building and climbed into the back of a pre-booked taxi.
“Somewhere with perspective.” He took my hand and began drawing small circles on my palm. “It won't take long to get there.”
It didn’t. A short while later, after nudging our way through the afternoon traffic, we pulled up at the kerb and climbed out of the car.
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” Curtis asked, throwing his arm over my shoulders and tucked me into his side.
“Shouldn’t you have asked me that before you got us tickets for The Eye?”
“Probably.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but I don’t want you throwing up all over the pod…that qualifies as hurting you.”
“Have you ordered the cotton wool in bulk?” I cocked a stubborn brow.
Curtis stopped walking and swung me around to face him.
“What cotton wool?”
“That you’re planning to wrap me in.” I curbed my annoyance and playfully smacked his chest. I regretted it when his eyes began to glass over and a shadow settled over them. “I’m going to get sick, Curtis. You can't stop that.”
“I can.”
“Come on.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to start walking again, refusing to lose him to something that was unavoidable, no matter how much he thought it was. “I’m not afraid of heights. Let’s go and have some fun.”
Curtis and I had a capsule of our own and we looked out at the sight as the city began to span out in front of us.
“It’s kinda beautiful, isn’t it?” I said, scanning the area as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey came into view.
“Yeah, and huge.” Curtis caged me in with hands on the rail either side of me, his front to my back. “I like to be up high. It reminds me of how big the world really is.” He took a breath against my ear and continued, resting his chin on my shoulder as we looked out at the city together. “I feel trapped a lot, like life is suffocating me. I come up high and look out at the city to put things into perspective. I don’t want to be angry all the time.” He kissed my neck, a quick, impulsive, desperate kiss. “I don’t want this tension to smother me. I just…I just want to be .”
I turned in his arms, no longer needing to look at London City to see beauty. I had it right in front of me. Severe pain, dark torment and an aching need to be free – there was something beautiful about the man who refused to give up the fight against his demons. There was something painfully beautiful about the hope that still flickered in his eyes.
“Will you let me help you?” I set my palms on his chest. “Will you let me carry some of the load?”
“I’m scared, Skye.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“That I won't be able to fix this for us.”
“You’re not alone anymore.” I leaned forward and kissed his chest, where I’d seen the remains of a fading bruise last night. “The only way we can fix this is if we do this together.”
“I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt.” He cupped my face and his thumbs gently brushed my cheeks. “I can't let it happen.”
I covered his hands with mine. “I can handle pain, Curtis. What I can't handle is you trying to do this on your own. I can't sit around and watch you get hurt.”
“Skye…”
We were interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and frowned when he looked at the screen.
“Answer it. It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.” He swiped his thumb across the screen and turned his back on me as he brought the phone to his ear. “What?”
He said nothing; just listened to the person on the other end. I heard the harsh tone of a woman’s voice and knew it was Charlie. How would we be free from her? How could I put an end to something I didn’t know the full extent of?
“I can't…because I’m telling you I can't.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. I nodded. Curtis sighed and turned away again. “Fine. I’ll pick you up at eight.” He hung up and turned to face
“Somewhere with perspective.” He took my hand and began drawing small circles on my palm. “It won't take long to get there.”
It didn’t. A short while later, after nudging our way through the afternoon traffic, we pulled up at the kerb and climbed out of the car.
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” Curtis asked, throwing his arm over my shoulders and tucked me into his side.
“Shouldn’t you have asked me that before you got us tickets for The Eye?”
“Probably.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but I don’t want you throwing up all over the pod…that qualifies as hurting you.”
“Have you ordered the cotton wool in bulk?” I cocked a stubborn brow.
Curtis stopped walking and swung me around to face him.
“What cotton wool?”
“That you’re planning to wrap me in.” I curbed my annoyance and playfully smacked his chest. I regretted it when his eyes began to glass over and a shadow settled over them. “I’m going to get sick, Curtis. You can't stop that.”
“I can.”
“Come on.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to start walking again, refusing to lose him to something that was unavoidable, no matter how much he thought it was. “I’m not afraid of heights. Let’s go and have some fun.”
Curtis and I had a capsule of our own and we looked out at the sight as the city began to span out in front of us.
“It’s kinda beautiful, isn’t it?” I said, scanning the area as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey came into view.
“Yeah, and huge.” Curtis caged me in with hands on the rail either side of me, his front to my back. “I like to be up high. It reminds me of how big the world really is.” He took a breath against my ear and continued, resting his chin on my shoulder as we looked out at the city together. “I feel trapped a lot, like life is suffocating me. I come up high and look out at the city to put things into perspective. I don’t want to be angry all the time.” He kissed my neck, a quick, impulsive, desperate kiss. “I don’t want this tension to smother me. I just…I just want to be .”
I turned in his arms, no longer needing to look at London City to see beauty. I had it right in front of me. Severe pain, dark torment and an aching need to be free – there was something beautiful about the man who refused to give up the fight against his demons. There was something painfully beautiful about the hope that still flickered in his eyes.
“Will you let me help you?” I set my palms on his chest. “Will you let me carry some of the load?”
“I’m scared, Skye.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“That I won't be able to fix this for us.”
“You’re not alone anymore.” I leaned forward and kissed his chest, where I’d seen the remains of a fading bruise last night. “The only way we can fix this is if we do this together.”
“I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt.” He cupped my face and his thumbs gently brushed my cheeks. “I can't let it happen.”
I covered his hands with mine. “I can handle pain, Curtis. What I can't handle is you trying to do this on your own. I can't sit around and watch you get hurt.”
“Skye…”
We were interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and frowned when he looked at the screen.
“Answer it. It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.” He swiped his thumb across the screen and turned his back on me as he brought the phone to his ear. “What?”
He said nothing; just listened to the person on the other end. I heard the harsh tone of a woman’s voice and knew it was Charlie. How would we be free from her? How could I put an end to something I didn’t know the full extent of?
“I can't…because I’m telling you I can't.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. I nodded. Curtis sighed and turned away again. “Fine. I’ll pick you up at eight.” He hung up and turned to face
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