Body and Soul (The Chronicles of Light and Darkness Book 1)

by Jamie Loeak

20

  The savory crepes were delicious. Kate especially liked the dessert crepe, Romeo y Julieta, although she thought that sharing it with Rico had been the best part. After eating their lunch, the pair walked down the streets and alleyways, enjoying the sunshine and summer air. Rico told Kate about the history of Ybor City, about the Cuban Cigars and much more. As they passed by old buildings or other sites, Rico pointed out architectural details and how the old blended with the new.

  “Rico?” Kate asked as they walked back along Seventh Avenue. The sun was setting, the sky shades of orange and purple.

  “Yes?” he asked back.

  Kate stopped, wanting Rico’s full attention. He turned to face her. “Will you and I ever be able to touch one another?” she asked, looking down at the ground. “I know that I said it didn’t bother me, that I didn’t care, but I guess no matter what you have, you always want more of it.” Kate bit her lower lip self-consciously.

  Rico pulled her hand into his, using the other one to lift her chin, forcing Kate to look into his eyes. His eyes flicked back and forth, searching hers like they always did. “I can’t touch you for very long, Kate. Would you rather hold hands for short amounts of time? Would that make you happy or would it make it worse for you?”

  Kate raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t want you to hold my hand because it makes me happy, Rico. I want you to do it because you want to.”

  His blinding smile rained down on Kate. “Kate, I do want to. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. But I’m afraid that I won’t want to let go of you. I’m afraid of hurting you.”

  “You won’t let yourself hurt me, Rico. I know that; you know that. I’m okay with trying this if you are.”

  Rico smiled, knowing that it was true, that he wouldn’t hurt her. The back of his mind, however, was filled with a kaleidoscope of worries that haunted him. What if he couldn’t let go of her? What if he craved the feel of her warm skin so much that he couldn’t give it up? What if he accidentally killed Kate? He was a dark monster, after all. He was capable of anything, and he’d done things much worse than this.

  But Kate was right. He wouldn’t let himself hurt her.

  Bravely, Rico squeezed Kate’s hand and pushed the feelings of anxiety deeper into his mind, ignoring them as best as he could. Kate was right. He had said that he wanted this done right, so he should be willing, then, to do it right the first time.

  “Do you feel okay, Kate?” Rico asked as they walked along the street. Kate nodded as she hummed a soft melody. She seemed fine, and her body temperature wasn’t too cold yet, so they walked along the street hand-in-hand. Rico let go when he felt Kate’s internal body temperature lowering too much, and Kate didn’t mind. The feeling of his hand against hers, his skin touching her skin, was enough, if even for a single moment.

  After their short walk, they headed for the car. Rico drove home, chasing the setting sun. The ride back was a soft sort of silence. Rico let his thoughts roam over Kate and Kern and all the things in between them. Kate’s heart was content, overflowing with positive emotions that pushed aside her fear. For a moment, she was unafraid of the future. For a moment, she felt true happiness.

  An hour later, when they reached Kate’s home, Rico pulled into the driveway. He got out, going around to open the passenger door, dropping Kate off like a boy would do on a real date. The couple walked up to the house together, holding hands the entire walk because it was a short distance from the street. Rico stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched Kate walk up. He began to turn away when Kate turned around suddenly. She walked toward Rico and stopped on the first stair. From here, she was a little taller than he was, and Rico looked up at her, curiosity burning behind his cobalt eyes. Kate reached her hand out, touching Rico’s face. Her soft fingers traced his jaw, his neck, his collarbone; her hands shook slightly but her breathing was even, her gaze unwavering.

  Without a word, Kate leaned forward and pressed her mouth against Rico’s. He froze for a moment, then melted under her warm touch. He leaned in, kissing Kate back.

  Rico’s lips were soft and sensuous against Kate’s. The kiss was a spark that ignited a fire deep within her soul. The kiss started out gentle, each of them frightened of what could go wrong. However, Kate’s body heat spiked when they kissed and Rico’s cooler lips balanced it out. After a moment of panic and a second of realization and elation, he let himself really kiss her. When they pulled away, both of them were flushed. Kate was breathing hard, and laughed at her own weakness. Rico laughed with her, and Kate loved the sound of his laughter.

