snaked around her waist. His other hand raked through her hair to the back of her head. His fingers knotted in the wet strands as he pulled her tighter against him.

Hitomi let out a little hum that vibrated his lips. She did not protest his hold on her as she moved her mouth with his. Every bit of pressure from her lips felt like a wave of fire hitting his tongue. He had to compel himself to remember to be careful with her frail human body in his arms, but he could not tear himself away from her addicting honey tasting lips. Her tongue felt like velvet against his and she tasted better than he ever could have imagined.

Obi didn’t want to push her too far and he forced himself to slow down. He reluctantly pulled his lips away immediately missing and craving more of the euphoria. He rested his forehead against hers as he listened to her heavy breathing. With every breath, he felt the rapid rise and fall of her chest against his. He untangled his fingers from her hair and rested his hand on her back. His other arm stayed secured around her waist as he was unwilling to let her go just yet.

He could no longer deny the fact that he was utterly and completely in love with her.

****

Hitomi refused to open her eyes for fear that Obi would disappear. Her heart was pounding and she was still trying to catch her breath. His arms held her tightly against him as his head rested against hers. His hair hung down brushing across her cheeks and nose. She lightly licked her lips instantly missing his.

She still wasn’t sure that he was actually there with her. It could have easily all been a dream. She brought her arms up and slid her hands around his waist, resting them on his back. Hitomi clutched at fabric of his sweater rolling the wool in her fingers. It felt real. The weight and heat of his body felt real. And most definitely his lips felt more than real.

Hitomi took a deep breath to try to steady her. “Are you really here?” she whispered. “Because if you’re not, I don’t want to open my eyes.”

“Open your eyes.” She felt him pull away slightly as his hand on her back returned to her face. His thumb stroked her cheek. “Hitomi, please open your eyes.”

Slowly she opened her eyes and lifted her gaze up to his face.

“See. I’m right here.”

“Where were you?” she blurted out and immediately bit at her bottom lip for her outburst.

His chest rose with a deep breath and he looked down. A peculiar look came across his face. “Why do you have no shoes on?”

She wasn’t sure that she had heard him correctly. He had been gone for two days, he returned only to grab her and kiss her, and he wanted to know why she had on no shoes? “Huh?”

“Your feet. They’re bare.”

“Um, I left in kind of a hurry. You didn’t answer my question.”

He lifted his head back up. His eyes pierced hers. “Let’s get you back to the cabin.”

“No,” Hitomi shot back defiantly and started to pull away. “Not until…”

“Please Hitomi,” he quickly pulled her tight against him again. “I will tell you everything once you are safely at the cabin.”

“Promise?” she mumbled as she melted back into his body.

“Yes,” he agreed. He easily scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and couldn’t help but smile.

“I can walk, ya know.”

“Not without any shoes,” he replied and turned his head towards her. Their faces were dangerously close and it took all of her effort not to press her lips to his again. “And you still look a little pale, even with flushed cheeks,” he added.

She dropped her gaze and buried her face against his neck to hide her embarrassment. He smelled better than she had remembered with the mixture of fresh rain and musk. They started back through the woods as she replayed the entire kiss in her head. They were both silent until Obi finally broke the silence.

“Why were you out here?” he questioned.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she replied with her head still buried.

“I told Guri to tell you I’d be back.”

“He did. I wasn’t so convinced.”

“I see,” Obi sighed. They were back to silence again for the rest of the walk. The only sounds were the crunching or squishing of the ground beneath Obi’s steps. It wasn’t long before they were at the cabin. Hitomi lifted her head to see Guri waiting on the porch. He let out a relieved breath and went inside. They followed behind him and Obi let her down once inside. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets but didn’t take his eyes from her.

“I’m going to go clean up,” Hitomi nervously said.

He nodded. “I need to talk to Guri. I will meet you outside when I’m done.” One of his hands came back out of his pocket and he rested it against her cheek. He leaned down planting a kiss on her forehead.

Feeling somewhat light-headed, she stepped back and stumbled into the coffee table. “Okay.” She quickly turned and hurried to the bathroom before she died of embarrassment for the second time that day.

After cleaning up her feet and changing into different pants, she slipped on some socks and left the bathroom to find her shoes. She found them neatly placed by the bathroom door and slipped them on. She didn’t see or hear either Guri or Obi, so she went out onto the porch and curled up on the swing.

Hitomi had not been waiting long when Obi came out carrying a blanket in one hand and a mug in the other. “Here’s something to warm you up.” He handed her the mug and then draped the blanket over her shoulders. She watched him as he appeared nervous and finally sat down next to her. He tapped his fingers on his knee and she sipped the mug of tea, both waiting for the other to say something.

“Um.” Obi took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I left.”

Hitomi kept her head down, avoiding his eyes. “Why’d you leave?” she whispered.

“I just had to think things through,” he stated somewhat flatly.

“What things?”

“Everything.”

“Meaning?” She continued to push for answers.

“I thought about being a protector now, all the issues in the Afterworld, how to keep you safe,…you.” He turned his head back to her. “I thought mainly about you.”

She bit at her lip to withhold a grin and clasped her hands together in her lap.

“We’re completely opposite of each other,” he continued. “And I was created only to protect you. But I can’t get rid of the way you make me feel. I was selfish to come back. I couldn’t be away from you.”

“Guri told me that you experience physical pain when you’re away from me because of your protector role.”

He gave a nod in agreement.

“Did you just come back due to the pain?” Hitomi carefully asked, not sure she wanted the true answer.

“Yes,” he shook his head. “But not in the way that you’re thinking. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain I felt not seeing you, not talking to you, not waking up next to you. The way I feel about you has nothing to do with protecting you.”

“Then why did you have to leave?”

“Because I didn’t understand everything I feel. And honestly, I never thought you would be able to…care for someone like me.”

Hitomi reached over and took one of his hands. “Well, I can and I do.”

His eyes closed and he squeezed her hand. “All I want is for you to be happy Hitomi.”

She moved closer to him maneuvering his other arm around her and rested her head on his shoulder. “Then you have to promise not to leave again, because you are what makes me happy.”

His arm tightened around her. “I promise I won’t leave unless you tell me to.”

Hitomi let out a satisfied sigh and leaned into him more. She didn’t need to have any other questions answered for now. She was content enough being in his arms.

They sat outside curled up in the blanket for most of the day. After a late lunch, Hitomi went into the bedroom and rummaged through the bag her mother had sent with them. She was shocked when she found her cell phone. Tucking a book under her arm, she turned on the cell phone as she walked back out to the main room.