“Love is a curse, Levana,” the old man said as if he’d just read my mind. “It gives your heart freedom while it shackles your emotions for eternity. The unfortunate part is that the repercussions can be both scathing and soothing. Beautiful and nasty. Virtuous and sinful.”
“Duality,” I whispered, moving closer to Saint.
“I beg your pardon.”
I looked at the older man. “Saint once said duality is an object or subject possessing two parts, often with opposite meanings. He said the comparisons were many and could go as far as mirroring worlds with opposite circumstances.”
Senior Sinclair looked baffled. “I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t either,” I replied, then something in me snapped.
Call it fate. Call it stupidity. But it all made sense. I had no name for it. But at that precise moment, I remembered the haunting words that had pulled me from my sleep so many nights before Saint came into my life. I don’t know why I did it, but I did.
Leaning forward until my lips hovered inches from his, I whispered, “do not leave me, Saint.”
Then I let my lips meet his. In a kiss that was the essence of the duality he described to me. My lips warm were his was cold, mine hard were his was gentle, mine pain were his was pleasure, mine life were his was death. Ultimately, the first and last kiss we’d share.
“Do not leave me,” I repeated before pulling back to cup his face. And as if the world had just suddenly spun on a reverse access, giving new life to everything it created, Saint inhaled sharply and opened his eyes. Mine was the first face he saw. Mine was the first voice he heard. Mine was the first touch he felt. “Welcome back, Mr Sinclair,” I cried, letting my tears speak the words my heart couldn’t.
“How,” he whispered.
“Bloody hell, she did it,” Senior Sinclair came up beside me and we looked at each other, laughing through our tears before meeting Saint’s confused gaze again. “Welcome back, son.”
I don’t think I’d ever seen a real strong man cry and now I was looking at two. He leaned down to hug his son. When he straightened, Saint gripped me around the waist and pulled me down to his body.
“Thank you, baby.” His lips met mine in a slow, delirious kiss that transcended time bringing two star-crossed lovers together
“True love’s first kiss,” Senior Sinclair said when we broke for air.
“What’s that?” Saint and I asked in unison, making us chuckle.
“Humour and old man for a minute. Levana, who was the first person, you’ve ever kissed?”
“Saint.” I smiled.
“And you, son?”
“Levana,” Saint replied.
I gasped. “You’ve never kissed another woman?”
He shook his head. “Never. Today was the first time I kissed and it was you”
“I didn’t believe it when I read that in the journal, but if I am to believe then it’s what broke the curse. True love’s first kiss.”
“What journal, father,” Saint asked, frowning.
“It’s a long story, I’ll explain after you’ve had your check-up,” Senior Sinclair said as the doctor walked in, her face unconcealed surprise.
“Do you think it was the kiss that broke the curse,” I asked the old man as we waited while the doctor examined Saint.
“It’s the only explanation, child.” With his hands in his pants pockets, he rocked back on his heels. “I didn’t read out that part to you because I needed you to discover it for yourself.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I didn’t know whether to be shocked or angry.
“Think about duality, what aspect did you apply?” he asked.
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I gave the last few minutes a quick once over. “In the journal, Prince Sebastian used the words, ‘do not leave me’ and Snow, ‘stay with me’.” I slowed down the hammering of my heart to think. “Now, I’d used ‘do not leave me’ and in his letter, Saint wrote, ‘stay with me’.” Then it dawned on me. “Duality. Mirroring worlds with opposite circumstances.”