  Rico bit his lower lip and pressed his lips together in an attempt to stop laughing. He messed with his hair, messing it up in the back. It stuck up in a spot, and Kate leaned over to fix it. “Sorry,” he said stupidly.

  Kate smiled down at him and let her fingers trace his jaw as she pulled away. “You don’t have to say anything,” she said. Then, she turned around and walked back up to her house, very determined not to look back at Rico’s retreating figure. She stepped inside and shut the door, taking a moment to lean against it. She touched her lips, taking a moment to memorize the best first kiss she had ever had. One that she hoped would lead to a few more kisses too.

  “Kate?”

  Kate jumped up and screamed. She pressed her hand against her heart and laughed. “Mom don’t scare me like that!” she exclaimed.

  Blaire walked around the corner and laughed at the sight of her frightened daughter. “You really like that boy, don’t you? Are you falling in love with him?” she asked. Her question was real, and Kate could tell that she really wanted to connect with Kate in this moment. Kate wanted the connection too. She decided to go with the truth, and nodded. She didn’t really have the strength for words; her thoughts were far too tangled.

  “Was that your first kiss?” Blaire asked, a smile crawling across her features.

  “Yes,” Kate said simply. Then she added, “Mom it was amazing and beautiful. He’s a great kisser, and I can see why you and Dad are happy all the time,” she giggled.

  “Yes, Kate. Kissing can be fun,” Blaire commented. She turned and held her arm out, wrapping it around Kate’s shoulders when she approached her mom. The two of them walked further into the house, talking about Kate’s evening. They bonded over chocolate milk and a romance movie that made Kate feel giddier - if that was possible. But in that moment, she was so very happy, she and knew that nothing could go wrong.

  Kate was standing on the front porch of Erik’s log cabin, her ivory gown blowing in the cool air. The breeze blew in from the stormy ocean, and Kate looked up to see storm clouds swirling overhead. She saw the telescopes in front of her and knew that she had to choose. The fates were allowing her to look at one of the two things that would happen in her life.

  Kate took a step toward the telescope pointed toward her house, feeling the need to look into the one that she hadn’t looked through yet. However, the night spent with Rico triggered her heart, pulling her the other way.

  Kate stopped. A bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of her, telling her to choose. She jumped back, surprised, and looked to her right, toward Adriana’s house. Without thinking she walked toward the telescope, and took it in her hands. Kate sucked in a mouthful of cool air, preparing herself for the worst thing that could happen, and looked into the gold eyepiece. There was nothing, just black. For a moment Kate panicked, afraid that Erik planned to destroy her friends. She lifted her face away from the telescope slowly, realizing what she had done a moment later.

  Kate had chosen the wrong telescope. Suddenly, she swung her head to face the other one and bolted toward it. She ran across the hard floor, her feet smacking against the wooden planks. She held out her hand and reached for the telescope; she was almost there. Kate could make it before the dream ended. Kate stretched, her fingers closing over the cool metallic surface.

  Kate woke up to the crash of thunder outside her bedroom. She was covered in sweat and tangled in he
r sheets. She sat up and glanced at the clock on her nightstand; it was four in the morning. Leaning over, she reached for her phone and texted both Rico and Adriana, hoping that one of them would get the message soon. Then, she rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower, rinsing away the sweat but not her fears. She felt tears slide down her cheeks and watched them mix with the fresh water as they disappeared down the drain. What did her dream mean? What was happening?

  When Kate emerged from the bathroom minutes later, Adriana and Rico were waiting in her room. They stood in the middle of her floor, soaking wet. Kate tossed them towels, and when they were all dried off she told them what happened.

  “What do you think it means?” Adriana repeated the question back to Kate.

  “I don’t know,” Kate said. “I know that I made the wrong choice but I don’t know what could be happening that has to do with my house.”

  “Why did you choose our house instead of your own?” Adriana pressed. She leaned on her elbows, leaning back on Kate’s bed now that she was semi-dry. Her dark eyes bored into Kate like little truth seekers.

  Kate sighed. “I thought Erik was going to hurt you. I couldn’t stand to see that happen. I didn’t think; I just ran toward your telescope.” Kate buried her face