Ned /Reader (3) - Part 4
- I had a feeling that I might find you here. Ned said tentatively when he stopped to stand less than two meters away from you. You however did not shift your gaze from the dark horizon; the endless sea in front of you.
- Yeah well… you commented with a sarcastic tone and then continued with a somewhat bitter voice “…Like you said yourself, I know no one here, I have no one…” and after a chuckle you added “…Doesn’t really leave me with plenty of options.”
- You have me. Ned said and took one nervous step closer. He flashed a hopeful smile although you still insisted on staring at the dark horizon instead of him. You rubbed your arms to keep yourself warm since now that the sun had set, almost two hours ago, it was getting a bit chilly to hang out in bikinis and a sarong. You scolded yourself for the poor choice of clothing but in the situation where you had been, you had wanted to just grab something and get out as quickly as possible. You inhaled slowly and stated
- Like I said before, I would have been lost without you… but-
- No buts. Ned said immediately.
- …But I shouldn’t have latched myself onto you the way I did. you spoke with a slightly shaky tone and after a quick inhale you continued by saying “It was very unfair… and childish of me.”
- No-no-no! Please do not say that. Ned said, placed a basket that he had been carrying on the sand and sat down next to you. You and he were silent for many minutes, closer to a quarter of an hour, just sitting on the beach side by side and staring at the sea. Ned glanced at you every once in a while, hoping to catch you glancing at him, but you kept your eyes fixed firmly upon the waves.
- I think I owe you a night of stargazing. he said suddenly with a hopeful tone, just to break the ice and come up with a conversation… to get somewhere from this depressing distance between him and you.
- You do not owe me anything. you responded and finally took a quick look at the man sitting beside you. You smiled briefly, stated with a calm, soft voice “You have done so much for me already… so if someone owes someone something…”and cleared your throat with a simple “Ahem”. Ned turned his head to look at you and your eyes met as you added “…It is me.” However as soon as you realized that Ned was looking at you, staring straight into your eyes, you turned your head away embarrassed.
- Very well then. Ned stated playfully. “You owe me a night of stargazing” he spoke, to which you responded with a chuckle. Encouraged by the lighthearted response Ned moved his leg a bit closer to yours so his toes touched your toes. It was almost like a subtle test and for a moment Ned was afraid that you would pull your leg away. You however didn’t so Ned sighed relieved and shifted himself to sit a bit nearer to you, however not close enough to sit right next to you.
- It was a beautiful story. you commented and then added “You’re a talented storyteller, Ned” with a voice that was filled with hidden sadness. “Such a shame that it wasn’t real” you stated and then mumbled to yourself “I could imagine it so vividly.” Ned heard your words although your voice got mixed the steady sound of the waves rushing to the shore from the calm, open sea.
- I’m sorry. Ned said. He sounded very apologetic and just as he was about to continue with a “But-“ you interrupted him by standing up and stating “I don’t like that you lied…” with a tone that Ned couldn’t interpret. You paused for a moment and smiled at Ned, who was still sitting on the sand, looking at you with a puzzled expression. Your smile however was not a very genuine one, only a shadow of a real smile. Ned had learned to tell the difference during the days he had spent with you because he had memorized every detail of your face as he had studied your expressions very carefully… like your face was the finest piece of art, a masterpiece.
- …But I understand why you did. You added with assuring nods. Ned felt relieved and desperate at the same time; you had forgiven him but still you were leaving and therefore Ned stood up and pleaded “Don’t go!”
- I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have trusted you if you had told me that I was just a random person. you said, wiped the sand off from the sarong and put on your flipflops. Just as you were about to turn and walk away, Ned grabbed your hand and pulled you into his arms. This action was very unexpected and surprised you entirely and therefore for a moment you were unable to do anything, even breathe. Ned held you very tightly against his body, hoping that you wouldn’t push him away… and also hoping that you would relax… breathe at least.
Finally you gasped for air and wrapped your arms around Ned. The warm embrace was so familiar, so safe and comforting that you didn’t even want to fight back. You liked his scent so much; the cologne he used, the scent of his skin combined with the light scent of his shampoo… but this time there was something else as well… a sweet scent of something baked… and this additional scent was enough to make your stomach rumble so loudly that Ned was able to hear it.
