Finding Alice (Alice Clark Series) by Andrea DiGiglio

reached out and ran my hand along the edge of the bed. My eyes felt weighted shut; my body felt as if I was stumbling down a dark hallway, lost. I felt myself beginning to wake up while rubbing my eyes, demanding they open. The pain I felt so few hours before came crashing back and my eyes opened with a force. I looked around to find myself alone. I held back the urge to cry and cautiously pulled myself to a seated position. It seemed that I hurt more so now than just days ago when this happened to me. I took a deep breath while I ran my hand through my hair. I heard a creak in the hallway and froze. The smell of robust coffee and hazelnut filled my nostrils and the pain lessened slightly. The door swung open and I had no control over the smirk plastered across my face. “Good morning,” Cole said.
    “Morning.” He nodded to the two gray stone coffee mugs steaming in his hands. I looked at the coffee and then took a side glance, noticing his pants were still next to the bed. Boxers. I sighed and he smiled, almost blushing.
    “I would have made breakfast but all you have is coffee and creamer,” he said.
    “Breakfast of champions.” He laughed and nodded in agreement. We sat on the edge of my bed half dressed, sipping coffee together in silence as if that was our life…as if that was our daily ritual. It felt like home to me. I knew nothing about him but some part of me felt as if I’d know him an eternity. I felt his hand lightly touch mine and I bathed in his cure. I no longer cared how or why what we did happened; it just did; and that sounded pretty perfect to me at that moment. I wrapped my fingers through his, feeling the fire crawl up my arm until it reached a soothing and electric pulsing. I wondered if he felt it too. I turned and looked at him to find him staring right through my eyes. I tried to speak but nothing came out. I let go of his hand but the intensity I felt from him didn’t subside. I tried to stand and noticed he already was as he took my empty coffee mug and set both down on my desk.
    He glanced at the jewelry box almost as if he knew what was inside of it. He sat back down next to me, closer than before, and took my hand again. I tried to speak; again, nothing. I felt completely frazzled but somehow strangely calm and relaxed as I stared into his amber eyes searching for words. He took his other hand and placed it gently against my face. I closed my eyes and he pulled me closer. For the first time, I felt our hearts racing each other. I opened my eyes, inches from his face as I inhaled and held my breath. The room stood still as I had seen many times before; the only sound I heard was our hearts echoing in my ears. I studied him, memorizing every part of him so I could keep that moment with me always. I closed my eyes and exhaled, releasing the ocean wave’s cool scent I had just sucked into my lungs.
    I felt the room catch up to me as his lips touched mine. His kiss consumed every inch of my being. It was intensely gentle with just the right amount of raw, rough passion. I could live in that moment for the rest of my life. We fell back onto the bed and a cloud of dark feathers flew into the air above us, hovering. His arms tangled around me as I ran my hands down his back. I don’t think I could have felt any closer to him than I did in that moment.

    My bruises had faded to nothing more than a painful memory, one that no longer seemed to matter to me when he was near. Sometimes I wondered where Cole used to call home. The last few weeks he had slept at my house, in my bed. Just the thought of me cuddling up to him each night was filled with more happiness and love than I ever could have imagined. I had gone my entire life, until now, alone. Then we started sharing so many moments, it was almost painful when he was gone. It was as if a piece of me was broken away until he returned.
    Over the last few weeks, we had lived in this tiny bubble as if protected from the outside world for this