Forbidden Cravings-Chapter 283: Huhh!?

The fairy lights had settled into a gentle, sleepy glow, like the whole garden was finally taking a breath with us. Aeri’s head was above looking at the sky and then slowly tilting down to lookinv at me. Our sweaty skin stuck together, hearts slowing down in the same rhythm. The stars above us looked close enough to touch.

"So..." she said softly, voice a little hoarse from all the screaming, "should we go home now?"

The second the word "home" left her mouth, something cold punched me right in the chest. My heart actually skipped, then started racing again, but not in the good way. It felt like the ground tilted under the chair. A sudden, stupid fear grabbed me: if we leave this garden, if we walk away from these lights and this table, everything we just found might vanish. Like waking up from a dream and realizing it was never real.

I froze, mouth open, no sound coming out.

Aeri lifted her head, hair sticking to her cheek. "Hmm? What happened, Ezra? You’re super quiet all of a sudden." She tilted her head, eyes searching my face.

"Ahh, yeah!" I blurted, blinking fast like I’d just woken up. "I mean... let’s go." My voice sounded too loud in the quiet night.

She frowned, cute and worried, and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. "Hey, you okay? You zoned out hard. Did you catch a cold or something? Your face went all pale."

"It’s nothing, I’m good," I said quickly, forcing a smile. I slid my hands under her thighs and stood up, lifting her with me. She was still straddling my lap, legs locked around my waist, arms loose around my neck. "We can’t stay out here forever, right?" I tried to laugh, but it came out shaky.

"Hehe, yeah," she said, glancing around at the empty paths and the quiet ice-cream truck. "We’ve been enjoying without a care, but someone could show up any minute and get the shock of their life."

"Yeah... exactly," I muttered, gently setting her on the edge of the little round table. The wood was still warm from our bodies.

Aeri tugged her twisted dress back into place, pulling the straps up over her shoulders, smoothing the fabric down her hips. I grabbed my shirt from the table, shook it out, and pulled it on, then stepped into my pants and buckled my belt with fingers that didn’t want to cooperate.

In less than a minute we looked almost normal again, like two regular people who’d just had ice cream instead of the wildest night of our lives.

"Ezra... help me down?" Aeri asked, sitting on the table’s edge, both hands stretched toward me, palms open, fingers wiggling a little.

"Come here," I said, voice softer now. I took her hands warm, a little sticky, perfect and pulled her gently to her feet. As soon as she was steady, our fingers laced together on their own, like they’d been doing it forever.

She squeezed once, looking up at me with that same worried tilt of her head. "You sure you’re okay?"

I swallowed the weird lump in my throat and squeezed back. "Yeah. Just... don’t want tonight to end, that’s all."

Aeri’s face softened. She stepped closer, rose on her toes, and kissed my cheek. "It’s not ending," she whispered. "It’s just the beginning, remember?"

I let out a slow breath, feeling the cold fear loosen its grip. "Yeah," I said, managing a real smile this time. "Beginning."

The garden gate creaked softly behind us as we stepped onto the empty sidewalk. Only the orange streetlamps every twenty meters gave any light, and even those looked tired. Our footsteps echoed too loud on the pavement. Aeri’s hand was warm in mine, fingers laced tight, swinging a little between us like we were still kids walking home from school.

She started humming again some old song I half-remembered from when I was little, voice soft and off-key in the cutest way.

I kept glancing at her hair messy and perfect, lips still swollen, the faint red marks on her neck from my mouth. She looked so alive, glowing even under the weak streetlights, and the thought that kept looping in my head was stupid and loud: ~Don’t let go of her hand. Whatever you do, don’t let go.

We reached the corner where the garden path met the main road. The ground stretched left and right, completely deserted. No cars, no late-night walkers, not even a stray cat. Just the low hum of the lamps and the quiet rustle of leaves in the breeze.

"Damn, it’s empty tonight," Aeri said, spinning once so her dress flared a little. "Feels like the whole city forgot to wake up."

"Yeah," I answered, forcing my voice steady. "But it’s fine. The only person I need is right here." I lifted our joined hands and kissed her knuckles.

She beamed, eyes crinkling. "Cheesy guy strikes again," she teased, bumping her shoulder into mine.

I laughed, and we started walking silently again for thirty seconds until the knot loosened.

Then *beep-beep* a cheerful little notification tone came from the middle of the road.

A phone lay face-up on the yellow line, screen lighting up with a cartoon cat dancing. Someone must have dropped it earlier.

"Hey, look at that!" Aeri said, eyes lighting up like it was Christmas. She slipped her hand out of mine I felt the warmth leave instantly and jogged forward. "Maybe the owner’s still close by!"

Before I could react or say anything she was already bending down, hair falling forward, fingers reaching for the phone.

Headlights exploded out of the darkness.

A huge truck rounded the blind corner way too fast, tires hissing on the asphalt. The driver slammed the horn *BONG*, a deep, ugly sound that punched the air out of my lungs.

Everything went into slow motion.

I saw Aeri straighten up, eyes wide, mouth forming my name.

I saw the truck’s grille, huge and silver, rushing straight at her.

I saw her body jerk as the bumper caught her hip in a loud *THUD* sound that erupted on the collision.

Then she was in the air arms out, hair flying, dress fluttering like a broken wings. She hit the road ten meters away with a sickening, wet thud and rolled once before going completely still.

"Huhh!???" I expressed.

Blood was spreading fast under her head, dark and glossy, catching the streetlight like oil. One of her shoes had come off; it lay a few feet away like it had tried to run without her.