The Stars Trilogy (53 page)

Her world exploded in a million fragments of the most exquisite bliss.

Heaven. Pure heaven.

She was only vaguely aware of him thrusting hard and fast inside her and then he hugged her tightly, shuddering and calling her name over and over.

She knew he had also found his heaven.

And she was so glad it was in her arms.

They were preparing to leave the lagoon when Celine froze in shock.

Dare was sitting on a rock, putting on his shoes...and behind him, atop the wall of rock directly above him was a huge animal...

A tiger!

She went cold in utter shock and fear.

The animal was looking down at them, his eyes luminous, as still as a statue. How long had it been there? My God,was it stalking them all along?

“Dare...”

He looked up, unaware of the danger. “Ready?”

Her jaw seemed to have locked and she could barely speak. “Don’t ...move,” she managed to croak.

The moment she said it, he ceased all movements. “What is it?” he asked her calmly, his eyes alert.

Her eyes were riveted on the tiger. She met those luminous eyes and that sinister stare. Despite the violent hammering of her heart, all her protective instincts rose to the fore.

Oh no, if you’re thinking of having my man for a meal, I will eat you alive myself!

She roared at the top of her lungs, like a lioness would do when someone threatened her cubs.

Dare rolled on the ground and grabbed his gun.

The tiger roared back.

She picked up a stone and threw it at the animal which quickly disappeared.

“Celine!”

Dare was suddenly beside her, dragging her away from the rock wall and into the clearing.

“Where did it go?” She scanned their surroundings again. shaking in fear. She bent to pick up another stone.

“Hey, hey...calm down.”

“Did you see it?!” she asked him frantically. “It was right up there looking at us!”

“Yes, I did, baby,” he said gently. “It’s gone now. Shhh.”

Her shoulders sagged when her shock wore off, replaced by the weakening of her knees. “Oh, Dare!” She embraced him tightly. “It was huge and scary!”

He hugged her back. “Yes, it was, but it won’t bother us again. You scared his ass off real bad,” he murmured in amusement.

She looked up at him, annoyed. “It’s not funny! What if it comes back?”

“It won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Tigers aren’t usually man-eaters. They’re carnivores but only become man-eaters if they are incapacitated to hunt wild animals like them. He just probably found us strange and got curious or mistook me for an animal as I was crouching. And tigers only attack solitary preys. Once they’ve  been detected, they’d choose not to attack.”

“You can’t be so sure of that! What if there are others?”

“No, baby. Tigers are pretty territorial. There may be others but not for miles from here. There are almost no tigers in Thailand anymore. If there are, maybe only a dozen of them scattered throughout the jungles. They do not trespass in each other’s territory.”

“If it comes back, I’m gonna kill it!”

“Such a savage creature.” He kissed her lips lightly.

“It could have attacked you!”

“Not with you around, my little tigress. I’d be quite safe with you even just with stones for weapons.”

She elbowed him. “You’re making fun of me!”

He grinned. “Hey, I’m not. Don’t be mad.”

She pouted and bent to put on her ‘leggings’ again. He helped her.

“Thank you, baby,” he said softly as he secured the ties around her upper legs.

She harrumphed.

“I just never heard a woman roar like that before. I swear it scared me to death.” He was fighting a grin.

She leaned toward him and growled loudly in his face.

He jumped back, laughing hard. “Oh God, woman! You’re gonna give me a heart attack!”

She giggled.

He kissed her again, a lingering one this time. “I think Cruz is going to be looking for another job soon.”

“Hah!”

Dare had forcibly collapsed the seats from the front and back of the plane and connected them, creating a cushioned bed. They could both fit in the plane now without bending their knees.

He entered the plane and closed the door. The temperature outside had gone chilly.

He removed his shirt, leaving his pants on. He lay beside her. He was so tall that he had to recline in a diagonal position to fully extend his legs.

“Come here,” he said, reaching for her.

She went into his arms. She comfortably pillowed her head on his upper arm and entwined her legs with his. He held her hand.

