| rhubarb and nutmeg

Let love conquer your mind.

-Warrior, Aurora -

_________________________

- L I L A -

The unblemished material of the silk felt soft against my skin as his lips scattered butterfly kisses across my shoulder. His hands gently tightened the material around the back of my head before he turned me around and reached for my hands, placing them on his shoulders. His muscular arms wrapped around my waist, and he held me close to his body as the music continued to play. 

"Why the blindfold?" I questioned serenely, covering his hands with mine. He held me tight, and I loved the way my heart sped up in his presence.

A trace of a smile blessed his face lightly and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "I want you to see what I see; I want you to truly understand me."

James Arthur sounded through his room, and I felt him dip me gently. Gasping quietly, my grip tightened on his shoulder, the material of his sweater bunching in my hands. Bringing me back up, he lowered his lips to mine and kissed me slowly and softly.

It wasn't exactly how I imagined his senses to be, but I found that I could hear the music clearly and the quiet sound of shuffling Matthew's feet made against the carpet. He linked our hands and rocked us side to side.

He lead me around his room with ease, never once bumping into anything, which I guess was a benefit of him arranging his room in a way that made him comfortable and memorising the position of everything. He held onto my hand tightly before he twirled me, eliciting a slightly scared squeak from me.

I heard the grin in his voice, his chest flat against my back. "I've got you," he whispered in an assuring manner, opting to hold me close to his body as my hands covered his. "I'm not going to let you go."

My movements latched onto his, and once I relaxed and truly felt him, we were both moving smoothly. I  almost melted into him, but he kept me upright, igniting sparks on my skin with every gentle touch of his ghosting fingers.

Before I knew it, the back of my thighs hit wood, and he leaned into me, pausing momentarily to feel my lips with his thumb before connecting our lips again. Hooking his hands behind my legs, he slid me onto what I realised was his table. My heart hammered against my chest as he drew any remaining breath from me, essentially being my oxygen.

"Just say the word and I'll stop," he muttered, his words fanning my lips.

Threading my hands into his hair, I pressed my lips onto his harder and smiled softly. "Don't stop."

In the midst of our passionate kiss, I tugged on the hem of his shirt, feeling him remove his hands from my waist to lift his arms up.  My hands shook as I began pulling his shirt off, his breaths shaky and brief. Shivering slightly once I pressed my hands flat against the planes of his chest, I felt his smooth skin under my hands, the occasional scarring of the car accident tainting his skin.

I felt the hard muscles of his stomach, sighing a sigh that trembled against his lips. He closed what little distance was between us, grinning into the kiss.

He reached for my dress next, simply squeezing my waist for a few moments before he paused against my lips, lifting it further.

I felt myself blush profusely as I sat with him looming over me and I tried to calm myself down. He couldn't see me, and because of the blindfold, I couldn't see him.

"Lila," he whispered quietly. "I love you so much."

Tugging him closer by his belt hoops, my legs wrapped around his waist. He lifted me effortlessly, pivoting on his foot before we collapsed softly on the bed. "I love you too," I breathlessly murmured. "More than you—"

Hearing the door open, a sharp gasp sounded through the air before I pulled the blindfold from my eyes, meeting Angus' eyes absolutely mortified. Stunned for a few moments, his jaw fell slack before he slammed the door shut, leaving me shocked and unable to move.

Matthew flinched on me, surprised by the sudden sound. His hands were off me within a second, and he leaned up on his elbows, shutting his eyes tightly. "Oh no."

Burying my face in his shoulder, I groaned embarrassingly, knowing my cheeks resembled the colour of a strawberry. "Oh my god." I mumbled weakly, shimmying all the way back so there was a gap between Matthew and I.

He raised himself off me, reaching down for his shirt and spreading his hands out in a successful attempt in grabbing it. "I'm sorry," he apologised, seeming agitated. "He wasn't supposed to be home; he was meant to be with my grandma."

He passed my dress to me as I sat up, kissing the corner of my mouth. He grabbed onto his pillow, situating it on his lap before taking a seat at my feet.

I didn't recover for another ten minutes, and Matthew certainly didn't.

Angus was sitting on the couch when we descended down the stairs, his hand clutching the TV remote tightly. Upon hearing our footsteps, he infinitesimally moved his head, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Hello, Dad." Matthew greeted in a dry tone.

"Matthew," he nodded strongly, resorting to Italian with his eyebrows raised humorously.

Whatever he said caused a deep red blush to climb its way across Matthew's cheeks, his lips parting into an embarrassed grin. "Let's not speak about this ever again."

Angus agreed immediately, his gaze flickering from mine as I caught his eyes.  Shooting my head down, I winced and couldn't stop the blush that painted my already rosy cheeks. This was by far the most embarrassing situation I had ever been in.

Matthew laughed to himself, leaning in close to whisper in my ear. "I'm not done with you."

---

The splendour sun glowed with a hue of fiery orange, basking the sky with splashes of reds, yellows, and even purple. The river reflected an untouched image of the vast blanket above, rendering me with an image I couldn't help but be in awe of.

Matthew played gently with my fingers, his lips scattering kisses to each tip. We laid on a blanket in a secluded place guarded by trees, his body close to mine as I echoed his posture and raised myself on my elbows.

"I hope this part of the date is better than the first," he murmured softly, tilting his head upwards and gracing me with a serene smile.

Staring at him silently, I admired how strands of his hair brushed his forehead, and how his grey eyes shone in the evening light. The bags under his eyes were fading, and finally seeing a smile on his face warmed my heart. I could never just be friends with him; it just wasn't possible. Threading my hands through his hair, I lowered my lips to his, and nodded. "Parts of it."

His hand reached for a strawberry before he bit into it, a miniscule rivulet of juice dripping to his chin. Grabbing a tissue, I wiped it away and laughed as his lips parted into a broad grin. "The parts before my dad walked in on us, you mean."

Draping a light arm around my waist, he moved closer until there was no space in between us. He whisked my hair behind my ear as his thumb caressed my cheek. Silently kissing me, he smiled against my lips and opened his stormy eyes. Unlike at the beginning of our relationship, I could read his emotions so easily.

"You're in love with me," I uttered softly, my fingertips brushing the left side of his face with slow circular motions.

"Yeah?" he breathed gently, his hand curling around my wrist as he turned his head and kissed my palm. "Am I that obvious?"

Biting my lip, I smiled. "Your eyes," I spoke quietly, feeling everything around us disappear as I really focused on his presence and continued with: "they never lie."

"Neither will I," he replied, kissing my lips softly. "When I say I love you, I mean it."

Leaning my forehead against his, I melted into him and felt him hold me close. It was a while before I slung my leg over his hips as he laid on his back. His breathing faded in volume and he directed his hooded eyes upwards, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip.

"Are you sure?"

Nodding softly, I latched onto his bottom lip, placing my hands on either side of his head. "Absolutely."