Josiah Marquez Part 4

“You asked to take it slow...” I said, opening the can and leaning back on the pillow, taking a sip of the dark liquid.
“Not that slow!”
Her words surprised me, making my heart skip a beat. Ana wanted to be kissed. I looked at her face, my smile reflecting my admiration.
There were so many things I wanted to ask, so much I wanted to know about this girl full of secrets... but I didn’t want to ruin the moment.
I moved closer to her, seeing the surprise in her expression as I placed the can of soda to her lips. She sipped the liquid, her focus never leaving me. Damn... That look over her shoulder gave me so many ideas.
I pulled the can away from her lips, noticing a small trail of liquid dripping from her mouth, carving its way to her chin. I moved closer, seeing how nervous she was. I traced my tongue along her chin, licking the soda.
“No waste, Sweetie!” I murmured, turning my face patiently toward her lips.
I took a deep breath, my face hovering over hers, eyes closed, heart pounding hard. I was a fortress on the outside, even though inside there was chaos. When I opened my eyes, she was gazing at me, her chest rising and falling with tension. Her eyes were full of desire and anticipation. Slowly, I moved my hand up to her neck, feeling the silky strands between my fingers, and kissed her.
I felt the shyness of her soft lips, the way they seemed to wait to be guided by me. There was so much innocence there that I was sure it was her first kiss. Such responsibility...
Gradually, I parted our lips, grazing my tongue against hers, moving my other hand along her waist, down the side to her hip.
She tasted of innocence mixed with soda and green apple candy. I moved my tongue slowly, letting her learn the motions, breathing through our kiss until... it was becoming impossible to hold back. My inner demon began to dig its claws into me, yearning to be released. I was already burning, so I tightened my grip on her, gently pulling her hair. I slid my hand under her shirt, exploring her skin, while devouring her mouth and feeling something down below throbbing, frustrated by being trapped under so much fabric. I pressed her hip firmly, battling with myself.
“Damn it!” I swore as I pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her face tense with disappointment. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, it’s just... I have a lot of issues with boundaries,” I said, lying back on the pillow and pulling her with me, resting her head on my chest. “You smell so good.”
She took a deep breath.
We just lay there in silence for a while. She stroked my belly under my shirt, sending shivers down my spine, in such a carefree and lost manner that I was sure she did it without even realizing.
“Does your dad live here too?” she asked.
“No.”
“So your mom and he are no longer together?”
“No! They’re divorced,” I said, uncomfortable with Ana wanting to talk about my damn father.
“And are you close to him?”
“You’re a curious little thing, you know?” I joked, holding her by the neck, making her look at me. I gazed at her angelic, serene face, gently squeezing her nose. “No! I hardly talk to him. My mom is the one who loves gossiping about my life to Cristian.”
“I see...”
I stayed silent, even though I had a million questions about her, about her parents, about how Ana felt. I ran my fingers along her arm, burying my nose in her hair, which was like a sunny beach, with the perfect smell of summer.
“I was very close to my dad,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. I tried to say something, but my heart was so tight from seeing her tremble on top of me... “We talked about everything. He was an enthusiast, believed in eternal love, perfect endings, soulmates. Can you believe he fell in love with my mom just from a glance in the supermarket?”
“How sweet, Sweetie.”
“He’s the one who gave me that nickname,” she said, then broke down. I wrapped Ana in my arms as she cried silently, just swallowing her sobs. “He said I made everything in his life sweet when I was born. My dad taught me to love books, to believe that all those happy and romantic endings were possible, and he didn’t even know he was becoming my first love.”
I felt a surge of tears welling up in my eyes, feeling so terrible seeing a girl so broken, so small and delicate, thrust into a life so lonely and full of pain.

“What was his name?”
“Davi.”
“That’s a beautiful name!”
“Yes…”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“I’m sorry, it’s better if I go...” she whispered, trying to pull away from my arms as she wiped her tears with the back of her delicate hands. “I ruined everything.”
I sat up, holding her tightly in my arms.
“You didn’t ruin anything, Ana,” I said, kissing the top of her head repeatedly. “I’m crazy about you, and I’ve only known you for a very short time. Do you realize that?”
I felt her chest pounding rapidly, and I wasn’t even sure if she was hearing me.
“I loved this time with you, and... the kiss... and everything,” she whispered, turning her head to meet my eyes. “But now I want to go home.”
“Sure! Can I give you a ride?”
She nodded, slipping out of my embrace and walking to put on her shoes. As I led her toward the living room, I remembered I hadn’t given her the gift, and it was still in the drawer of the nightstand.
“Wait just a minute, I need to get something.”
I left Ana standing on the rug in the living room. I ran to my room, grabbed the small blue box, and put it in my jeans pocket. I tried to return as quickly as I could, but what I saw made me...
EN FU
RE
CER.
There was the guy, dressed in his neatly pressed gray suit and hugging Ana. He was standing between Luana and my mom, in front of the house’s front door.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Lucah!” the man said, smiling confidently at her. Ana was composing herself from her tears, barely noticing his light eyes or spiky blonde hair. The bastard looked confused, staring at her tears. “I’m Josiah’s older brother.”