by Rimmy London
After a minute of silence, I stopped and spun a full circle before realizing that Givanni had stayed rooted in place. I hopped back through the rain, suddenly wondering if he was sick. I’d never seen him like this before. I angled the magazine as best I could without blocking him out and managed to look into his face. “What’s going on?” I asked, drinking in a gallon of rain. I pressed my lips together and let the water cascade down my face.
“Loriel,” he said, squinting in exactly the same way as before. “I just…” I glanced down, not able to take his expression without crumbling like dry leaves in Fall. He didn’t continue and waited for me to look up. When I did his eyes were a violent green. “I need to tell you something.” Chills shivered through me, and I danced from toe to toe. A warm glow still shone from the windows of the plane and suddenly I wondered if I should have just stayed. I was sure Givanni was about to tell me something frustrating or devastating, and my clothes were drenched through. “I refuse to do this anymore!” he shouted, making me jump. The color in his eyes was on fire, illuminated against his warm-toned skin. He stepped closer, splashing a small wave of water onto my legs. “I refuse,” he whispered, his voice heartbreaking although a flawless crease had formed to one side of his mouth. Slowly his smile melted until it was only a gentle pull at his lips.“In my dream, I’m sinking. Underwater. I’m dragging you down with me, but as much as I try to I can’t let you go. My hand won’t release you. We sink until…” he stopped, watching my face.
“What… what are you talking about?” I finally managed, terrified that he might take another step.
“I’m talking about my bad habit of not being honest. To you, to me. I lied. I’m a liar. I lie until I believe it. Until it stops tearing me up inside.” His eyes jumped across my face. “I just - at first it was simply too dangerous. What did I have to offer besides destruction? I was sinking. I couldn’t let you in. That first day when we met - you…” he squinted like he was staring into the sun. “Were amazing. But then you got involved, and it was completely my fault. Completely. I had to keep you away from them - from me. It just wasn’t safe. So I pretended. And then they…” the muscle in his jaw worked for a moment before he could continue. “Threatened you. It made everything real, and I couldn’t risk you again. I had to convince you to hate me.” he finished.
I swallowed, not sure I was hearing him correctly or if my head was just imagining these words. They were perfect. And explained everything. His hand lifted and paused in front of me before continuing to my face. He swept a few wet strands of hair aside. “But it’s useless. I can’t live my life an imposter, and honestly seeing the pain on your face was poison. I wouldn’t survive much longer.” He took a quick breath. “So, what I need to tell you is… I think I’m in love with you, Loriel.” My soaked magazine hit the asphalt with a slap, and the air caught in my throat along with a few drops of rain. I coughed.
Givanni took a moment to trace every inch of my face with his gaze. My lip tilted upward towards a smile. “You could hate me right now, and I would deserve that.” He pulled me to his chest and buried his face in my wet hair. “But you have to know this. I won’t lie anymore - my life is for you.” His chest heaved in a gust of air, pressing against me, and he rested his lips on my cheek in a warm kiss - now the only warm place on my body. My hands came to rest on his back while my head spun in circles trying to clear away the shock. It was incredible, the feeling that coursed through me. Like all his pretending and struggling now only endeared him to me even more. I could feel his pounding heart slow, and his arms loosen their grip. With a sigh, he stepped back, a devastated look in his eyes. “I’m sorry for throwing that at you,” he said, dropping his eyes from my face. He had obviously read my shock wrong. “You don’t have to say anything. Let’s go.” He turned to leave.
“Wait,” I breathed, catching his hand and swinging him back around. I bit on my shaking lip. “I just assumed this was a dream,” I laughed in a huff. “I can’t believe that all this time while I was trying to stop falling for you... because I assumed you were just…” My voice cracked, and Givanni looked like he might apologize. I wasn’t making sense. “I don’t hate you.” I rushed, trying to wipe the devastation off his face. He cringed a little, and I decided to skip the explanation. But this time when I surprised his mouth with a kiss he came to life, kissing me for the first real time. I gave in to the way he moved, enveloping me with his warmth. His lips trailed across my cheek and rested against my ear.
“Maybe you’re still in shock,” he whispered, and his breath gusted with mine as we laughed. I gripped a handful of his shirt and pulled him closer.
“I am in shock,” My body shook with chills. “Or it could possibly be hypothermia.”
“We should get out of the rain,” he mumbled, bringing my hand to his lips before wrapping around me again. His comment hung in the air, neither one of us loosening our grip. A whistle rose above the wind and we finally stepped apart to see Max’s silhouette from the plane. He stood in the doorway, watching our little show. In fact, the entire row of airport windows was filled with an unknown audience. I blushed at the attention.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “Let’s get out of here.” We started toward the airport but I stopped when his hand tangled with mine, his touch like something I had dreamed. He brought my hand to his lips agin, smiling as he kissed me. It sent chills buzzing down my arm, tingling off my skin. Every heartache and pain I’d felt since we met seemed washed away and forgotten. He looked at me like I was the center of his world, his eyes drinking me in. And instead of feeling like a drenched mess, his expression had me believing I was just returning from my waterfall shoot. I laughed at my thoughts, ducking under his arm and wrapping it around my shoulders.
“I love you, Ms. Lane,” he whispered, kissing my wet hair and completely ignoring the stares that were still following us through the airport.
The End
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