- Oh! The pie! Ned exclaimed and stepped away from you. The sudden loss of the warmth of Ned’s body made you shiver and you cursed silently for not having anything proper to wear. You watched Ned squatting and opening the basket he had brought with him. He had also taken a blanket with him, neatly folded into a tight roll and when he spread it on the sand, you noticed two fluffy pillows that had been hidden inside the blanket.
- I was devastated when you left. Ned admitted as he emptied the content of the basket on the blanket; snacks, pizza, one bottle of mild wine and one bottle of water, two wineglasses and spoons. “I cried my eyes out… and then… well…” he described to you with a slightly amused tone. “…My way to deal with stress and troubling situations is…” he said and took out from the basket a small-sized ceramic pot that had been covered with aluminum foil. He removed the foil and added “…To bake.” You stared at the freshly baked pie with a surprised expression on your face and sighed “Wow” because the pie was so pretty. “I stress-bake” Ned admitted with a shy tone. “Anyway…” he said and took a deep breath.
- After I had reached the state of a functioning human being, I ran into the restaurant and asked if I could borrow their kitchen for an hour. Ned explained and put the warm pot carefully on the blanket too. You had poured the very mild semi-sweet white wine into two glasses while listening to Ned talking about his small baking-project and now that he had described the whole process in detail, you handed one of the wineglasses to Ned who was finally ready with the “table” that he had set for you and him.
- I didn’t make the pizza, though. he said nervously and added “Because I am not a pizza maker… but a… pie maker.”
- Pizza is almost like a pie, isn’t it? you teased playfully.
- No, it is not! Ned stated with a tone that made it quite apparent that he strongly disagreed with you. “Pie has a crust” Ned said and smirked at you.
- Aha, are you an expert on pies? you teased.
- I am the pie maker and I own a bakery, it’s called The Pie Hole. Ned stated proudly. “So yes, I am an expert on the subject” he added and handed you a spoon. You chuckled a little and then followed his lead; started to eat the pie straight from the pot that it had been baked in.
You and Ned ate slowly and shared a lively conversation about Ned’s life. It was apparent that he loved to talk about baking as well as about different flavor combinations. You admitted that you were quite certain that you had no idea how to bake anything and you wouldn’t be surprised if you had no skills to properly execute anything that needed more effort than a hard-boiled egg. “I have a feeling that I’m a person who eats out… a lot” you admitted with a somewhat embarrassed tone. Ned however promised to teach you to cook and to bake if you wanted to learn. “It will be fun, I promise” he said with a cute smile on his face.
- I would love to take you with me. Ned said after a pretty long, but not even a bit awkward, silence. “But I understand if you rather… not…” he continued but didn’t know how to finish the sentence.
- Ned, it is not about what I rather do or rather not do. you replied and sighed as you helped Ned to collect the empty containers and wrappings to the basket. “I am trapped on this island because I have no passport” you stated and shook your head. The truth was that you liked the island very much; the climate was just perfect, the scenery was gorgeous and you were sure that there was plenty of activities to do… even wakeboarding which you would love to try even though a careless wakeboarder had most likely caused the mess where you were now in. However, no matter how you tried to twist your thought into something positive, you couldn’t escape the feeling that the island was going to turn into a prison at the very moment when Ned stepped on the ferryboat that would take him to the mainland where the airport was located.
- We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Ned said and cleared his throat. After that he continued with a gangster-voice and stated “I will contact some people… I’m sure I can smuggle you out from this island somehow.”
- Oh yeah? What kind of conference is it again that you are attending? you asked playfully and burst into laughter. Ned lifted the basket a bit further away and pushed you to lay on your back on the blanket. You squealed as Ned crawled on top of you and trapped you between the beach and his large, nicely firm body. He leaned down to kiss your neck and mumbled into your ear “Baking… and human trafficking” with a deep, sultry voice. He slid his hand under the sarong and found a ticklish spot that he had located once before during one of those intense cuddling sessions. He tickled you and laughed against your neck when he made you twitch and giggle under him.
