“Buen día, did you manage to sleep?” He yawns as he stretches on the floor, and it’s only then that I notice he is shirtless, muscles flexing in every part of his torso. When I realize I’m staring, I get up way too quickly, my shoulder protesting in the process.
“Ouch.”
“What’s wrong?” He’s in front of me in no time, trying to help me up.
“I’m fine, just stiff,” I say.
“Here,” he murmurs, then all of a sudden, my feet are in the air. He did it so fast I had no time to oppose.
“Julian!” I gasp as he lifts me to his arms. Then he takes big steps towards the front door, asking me to turn the knob, and walks us out.
The heat of the sun and fresh air hit me, and I inhale what seems to be the first breath I’ve taken since running from the villa.
Jullian walks towards the edge of the cliff and sets me down.
The turquoise ocean glistens as the sun hits its surface. The waves are calm, and the sun is glaring down on us, almost like a summer day.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.
“Yeah? That shit scares me,” Julian says, placing both hands on his hips, staring down the cliff. “Look at that, it’s so deep,” he adds, taking a step closer to the edge, shaking his head at the rugged limestone beneath.
“I love the ocean,” I say, following his line of sight.
He smiles, slinging an arm over my shoulder with an easy familiarity.
“I know. That’s why I know you will love Tulum.” He grins .
I smile, not really having much to say, as I feel the heavy burden I placed upon his life.
“Gracias por todo, Julian.”
“Anything for you, Kat.” He murmurs before ruffling the hair on top of my head.
I brace myself for the phantom weight of him pinning me to the mat, waiting for that suffocating spike of panic from two days ago. But it doesn’t come. Instead, the stifling air that’s been hanging between us starts to thin out.
“I’ll make us some breakfast.” He says and leaves to go inside the cabin.
I linger by the cliff, listening to the waves and savoring the sun’s heat. I prop myself on the stone and watch the waters crash onto the sharp cliffs below, as birds chirp in the background.
Soon, my mind wanders off. I’m back in the bed we share, and Damiano has his arm around me, pinning me to his chest. Whispering, he’ll never let me go. Promising me that nothing bad will ever happen to me again. The stab in my chest feels physical as my heart breaks from the memory.
I bite my lower lip, desperately wanting to keep from crying again.
There’s no point. He played me well.
If I’m lucky, I’ll never have to see him again. I just need to survive a few more days and figure out the rest of my life with the help of Julian.
“Kat, food’s ready!” Julian yells from the cabin, his voice cutting through my thoughts. I hadn’t realized I had been out there for so long that he had already finished cooking.
I walk back to the cabin, the smell of fried eggs and coffee wafting. Julian is standing by the small stove, now wearing his familiar muscle shirt.
“Ven a comer conmigo.”Eat with me, he says.
He walks over to me and hands me a mug of black coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs, with thick slices of bread fried in olive oil and salt. He presents it with a steady hand and a smile on his face, as if we’re just on a picnic and not running from the mafia.
“You have to eat something. I don’t want you to get sick.”
I look at the bread, and my stomach turns. “I can’t.”
