Beauty and the Beast

We spent a week in a tent on the sand, explored, and got lost several times, in the surrounding jungle. No humans or threatening animals were in sight. Andy had offered to spend our last night with the monkeys that had befriended me. The week was the best in my life. We set up only a blanket and a lot of pillows in a small clearing that let us see straight to the stars. The two monkeys I had named Jona and Fred, had snuggled up at the foot of the blanket.

“I had a really nice time.” I smiled without looking to him.

I heard him take a deep breath as we lay on our backs, looking to the sky. “Never want to leave huh?” He chuckled.

I shook my head and rested my hands on my stomach. “To be honest my life has been kind of perfect here with you.” I felt I had crossed a line when he stayed silent. He sat up and looked forward. I sat up with him.

He looked to me and gave a weak smile. “I ruined your life. Why do you feel…” It seemed he had no words for what I felt toward him.

I turned my head to look in front of me. I took a deep breath, he must have known about what my brother had done to me. Whether or not it was my own flesh and blood, was unknown to him. “My brother was drunk every night, he hit me, made me starve.” I started to choke, I swallowed the pain in my throat and continued. “My best friend was dating a guy that made fun of me every day. And she didn’t do anything about it. My mom was killed with I was little. I never knew my dad.” I wiped a small tear from my cheek, still trying to make the burning in my throat disappear. “I always wanted to believe in magic, because then I would know that there was more to my life than bruises left by my only family and bad friends.”

I took a much needed deep breath and lowered my head. Andy placed a hand on my lower back and brought me close to him. “My parents were hung when I was eight. They were accused of kidnapping me. With no other family to claim me I was sent to an orphanage. And it didn’t really work out there.”

What he told me sounded an awful lot like how Borden described the boy who burned my old orphanage down. Before I could continue to think, he kissed the top of my head. “You really need to stop doing that.” I pushed off of him playfully.

“Why?” He questioned, turning to me.

“’Cause it messes with my emotions.” Before I had realized I had actually blurted that out loud, Andy was on me like a hawk.

“How so?” He had gotten closer to me and put both of his hands on either side of me.

I gulped and felt heat rising to my face. “Makes me feel like you want to be my dad.” I couldn’t find a better lie.

“I feel a little weird now.” He chuckled, rushing to take his hands away from me.

We sat cross legged on the blanket, small sticks poking into my legs. Birds singing their songs as we sat awkwardly, Jona and Fred snoring. I sighed and bumped Andy softly with my shoulder. “I was kidding you know.”

“About what?” He turned to me.

“I like when you do that.” I didn’t want to say the K word.

“Do what?” He asked, his smirk growing as he leaned toward me.

I backed away slowly. “You know, what I said that made me feel weird.” I couldn’t even talk right.

“What did I do?” He asked, coming closer still, his right hand making its way toward my thigh.

My heart was racing. “When you kiss the top of my head, it makes me feel protected.” My palms were drenched, I felt like he could hear how fast and hard my heart was beating. He stopped getting closer and dropped his smirk a little. His hand had found its resting spot on the middle of my thigh.

“Only protection?” He asked.

I couldn’t let him continue. It was wrong. The man imprisoned me. But, he did show me a life I’ve always wanted. I gulped again and looked into his sharp blue eyes. They were begging for an answer I wanted to give. I bit my bottom lip.

“And friendship.” I lied yet again.

“Oh,” he stayed where he was but his smirk fell completely. “We go home tomorrow.” He took a small breath then leaned away from me. Staring, once again, in front of him.

“Better get some sleep then.” I smiled, I knew I had hurt him. I could feel it.

“I’m actually uncomfortable here. I’ll sleep in the tent and let you enjoy the nature.” He stood to leave and I let him.

When he reached the tree line I called out his name. He turned back to look at me, anxiousness in his eyes. “I want you to stay. It’s better with you here by me.”

I felt a little better seeing his smile. He walked back over and sat beside me. “You sure?” He asked, jokingly.

“Of course.” I smiled and brought my shoulders up.

“Goodnight, Kenna.” He smiled to me.

I hesitated, opened my mouth slightly, and leaned over to kiss his cheek softly. I stayed close to his face after I had parted. When I finally backed away, bit my bottom lip, and whispered gently. “Goodnight, Andy.”

Notes