The fire outside brought shadowy illumination inside the plane, making the ambiance quite romantic.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. She could imagine nights like this with him in the future, calm and quiet, just their souls communing.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked.

“How do you know I’m smiling?”

“Your cheek moved.”

She caressed his chest. He had smooth, hard ridges with some sprinkling of fine hair and she loved touching him. She found great comfort when her skin was touching his. “Tell me about Faye.”

He tensed.

Dare’s automatic guard kicked in. But almost immediately, it relaxed.

There was nobody around to disturb and threaten his world right now. It was just him and Celine.

And so he willingly let her into the most guarded chamber of his soul.

“Faye and I...we were inseparable for many years. When I was about 8 years old, my mother Aretha, got really sick and we were so hard up my father couldn’t afford her escalating medical bills.”

She linked their fingers again. “And...?”

“She died. My father remarried after a year. She wasn’t anything like my mother. Riva was very high-maintenance and I knew my father regretted marrying her. She and Dad would fight a lot...until she got pregnant, which she hated. She gave birth to Faye, my half-sister. If Riva hated being a wife saddled with a stepson, she hated taking care of her own daughter even more. You see...Faye had Down Syndrome.”

Her fingers had tightened around his hand and he welcomed the comforting gesture.

“Riva hated Faye and she wouldn’t even let the baby nurse from her...and Dad...he was disappointed of Faye and didn’t really mind her. But I loved her so much and she loved me. I helped a lot in taking care of her because Riva was always out and my Dad was busy working. I found a better way to take care of Faye later as Riva and my Dad were practically separated. She won’t come home for weeks. When Faye was old enough to at least walk, I would bring her to the orphanage near my school everyday. The nuns there were kind enough to take care of her while I was in school. Faye wasn’t bored. She had playmates there and the nuns were teaching her some. I could tell she was happy there with the other orphans. Things were fine...until Dad met an accident at work. He...lost his lower legs.”

“Oh, Dare...” she whispered in sympathy.

“Things turned for the worse for us then. Dad stayed home and became depressed. He started drinking heavily almost everyday. Riva left us for good. I had to take care of both my father and my sister. Dad had a small separation pay he got from the company he worked for as a machine operator but it wasn’t enough to support us. Pretty soon, it was gone. I didn’t want to stop school so I asked help from the nuns and they agreed to let me and Faye eat at the orphanage everyday. I was able to bring left-over food for my Dad also. In exchange, I would work there as their cleaner and gofer. That was a fine deal with me as I loved hanging out at the orphanage. It was much more comfortable than staying with Dad in that dump we called home.”

Celine hugged him and rubbed her cheek on his chest. He hugged her back. He was getting used to this, his openness toward her. It was a welcome reprieve. God, how he needed to talk about this. And he couldn’t stop talking now if his life and entire career depended on it.

“Everyday, I would wake up early and look after my Dad, help him bathe and prepare his food and stuff and then I’d bring Faye to the orphanage. Then I’d go to school. I’d check on my Dad sometime at noon and run back to school. Every afternoon, I’d bring Faye home and stay with Dad at night. It was fine with me. It became a routine and I was able to adjust. But Dad didn’t get better. I couldn’t stop him from drinking as he would become violent if he can’t drink everyday. I told him that we should get help from the government but he begged me not to send him to one of those homes for disabled people who have no families. He said he would die there early. So, I took care of him as best as I could.”

“Oh my God...” She hugged him tighter.

“Are you crying?” he teased her.

“I can’t help it. You were only a child and you had so much responsibilities! Didn’t you have relatives to help you?”

He kissed her hair. “I was old enough.  Sure we had relatives but you know what happens when you’re down and out and would pose to be an added burden to them? They suddenly don’t know you from Adam. That’s the kind of relatives we had.  Are you going to let me finish or what?”

“Go on.”

“I was already around fourteen when Dad had a heart attack. It was fatal the first time.”

“Oh my God...!”

“I knew it was bound to happen somehow. He never recovered from his depression and he wasn’t eating well. He just drank himself to death.” He sighed. “But you know what...I have prepared myself for that eventuality. I accepted it right away. But for years, I also felt guilty because I was relieved when he died. I couldn’t stand watching him in such a miserable state any longer. He was suffering a lot and I didn’t know how to help him anymore.”