Suddenly Ned drew back, stood up and took off his long-sleeved shirt. He also took off his long, light trousers, leaving him on his colorful beach shorts. Then he got down on his all fours and pinned your hands against the blanket, on both sides of your head. Ned crossed his fingers with yours, lowered himself a bit closer and brushed his nose against yours. He stayed so near that you could feel the warmth of his body surrounding you, but still he didn’t let his body touch yours. He leaned closer but just as he was about to kiss you, he drew back and chuckled a little mischievously. Ned was a sweet, modest guy but sometimes, when he felt comfortable enough, he was also playful and mischievous in a very cute way. He had told you that he was not very cuddly and before he had not even enjoyed hugging that much but during the days he had spent with you, he had turned into a guy who enjoyed all kinds of intimacy very much.
Ned loved kissing you in different ways; sweetly, using only his lips to pamper you with soft brushes, light kisses and nibbles. He was a very romantic kisser and therefore he took his time and kissed you without any rush. He had been a bit shy at first and he had not dared to pull you close to his body, but now he did, almost every time. He liked to sink his fingers into your hair and slide his hand under your shirt to feel your back and sides but he never touched you more daringly. Ned also loved to kiss you more passionately and deeply, using also his tongue and even teeth to make your head spin. He kissed you with his entire body and used his size to surround you completely. He was after all much larger than you were and the size difference made you feel very safe and excited at the same time.
He loved to get very close to you when you were sleeping, to wrap his arm around you and hold you near and he especially enjoyed it when he used your chest as a pillow because then he had an opportunity to listen to the sound of your heartbeat. He loved it when you drew random shapes on his skin or brushed his hair, he adored the way your body wiggled when he made you laugh and how your laughter was so infectious. Ned liked to hold your hand and let his fingers dance with yours, to find new ways to hold each other and he couldn’t get enough of just staring into your eyes silently and seeing you look back at him so lovingly.
- I want to swim with you. Ned murmured against your lips. He moved from his hand along your arm to your shoulder and reached to open the knot that was keeping the sarong wrapped around your body as a dress. He opened the large piece of fabric slowly and traced the neckline of your bikini with his fingertip, not daring to wander under the fabric but following the edges of the bikini very carefully, even when it led his fingers to touch your cleavage and the top part of your heaving breasts.
When Ned had removed the sarong from you, he got on his knees, stood up and pulled you up as well. He did not let go of your hand as he led you into the warm sea. You walked with him further into the soft darkness, into the world where no other people existed, just you and Ned. The water was warm and the waves rocked you gently as you surrendered yourselves into a kiss that began as something very sweet and modest but grew hungrier and more possessive with every touch. Ned lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his hips, allowing you to press your chest tightly against his and to feel every detail of his body. You slid your hands on his back and let the water carry you as you got completely lost into each other.
Ned felt strong and safe, he was gentle and very intuitive. He planted hot, openmouthed kisses on your neck, collarbones and sometimes as low as he was able to reach, tasting the sea salt from your breasts and enjoying your soft moans that got mixed with the sound of waves. You kissed Ned’s chest and neck, nibbled his earlobe and spoke sweet nothings into his ear while you tangled tighter with each other to prevent the warmth of your bodies to dissolve into the surrounding seawater that had started to feel quite cool.
There however were lines that you did not cross; you had talked a couple of times about sex and agreed together that the right thing to do was to wait until your memory had come back, just to keep the situation as simple as possible. Simple did not mean promiscuous because both, you and Ned, were dead-serious about each other… about this thing… relationship or something… but you both knew that giving into the desires could make everything more complicated if you found out that you lived on the other side of the planet and had inescapable duties there. Sure, you both were emotionally invested in each other and neither of you were playing with the feelings of the other, but since even cuddling and kissing had been so wonderful and had made you and Ned feel so overwhelmingly and profoundly alive… it was almost scary to surrender yourselves to something much deeper and greater. What if you couldn’t have a life together after all? Would you be able to settle with anything less?
