The city streets aren’t very busy, but Simon stays close to me as we walk to a destination he still hasn’t informed me of yet. I didn’t ask him any more questions after we got dressed and headed out the front door. He said I would see when we got there, so I guess I’m in for a surprise—whatever it may be.
It’s the middle of summer and the days are warm but once the sun sets, the air has a chill to it. I wrap my sweater tighter around my body. Simon slides his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against him, his warmth enveloping me.
“Are you cold?” he murmurs, his voice soft against my ear as we continue to walk.
I shake my head. “That little bit of breeze was just chilly, but I’m okay.”
Simon stops walking, pulling me to a stop with him. He releases me as he pulls his sweatshirt over the top of his head and hands it to me. He’s left in just a t-shirt and a pair of joggers. “Wear this.”
I hold it in both hands, a black hoodie with the Wyncote Wolves emblem on the front in white. It’s massive compared to my small form and I lift my eyes to Simon’s. “This isn’t going to fit me.”
“Nope, but it should keep you warm.”
“Aren’t you going to be cold?” I question him as I take off my sweater and pull his hoodie over my head. The arms are far too long and the bottom hem stops at the middle of my thighs. The hood is up over my head and I leave it up to block out the cool breeze. My hair tickles my back underneath Simon’s sweatshirt so I reach inside and pull it out, letting it fall down over my breasts.
Simon tilts his head to the side, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Don’t worry about me, angel,” he says softly, his hands finding the sides of the hood. He adjusts it slightly, his steel gray eyes burning holes through mine. “I like the way this looks on you.”
He takes a step toward me, but releases the sides of the hood. His one hand falls down to mine and he threads our fingers together. “Come on,” he says as he turns away and begins to walk back down the street. I follow along after him, his palm warm against mine.
I let Simon lead me through the city as I look around at the tall buildings and lights. It’s a different slice of the world and I’ve been loving exploring every inch of it. Every city that I’ve been in has its own little personal touch and if I’m being honest, this one might be one of my top favorites.
We fall into a comfortable silence, both of us admiring the architecture of the buildings around us. Simon leads me down another street and it’s a little busier than the others we were on. This one is lined with different stores and restaurants. For a moment, I think he’s going to take me to one of the places to eat, but I don’t have much of an appetite right now.
Instead, he pulls me across the street to a courtyard-looking area. He leads me to what appears to be a garden area with massive hedges but as he leads me past them, it’s actually like some sort of a maze. It reminds me of The Secret Garden from when I was a kid.
“What is this place?” I question Simon as the two of us walk hand in hand through the rows of hedges. There are different displays of flowers scattered throughout. It’s truly something magical and it almost doesn’t even feel like there’s an entire city moving around outside of these green walls.
“I didn’t even know this place was here until I looked it up on Google,” he admits, a shy smile playing on his lips as he glances down at me. “It’s one of the city’s most popular attractions. They put in a bunch of the wildflowers to help with the bee population. It really adds a nice touch, like a small slice of nature that we so often forget about when we’re in the industrial side of the world.”
My eyebrows tug together. “I didn’t know you cared so much about nature.”
Simon shrugs. “Not as much as I should. I try to be cognizant of it all, though. We’re all our own worst enemies, destroying the only planet we have actually inhabited.”
“There’s really a lot about you I don’t know.”
Simon stares at me and I watch as a smirk pulling on the corner of his lips. “Stick around and get to know me, angel.”
He scares the hell out of me, but I find myself falling for him with every moment between us. If I sink into him any deeper, there will be no way for me to get out. Even if I attempt to claw my way to the surface, he will permanently be embedded in my soul. Simon’s like a stain that you can’t wash out and he’s already left his mark on me.
We both fall silent, but Simon’s hand doesn’t leave mine as he begins to lead me back through the rest of the maze. I have no idea where we are going and after our second dead end, I’m fairly certain we have sufficiently gotten lost in this damn thing. I must say, it’s been a pleasant experience, though.
And then it’s as if the universe hears my thoughts and we step through the clearing, where we reach the center of the maze. There’s a massive fountain in the middle and it’s breathtaking. The water cascades down various crevices and flows into the pool that is around it. It’s an abstract, marble piece of art, almost as if it’s left for the consumer to interpret whatever it is.
“Wow,” I breathe as he leads me up to it. There are a few people around it, marveling at its beauty, but none of them even matter. I’m entirely captivated by the piece of art in front of us that functions as the most magnificent fountain I’ve ever seen.
I turn to look at Simon and he isn’t even looking at the fountain. Instead, he’s staring down at me with a storm brewing in the depths of his eyes. “Isn’t it beautiful?” I ask him, my voice catching in my throat.
Simon’s throat bobs as he swallows roughly. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Instead of staring at the fountain, now I can’t tear my eyes away from his. He steps closer to me, closing the distance between us as he slides his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie that I’m still wearing. He tugs on it, pulling me closer to him before wrapping his arms around my back.
“I don’t want this to end, Stella,” Simon murmurs against my lips as he holds me tightly against him.
“No one said it has to,” I tell him, pulling back slightly as I tilt my head. “We still have time together.”
Simon shakes his head. “Summer is almost over, angel. I know we talked about going our separate ways afterward, but what if I don’t want that? What if I told you I want more with you?”
His words steal the air from my lungs and my eyes widen as I stare back at him in shock. “You were never part of the plan,” I whisper, not fully trusting my voice. I can’t hold back the words and they simply escape me before I have the chance to swallow them back down.
Simon raises an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t think you fully had a plan. I thought you were just figuring it out as you went along.”
“Yeah, but I told myself I wouldn’t get involved with anyone else, and here I am.”
His throat bobs and his fingers dig into my skin as he pulls me even closer. It’s almost as if he wants to pull me into his body until we become one entity together. “So, what now? I want more and you don’t.”
“I never said that,” I retort, shaking my head at him. “I don’t want this to end either, but it’s not that simple, Simon.”
“What if it was? No one said it has to be complicated.”
“Everything is always complicated,” I remind him, a small smile playing on my lips. “And there’s always a price to pay.’
Simon rakes his teeth over his bottom lip but he doesn’t challenge me any further. I can see it in his metallic eyes that there’s something running through his mind. There’s more he wants to talk about and he isn’t done with me yet, but he doesn’t push the issue.
Instead, he captures my mouth with his own, silencing the thoughts of self-doubt and the questioning of our future. Simon distracts me in the only way he knows how and makes my body sing under the moonlight in the middle of the garden.
