The Light of Oriah : Burning Jungle - Part One by Sam Vickery Read Free Book Online

tracks and I lost the will
to fight against my feelings any longer. It felt as if we were
playing games and I was already sick of it. I needed to be honest
with him and trust that he was doing the same for me. My voice
didn't waver as I finally spoke. “I know you're there.”
    “I know you do,” he replied in a voice that had filled my
mind since I had first heard it. It was as beautiful as I
remembered. I turned, not surprised to find him right behind me,
looking at me with those emerald eyes, a half smile on his too
perfect face. “I'm sorry Oriah, I never intended to cause you more
pain. I just...”
    “Stop, please! I don't want to talk about it... I can't,” I
breathed, wrapping my arms tightly around my body. Annoyed at
myself for my feisty reaction, I tried to regain control of my
wayward emotions. His eyes met mine for just a second and then
suddenly, before I could even register that he was moving, he
reached forward in one quick motion, grabbing me and pulling me
close into his chest, his arms wrapping around me in a tight hold.
I felt myself calm instantly at his touch, and melted into him
involuntarily, breathing in the smell of his hair, drinking in the
warmth of his skin, holding on to each tiny detail as I made a
silent wish that this would never end.
    We stood like statues, the rain slowly subsiding, the lake
sparkling enchantingly under the bright moonlight. I had a million
questions I wanted to ask, so much I wanted to know about him, but
I was determined to keep the serious mood that had been consuming
our relationship at bay for the time being. There would be plenty
of time for talking about the tough stuff later, I
decided.
    “So, tell me something fun,” I said looking up at his angular
jaw line, smiling at him properly for the first time.
    His eyes twinkled mischievously as he picked up on my playful
mood. “Hmm, something fun...” he pondered, rubbing his palm across
his chin. “Well, I'm faster than you!” he joked, suddenly breaking
away from our embrace and taking off through the trees.
    “No way!” I shouted after him. “Let's count that as a head
start shall we!” I laughed as I sprinted after him. It felt so good
to run like this, it had been too long. My legs felt light, free as
they shook off the heaviness of the past few weeks.
    I darted around the edge of the lake, and spotting him way
off in the distance, I ran in a loop towards the steep hillside,
bounding up it with gleeful speed to race over the hilltop as fast
as I could physically run. I dived from the opposite end of the
hill, somersaulting in the air and landing gracefully, right in
front of him with a huge smile on my face. Sebastian was running so
fast that he didn’t stop quite in time, his reactions just a tenth
of a second out. Bundling into me, we went crashing through the
air, twirling and tumbling as we fell together, landing in a heap
in the soft mossy undergrowth. I looked up from beneath him and
could see the navy clear sky, a thousand twinkling stars and a
luminous full moon lighting up our little patch of
heaven.
    I felt his body tense as he breathed in, smelling my skin, my
hair. His own thick dark curls were full of leaves and twigs, and
gently I reached up, lightly brushing them to the ground with my
fingertips. The silence between us was thick with expectation and I
instinctively looked to his face, desperate to know his thoughts. I
looked into his piercing green eyes and felt as if I had know his
soul for all eternity, though it felt too silly to say
aloud.
    “Oriah, you have no idea how long I have waited to find you,”
he spoke, his voice shaking. I pulled him towards me, knotting my
fingers through his hair as if I could stop him from ever leaving.
He moved back smoothly, pulling me up to sit beside him, looking
fiercely into my eyes. “I love you Oriah,” he said
simply.
    I felt the bubble in my belly growing out of control now,
ready to burst inside me. He loves
me. I had known since I first