It was a scary thing to let yourself to fall in love with a man that you had known for such a short time and it was even scarier for Ned to let himself to fall in love with a woman who couldn’t remember anything about herself. You both knew that this was going too fast and it was impossible to keep up with the feelings that seemed to be growing deeper with every second but then again, and most importantly, it felt right. In any other situation you would have asked Ned out on a date and then the thing would have slowly grown and evolved from there; the first date would have been followed by the second date… and third date and so on… or not.
Yes, it was also possible, probable even, that if you had met Ned in any other situation, anywhere else, he would have been just another face in the sea of faces, a very handsome face but just another face nevertheless. You most likely would have just passed him by without paying any further attention to him because that was how your life had been… or you had a feeling that your life was like that; just running from one place to another, living very secluded life but ironically being constantly out in the public… whatever that meant.
This time however you had jumped straight to the deep-end and even though it was wonderful, it was also scary. It was terrifying to open your heart to a stranger and allow him to see you as you were… as a vulnerable mess. You had cried in front of Ned, you had been in pain and injured, you had taken out on Ned your frustrations and stress that the amnesia had caused you… and finally you had stormed away as a response to his declaration of love. But against all odds, despite pretty much screwing up Ned’s holiday, he had not told you to leave. He had stayed by your side and even though you had known Ned only five days, he had already showed you more love than anyone during your life so far. This you knew in your bones because you were absolutely certain that if you had had a person like Ned in your life, you would have been able to feel the strong bond… stronger than amnesia and losing your memories.
Love like this was very electrifying as well as energizing; it made you feel completely alive and gave you a deep sense of belonging… like you had been lost and then suddenly you had been found by this wonderful person… a person who with all his flaws completed you. Yes, he would most likely drive you insane and occasionally bring out the worst of you… but he would give you a reason to be a better version of yourself… to be the person that he could be proud of. However, that kind of intense love was also very consuming and it made it scary; you knew that someone else’s heart was in your hands and that gave you the power to either crush it or make it grow and fill it with happiness… or maybe kill it slowly with cold indifference.
You had shared very deep and meaningful conversations about the subject with Ned and you knew that he felt the same way. You knew that he was not a person who played with other people’s feelings and he had told you that he didn’t normally let anyone close this fast. During these late night conversations he had joked that if you had met him in any other place, he most likely wouldn’t have dared to come to talk to you and if he had, he most definitely would have screwed the first date up by being too nervous. All this made Ned look even cuter in your eyes and therefore it had been impossible to stop the process of falling madly in love with the knight in the colorful beach-shorts.
Yes, it was fast. Yes, it was intense… But damn it felt good!
Ned carried you out from the water and lay you down on the blanket. He stayed very close, moving against you with a rhythm that matched his kisses perfectly. You wrapped your arms around him, tangled your fingers into his wet curls and rubbed his leg with the sole of your foot and sometimes wrapped your legs around his hips, still keeping your few items of clothing on. Finally the kiss subsided into light brushes and when Ned drew back a little, the sudden loss of his warmth made your skin fill with goosebumps. Ned rolled beside you, still panting and smiling at the star-filled sky. He sat up and changed his wet beach shorts into his light, long pants and gave his long-sleeved shirt to you. You sat up, removed the top part of your bikini and put on Ned’s shirt after which you both lay down again and covered yourselves with the sarong, laying on your sides and facing each other.
- I love you. Ned said and took your hand. He brought it on his lips and spoke against your knuckles “Of that I am most certain.”
- If you’ll figure out how to get me off this island… you said and paused to inhale very deep before continuing. You shook the last bits of hesitation and added “I will follow you.” You spoke very softly, moved as near as you could and pressed your forehead against Ned’s. You closed your eyes and fell asleep while smiling.
You woke up when the sun came up and after getting your things you sneaked back to the hotel room with Ned. The beach was still silent but you knew that in a couple of hours it would fill with people again and it was better to retire and avoid all the curious eyes. You and Ned took a quick shower together, washed the salt off from your skins and then got to bed to continue sleeping. You were too tired to put on your pajamas so you just fell into the bed naked and covered yourselves with light, white sheets.