“I know. I understand how you felt.”

“It was a new beginning of sorts for me and Faye. The nuns welcomed us altogether at the orphanage. Faye was a mild-tempered, happy kid and the nuns were fond of her. There was one thing she really loved to do. Playing the piano. The orphanage had this old rickety piano that barely worked but I would always find her learning how to play it. I promised myself that one day, when things got better for us, I would buy her the fanciest piano in the world.”

“Now I understand why you have a piano in your home when you don’t know how to play.”

“Faye would always play Fur Elise, just the first notes. She’d play that over and over. She loved Fur Elise,” he said in a shaky voice and didn’t speak for a while.

“And...?” she prodded gently. “Go on.”

He didn’t know if he wanted to continue.

But a part of him wanted to, needed to. Very badly.

And he obeyed that need.

“One day...when I was seventeen and graduating from high school...I did something...something wrong...and I went to jail for it.”

She froze in his embrace. But she didn’t say anything. Her fingers just tightened around his hand, her nails now biting on his skin.

“I was in prison for almost three years. I left Faye in the orphanage. The nuns took care of her.” His  tone became a monotone at that point. He didn’t want to linger telling this part of the story. He wanted to get it over with quickly, just let it out of his chest for the first time.

“During my second year in jail, Faye got sick with pneumonia and it was too late when they brought her to the hospital. She died.”

She pressed her face on his neck and let out an anguished cry. “Oh Dare...I’m so sorry!”

“Hush, don’t cry.”

“I can’t bear it. It’s so painful!”

She hugged him and he welcomed her tears. She was crying for him. For his pain. Something he had not allowed himself to do for a long time now, for no matter how many tears he’d shed, the pain never diminished. And so he bottled it all up inside him and contained it there, in the deepest part of him, never to be revisited again.

But Celine had an uncanny way of opening up his most guarded secrets, unleashing his darkest demons.

And it felt good. To open up to her like this.

She was not afraid of his demons, too. She embraced them.

“I love you.” She kissed his neck. “I love you.”

He kissed her lips. The urge to make love to her again was never stronger, to be one with her during this moment of emotional nakedness.

She must have felt his need for she whispered, “Make love to me.”

“I’ll be gentle,” he promised.

Celine smiled at him through her tears.

For the first time, Dare wasn’t wearing any of his typical expressions of nonchalance. He was looking at her with pure longing in his eyes and she felt it in her soul. His loneliness. His pain.

He needed her.

“You’re so beautiful, baby,” he whispered emotionally.

She bent to kiss him. It was the sweetest, most tender kiss they’d ever shared. It lasted for awhile and didn’t go any deeper, didn’t cross to the point where they’d want to tear each other’s clothes off. It was probably the most special moment she’d experienced with him.

That night, they made love without the usual animal rush. They lingered and savored each kiss, each touch until they’d drawn their passion to the breaking point and they finally gave in to it, simultaneously surrendering to its tumultuous but exquisite end. 

They fell asleep in each other’s arms in utter peace.

The following day, they found a small clearing that abruptly ended in a very deep ravine. It was a dead end. This part was not leading to civilization.

They took a rest.  Moments later, they could hear the sound of a chopper from a distance. It was most probably a rescue team looking for them but they couldn’t do anything about it. It was too far from their location.

“How come they’re searching in those parts and not here?” she asked Dare who was busy making a fire out of dried wood and grass. The smoke would serve in lieu of the flares.  She helped him.

“Maybe that was the last location the Phuket air traffic control could track down before we lost contact. Let’s hope the chopper passes by and see the smoke from above.”

They waited there, hoping the chopper will fly toward their location.

Deep inside, she had ambivalent feelings. She was actually hoping they could stay in the jungle longer. Being alone with Dare so far from civilization yielded such a drastic development in their relationship and she didn’t want to end it yet. She felt that given more days together, they could really get closer and maybe cross the line from being just casual lovers to serious couple. She sighed. She can only hope for that.