“I know,” he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand went to the back of my neck. He slowly lowered his face to mine, kissing me goodbye one last time. The kiss was soft and warm, lingering and full of memory. I closed my eyes and took in every detail. The way his five-o'clock shadow scratched my lips, how warm he was, the taste of his tongue, and the scent of his cologne. I wanted to remember every detail.
“I've never liked the dark, but with you, it's tolerable,” he whispered, his voice cracking slightly. He caressed my cheek again, his fingers soft with regret. “In fact, I think I could get used to the dark if you were there with me. Possibly even enjoy it.”
My throat constricted, and I couldn't speak. I didn't have the words to tell him how I felt. How I needed him. He didn't deserve to be stuck with me when he could have someone so much better. I wasn't good enough for anyone, let alone Bastian.
So, instead I kissed him, pouring every fiber of my being into the kiss and hoping that he understood. I wanted to stay with him more than I wanted to breathe. He was a part of me now, and leaving was like losing a limb. If it hurts this much now, imagine the heartache later, I told myself.
Elijah cleared his throat. “It's time to go,” he announced, as gently as he could from behind us.
“Goodbye, Bastian,” I whispered, pressing my forehead into his. Better to prevent the pain, I reminded myself. Better for both of us.
“Goodbye, Ava,” he whispered back. I kissed him one last time before summoning every ounce of strength I had to turn and walk away.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I could do this. I could leave him now and it wouldn't be as bad as it would be later. In a few days, this would just be a happy memory. We would be back to our normal lives within forty-eight hours.
This was a fling. A beach romance. An impossible love. It could never survive outside the sandy shores of the Caribbean. If we brought it back with us, it would die a cold and cruel death in the winter winds of reality. This was for the better. This is for our own good.
The walk to the car was longer than I could have imagined. Elijah padded softly behind me as I left the man who meant so much to me standing on a dark beach. I wanted to cry, but it hurt so much that I didn't even have tears for it yet.
“Have a safe trip home, Ava,” Elijah said, opening the door to the car. “It was wonderful to have you here.”
“Thank you, Elijah,” I replied. He would know just how much Bastian meant to me. How much I meant to Bastian. “It was wonderful. Like a dream. I wish I didn't have to leave.”
My voice cracked and the tears finally found their way to the surface. Elijah gave me a small, sad smile and then tapped on the roof to signal the driver. Marcus waited until I had fastened my seat-belt to start the engine.
The car purred to life as Marcus maneuvered out of the giant driveway and to the main road. I looked back, seeing the ocean glinting of the receding moon as we drove away. I could just make out Bastian's silhouette against the water. His head thrown back as if he were screaming at the water.
I turned away, not wanting to look anymore. It was time for me to go home.
Sunrise Kisses: Chapter 23
The flight to Florida was short. The private jet was just as huge as the one we had arrived on, but it felt too small now. I was confined by the plane. Confined to going back to my life. Alone.
I stayed awake, keeping myself busy with paperwork, but I kept having to redo it. I couldn't concentrate. Every time I had to write Sebastian Belrose's name as the owner of an item, my brain would freeze and I would picture his face. The way he smelled. The touch of his skin.
“Miss?” the flight attendant caught my attention, smiling politely. “We need to refuel. You're welcome to go into the airport and walk around for a few minutes.”
I looked down at the blank form in my hands. All I had accomplished in the past thirty minutes was filling out Sebastian's name. Twice. In the wrong locations.
I sighed, folding the paper into fourths to throw in the trash. “Thank you, I think I will,” I said, standing. “The fresh air might clear my head.”
I carefully navigated the stairs out of the plane and onto the tarmac. It was a private airport, but it still smelled of asphalt and jet fuel. At least it was quiet. The humid air hit me like a punch in the face after the dry air of the plane. Ominous lightning flashed in the distance. I could smell it on the wind. It would probably rain later.
Moving felt good. I walked the length of the terminal, just stretching my legs and getting blood to flow again. I found a cute little coffee-shop and purchased an overpriced latte. But some caffeine and mocha sugar sounded like comfort food and I needed some comfort.
The barista finished my coffee and I continued to wander the terminals. The plane would be ready soon, but I wasn't. Florida was still closer to the Caribbean than Colorado was, which meant that right now, I was still closer to Bastian than I would be in several hours.
I stopped in front of a big window looking out on two private jets. Beyond them, the lights to whichever city was closest twinkled in the distance. It was pretty, but in a lonely way. The lights were people but far away.
“You look amazing with those lights behind you,” said a voice I didn't want to hear. Every muscle in my body tensed as I turned, praying it wasn't Chad. I knew he was supposed to go to the Caribbean to prep for the auction, but what where the odds that he would have a layover at the same airport at the same time I was leaving?
The odds were not in my favor. It was him.
He stood in the private airport, looking for all intents and purposes like he belonged. He had on pressed khaki's, a pink polo shirt, and had even tied a sweater around his shoulders. He looked absolutely pretentious.
“What are you doing here, Chad?” I asked, coldly. I had to focus on not crushing my coffee cup into oblivion. Luckily, it was mostly empty, so even if I did lose my cool and squeezed, it wasn't the end of the world.
“We're refueling before heading to the island,” Chad announced stepping forward. He oozed suave confidence. “I'm the lead auctioneer for the Belrose Estate. Gotta have the best.”