Chapter Thirty-Four
Seraphina
Six Months Later…
“Can I take the blind fold off?”
Sergio and I had been taking things slow. So slow, it was getting on my damn nerves. He was pacing himself for my sake, giving me space and being careful, but I was ready for us to stop tiptoeing and start being us again.
I’d known him for years. Loved him since I was fourteen, before I even understood what love meant. Back when it was just a feeling I couldn’t name, a pull I couldn’t explain. And now, with all the history between us, all the good times and bad, I wanted more.
I wanted him.
We’d been trying to make things work, but it was hard. I finally decided it was time to do something with my life, so I enrolled in some college courses, and he had been swamped with work.
“I don’t remember you being so impatient,” he said, humor lacing his voice. “We’re almost there. Just sit back and relax.”
He squeezed my thigh.
We didn’t speak much this week. He just showed up at my door with a blindfold and a smirk on his handsome face.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you serious?”
“Trust me,” he said, already tying it over my eyes before I even agreed.
I let him. The car door opened, the seatbelt clicked, and then we were moving. I couldn’t see a damn thing. I just felt the rhythm of the road beneath us and the silence between us.
“Are we going somewhere with indoor plumbing, or am I supposed to pee in the woods like an animal?”
He chuckled.
“You know I hate surprises.” I huffed when he didn’t respond. “This is kidnapping. You realize that, right? You’ve abducted mewithout snacks, without a charger for my phone, and without basic information.”
He still said nothing. The only sound was the low hum of the engine and the occasional turn that made my stomach lurch.
I faced the window even though I couldn’t see anything because of the stupid blindfold, biting back the urge to scream. “If we end up in the woods and you pull out a tent, I swear on everything that’s holy, Sergio Puglisi, I’ll walk home.”
“How the hell you gonna walk home, Sera?” He laughed like it was the funniest thing he had heard. “You don’t even know where the fuck we’re going.”
“And that’s the problem!”
He chuckled under his breath, and I hated how warm it sounded.
“You think this is funny?”
“A little. Anyway, we’re here. So, you can calm down.”
“I am, calm.”
“If you say so.” He chuckled. “Keep the blindfold on.”
The car made another turn, and the road shifted to gravel, the sound of crunching filled the space. Then after a few minutes, the car slowed before stopping. I blew out a breath as his doorclosed. Nervous energy surged through my body, but I didn’t know why. It was like the air was charged.
I felt the shift in air when he opened my door. His hand found mine. “Come on. Watch your step.”
He guided me forward. The air smelled like honeysuckles and damp earth. I heard wind, leaves, and the distant hum of the city but no voices or engines.
“Where are we?”