After some hours you and Ned got dressed and left the hotel room to enjoy a relaxed brunch in a restaurant located right by the sea, at cliffs a bit further away from the beach. During the brunch you started to plan how you would be able to follow Ned to the city where he was living without a passport. Ned knew that you needed some kind of ID so he contacted someone he had met in the baking conference and this person knew someone who forged passports. It was a very risky plan and it included a possibility of getting caught and going to jail but then again… the other plan you and Ned had come up with had included taking a dangerous boat ride across the sea with some local pirates on a possibly-leaking, old fishing boat and for some reason Ned had not liked that plan that much.
Ned called the travel agency and managed to change his flight ticket into two cruise tickets. The ship you and he were going to take was a large, very fancy cruise vessel that had stopped at the tropical island six days ago and tomorrow it was going to stop there again on its way back to its home port, which located conveniently in the country where Ned was from. It was a ten-day cruise and it meant that it took one and half days to sail across the sea from the island you currently were on to the harbor where the cruiser had left seven and half days ago. The ship had been crisscrossing at the sea and stopping by the islands for a day and then the travelers had had an opportunity to spend a day on the beach, get to know the local towns and do some shopping. Then in the evening the ship sailed away and continued its journey to the next harbor… now it was heading back and you and Ned would get onboard. This island had been its first pitstop almost a week ago and it was going to be its last before sailing back to the home port.
It was the last evening and Ned wanted to take you out for a dinner. He had secretly made a reservation for a table in the fanciest restaurant there was on the island and he hoped that it would distract both of you from the fact that there was no way of knowing what was going to happen when you and Ned left the island. It was possible that the plan would totally backfire and you would get into serious trouble… and even if you managed to enter Ned’s home country with the fake-passport, there was no way to know for sure that this thing between you and Ned would survive the real life.
Yes, that. It was very easy to fall in love and be in love on the island where you didn’t have for example go to work and do any house chores. All you basically had to do was to enjoy yourself and relax. Real life was however more complicated than that and it was the reason why so many holiday romances flourished in the holiday destination but died very quickly after leaving the romantic surroundings. It was like the entire island had been built for romance and everything about it, even the locals, were trying to encourage you to open your heart and fall in love. Well, it was very good for business when people made reservations for the restaurants and bought gifts from the local shops. Life on the island had been magical and you were able to imagine that it would have been even more magical if you had not been injured and doomed to bed rest.
The dinner was very nice; the food was delicious, the atmosphere was everything but stiff and formal and the setting was so romantic. The restaurant had been lit with candles and the air carried a scent of spices and exotic flowers, there was even a real orchestra playing on the background and as the evening progressed Ned even asked you to dance with him. After the dinner you and Ned walked slowly by the sea back to the hotel and enjoyed a couple of drinks on the balcony. There would have been a beach party with music, competitions and barbeque but you and Ned decided together that you rather spend this last night just enjoying each other’s company without distractions.
When the music stopped and the people retired to their rooms, some continuing the night a bit further away in the local nightclub, it finally got quiet and you and Ned decided to go to bed. You slept until ten o’clock and after a slow breakfast at the pool bar, you packed your things and checked out from the room. Ned’s contact had managed to arrange a fake-passport to you and Ned has agreed to meet his local contact at a slightly shady-looking bar that was located on the other side of the island. You and Ned took a taxi there and after waiting for the guy for twenty minutes, he finally showed up and gave Ned a passport.
Ned glanced the travel document through and gave the man a piece of paper that was a business contract of some sort; Ned would order some exotic fruits and spices for his bakery from his new contact in exchange for this favor. Then the contact left and Ned gave you the passport. It was not a very good passport but the truth was that you had not even expected much, considering that there had been just one day time to get it and the forger was some local teenager doing forgeries as a hobby. You decided to memorize the information in the passport as well as possible so in case someone asked something, you would be able to present the facts, such as your name, birthday and social security number as naturally as possible. However, the name in the passport didn’t suit you at all because it personified a completely wrong ethnicity and this discrepancy made you very nervous.
“I will totally go to prison for this” you thought silently as you went through the personal information on the forged document. Then you put the passport into your pocket and said to Ned with a casual tone “Yeah, it’s fine.”