Chapter 64
Rose’s POV.
I turned slowly, the warmth of the morning sun reflecting through the tent’s thin fabric. I could feel the gentle rise and fall of Kanen’s chest beneath my head, and it took me a moment to fully grasp where I was.
The memories of last night flooded back how we had hidden from Elise, how we had made love, how we had eventually fallen asleep in each other’s arms. And then, the reality of what had happened between us hit me.
I blushed deeply, unable to believe it. Did we really…? Yes, they did. The warmth in my cheeks spread, and I tried to suppress my smile. How could I not have seen this coming? We’ve always had a special connection, but last night had taken things to an entirely new level.
I glanced up at Kanen, who was still asleep, his face relaxed and peaceful. Even in sleep, he looked so strong, so protective.
I felt safe with him, like nothing in the world could touch us when we were together.
But now that the sun was up and reality was setting in, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about what came next. Would this change things between us? I didn’t know, but one thing was certain: there was no going back to how things were before. We had crossed a line, and now we have to face whatever came with it.
As I lay there, I felt Kanen begin to wake up beneath me. His arms tightened around me for a moment, as if he was reluctant to let go of the dream he was having.
Then his eyes slowly opened, and he looked down at me with a sleepy smile.
“Good morning my queen,” he murmured to me, his voice husky from sleep.
“Good morning,” Rose replied. I didn’t know the sweet name to use, my voice barely above a whisper.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t stop the blush that deepened on my cheeks.
Kanen noticed and chuckled softly. “What’s got you blushing so early in the morning?”
I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. “I… I guess I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.” I said to him trying to hide and defend why I was blushing.
“Surprised?” Kanen raised an eyebrow. “About what?” he asked, pretending not to know what I was saying.
I pause for a minute, my mind racing. How could I put it into words? I felt like I was walking on a tiny rope, trying to balance my emotions with the reality of the situation. “About… everything. About last night,” I finally admitted as I blushed even harder.
Kanen’s smile softened, and he gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “You mean, us?” he said, looking at my eyeballs and I felt even more shy.
I nodded, feeling my heart skip a beat at his touch. “Yes. I didn’t expect… I mean, I didn’t think we would…” I tried to explain as I did not know the right words to use.
Kanen laughed quietly, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “Rose, you don’t need to be so nervous. I don’t regret anything that happened last night. In fact, I’m glad it happened.
We’ve been dancing around this for a long time.“He said with so much happiness in his voice and without regrets.
His words made my heart swell with emotion. It was true….we had been avoiding our feelings for too long, both of us afraid of what might happen if we gave in.
15:39 Sun, Nov 24
Chapter 64
But now that we had, I realized that it wasn’t as terrifying as I had imagined. It was actually… wonderful.
“I’m glad too,” I whispered, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. “I’ve always cared about you, Kanen. More than I wanted to admit.” I said to Kanen.
Kanen’s expression grew serious, and he cupped my face in his hands, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. “And I’ve always cared about you, Rose. You mean more to me than anyone else.” he said, telling me how he feels about me.
My heart felt like it might burst from my chest. I had waited so long to hear those words, and now that I had, it felt like everything was falling into place.
I leaned up and kissed him softly, enjoying the moment. When we finally pulled away, I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.
“We should probably get up,” Kanen said after a moment, his tone so lazy as if he wasn’t willingly to get up.
“We have a lot to do today, and we can’t stay hidden in this tent forever,” he said in a cool voice.
I nodded, knowing he was right. As much as I wanted to stay in this tent of warmth and safety, we had responsibilities to take care of. There were people waiting for us, and we couldn’t keep hiding from the world.
They slowly untangled ourselves from each other’s arms and began to prepare for the day.
The tent was small, and moving around in the limited space forced us to be close to each other, brushing against one another as we gathered their things..
Every touch sent sparks of electricity through me, and I had to fight the urge to pull Kanen back into my arms.
Kanen seemed to be feeling the same way because every time we bumped into each other, he would give her a playful grin, as if to say, “We’ll continue this later.” I couldn’t help but blush again, but this time, it came with excitement.
As we dressed and got ready, the conversation between us was light and easy, full of teasing and laughter. It felt natural, as if we had been together like this for a long time.
I realized that I didn’t have to worry about things being awkward between us. What had happened last night had only brought us closer, and I was grateful for that.
Once we were dressed, we began to gather their belongings, making sure they hadn’t left anything behind. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of sadness as we prepared to leave the tent.
This little tent had been our refuge for the night, a place where we could just be ourselves, without the pressures of the outside world. But now it was time to face reality again.
Before we stepped out of the tent, Kanen paused and turned to me, his expression serious. “Rose, whatever happens today, I want you to know that I’m here for you. We’re in this together, okay?” he said, trying to encourage me and letting me know that he would always stand by me.
I nodded, feeling so hard to push down my saliva form in my throat. “Okay.” I replied simply.
Kanen smiled and squeezed my hand before letting it go. “Alright, let’s go.” he said as he signals for me to go first.
We stepped out of the tent into the cool morning air, the sunlight shining over the earth. The world around us was quiet, as if it was holding its breath, waiting for the day to begin.
I took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air fill my lungs, and then I let it out slowly. I felt ready…ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, as long as I had Kanen by her side.
We began to make our way back to where the others were camped, walking side by side. I couldn’t help but steal glances at Kanen as we walked, my heart feeling butterflies with every look.
15:39 Sun, Nov 24 & G.
Chapter 64
He seemed so calm, so sure of himself, and it gave me the strength to keep moving forward.
3
As we approached the others, I could see the others beginning to start up the new day getting ready for the day.
I suddenly felt nervousness wash over me. Would anyone notice that we had been gone all night.
As we got close, I slowly slipped my hands away from Kanen as I walked through the
back to go inside, leaving Kanen all alone to explain where he had been since last night.
