•Begin Again / Taylor Swift•
"But on a Wednesday, on a [beach]
I watch it begin again''

A giggle escapes my lips, my shoulders lightly shaking as my eyes close. I can hear Victor taking a step closer, and his warmth reaches me on this cold winter night.

I look at him, my eyelashes fluttering, and I find his smudge smirk. I stretch my right arm, silently asking for my purse. His light brown hair sways like waves thanks to the breeze, and I find my body relaxing.

''You really are clumsy, aren't you?'' he says, his chocolate irises shining in mischief. His head shakes, a smirk in his lips as he hands me my small purse, our fingers brushing, my skin tickling as I roll my eyes playfully.

My gaze downs, observing the black dog by his side, a red collar from her neck till Victor's hand. Her tail shakes from one side to the other eagerly, and I grin, seeing her tongue sticking out her mouth, whining for attention.

My head tilts and I lean to my left side, caressing Nyx's ear. ''You are not going to attack me today, huh?'' I say, my words coming out a little bit slurred. My tone is soft and high, used especially for pets. By my side, Victor chuckles thanks to my antics.

''You are a good girl. Yes, you are.'' I laugh as Nyx sits and licks my hand. I simply can't resist her cuteness, and the alcohol dancing in my blood loosens me up. A breeze passes through us, my hair lightly swaying, its tips brushing on my face.

Still caressing the dog, I look up, finding Victor watching me intensely. He has a laidback posture, his shoulders down and weight on one of his legs. His black leather jacket suits his body perfectly, outlining his long arms.

''What in hell are you doing walking alone this late?'' he ask smirking, and I scoff.

Straightening my posture, I stare at him in challenge. ''It is only nine.''

''It is almost ten,'' he says matter of factly.

I wet my lips, wanting to push his stupid smirk. But I hold myself back, my fingers slipping away from Nyx and clumsily taking my hair off my face as I mutter ''Potato potahto'' in the drunkest voice possible, my words scrambling and my face frowning.

''You are drunk,'' he states, stepping closer. His smirk gets bigger, and I nudge his shoulder with my purse, our stares drowning in each other brown irises' depths.

''And you are stalking me. Am I your new mission, agent Macedo?'' I tease him, enjoying so much the dimples that appear in his cheeks. The waning moon shines up in the sky, creating a mix of shadows on his face, his features sharper than the other day, ready to slice me.

He laughs, his body reverberating. ''You really are sticking with 007.''

''Well,'' I start, shrugging. ''You are sticking with Shahrazad, aren't you?'' My fingers put some strands of my hair behind my ear, my eyes not leaving his figure for a second as I observe him nibbling his lower lip, a smile twitching in his mouth.

He changes his weight to his other leg, observing me carefully before speaking in a soothing tone, ''You didn't give me your name the other day.''

I laugh, my head shaking and hair brushing on my neck. My fingers reach to Nyx once again, her breathe on my skin, warning me.

''I don't go out giving my name to strangers,'' I answer calmly, my tone as sweet as honey, dripping between my lip. He dramatically takes his hand to his chest, his shoulders dropping.

''We don't have to be strangers, you know,'' he says, a plea in his eyes. When I furrow my eyebrows, he wets his lip and opens his mouth again, ''Do you want some company to the place where you are staying? I won't let you walk by yourself this hour anyway.''

I hold myself back before answering, trying actually to think this time. Whatever both of us are doing, it can go wrong in so many ways. I am not this person that heal her broken heart looking for someone new. Or that flirt with a total stranger guy that could very well be a psychopath. I shake my head, my features hardening as my hand plays with my necklace.

''I don't know,'' I start, looking to the side, my shoulders rising. ''Either way, I was feeling like exploring a little more. I don't want to go straight to bed right now.'' My voice is not the perky one from before and my stomach twists. I wish I could simply enjoy life without my dark thoughts coming back to pull me down again.

But I can't. I can't be truly happy; it is not fair after everything that has happened. It would be like forgetting, like it all didn't matter. It mattered; she mattered. And I sure as hell can't be happy by flirting shamelessly in the middle of the street.

Victor's features soften when he notices my eyes becoming dull and my body shrinking. He doesn't carry a smirk anymore, his lips opening in a receptive and warm smile. He takes a step back, his hand lightly pulling Nyx's collar, making the dog stand.

''Do you trust me?'' His voice is tempting, calling me silently to the depths.

My head tilts to the side, a lump being swallowed as I feel my throat dry. My heart and mind fight inside me, tearing me apart. I tighten my hold on my purse as I try to ease my breathing, my drunk thoughts confusing me even more. ''No.''

His face falls with my answer and my chest constricts. My voice was low and direct, but at the moment the word left my mouth, I knew something was wrong, my skin becoming uncomfortable. I stare at his eyes, and for some reason, I actually trust him. They are, strangely, a mirror – and for the first time, it is not that hard to see my reflection.

Before I can hold myself back, my lips tremble and a laugh escapes them, easing the tension around us. I don't know if it is thanks to the alcohol or it is just a weird anxious reaction. I don't want to know. I am shutting my brain up. I promised myself to enjoy this night. And it is nice to feel light again.

It is so nice.

''Come on,'' he says in the middle of his own fit of laughter. His head shakes as his eyes shine. He starts crossing the empty road, his neck turning back, looking at me while he waits for me to follow.

He doesn't say anything more, his steps are calm and slow, only waiting.

And I realize it is not only his voice that is tempting. His whole being is. His sweet eyes, his smirk, his dimples, his messy hair, his laidback persona. His smile, damn that smile.

I bite my lip, inhaling deeply and forcing myself to take a step. Everything in our life is a choice. You choose to swim or sink. And right now, against all my brain screaming for me to stop, I follow this stranger guy to the deep waters.

''20 questions,'' I shout as I run to catch up with him, my hair flying from one side to the other. Victor frowns his face, not understanding what I am talking about. ''So, we are not strangers anymore or whatever,'' I explain once I am by his side, Nyx in the middle of us.

We walk on the coast side now. To our left are the town and all its cute small buildings. While at our right, it is the beach down below. You can view the horizon and hear the waves crashing against the sand. The wind brings the ocean scent to us as the stars shine up in the sky, reflecting in the water.

''Okay, my first question is...'' he says and my head snaps to him, my eyebrows raising.

I tsk, interrupting him, ''Hey, my idea. I go first.'' He rolls his eyes, but his hand opens in front of him, inviting me to continue.

I throw my purse on my shoulders and my fingers brush in the side railing by my right as we continue walking. I don't know where we are going, but my heart beats calmly in my chest, my blood dancing inside me comfortably.

My eyes look down, finding Nix following us, her head going from one side to the other. ''Why Nyx?'' I ask, curious about the unique name.

''It is from Greek mythology. It is the personification of the night,'' he answers, shouldering. ''Since I was a kid, I have had sleeping problems. Insomnia and stuff, so I got used to walking around all my house while everyone was sleeping. Reading or doing whatever shit a curious kid does.''

''My mom would have this big room, filled with books. And well, Jane Austen is not particularly appealing to a ten-year-old boy.'' We both laugh, his nose wrinkling. ''So, I started reading some of the books about mythology and it stuck.''

I caress Nyx, she staring up at me. ''It is an amazing name, actually. I liked it.''

I don't fail to notice how he swallows a lump nor how his voice died a little while talking about his childhood. But I choose to ignore it, especially when I look up and I find him smiling at me, my body warming up.

''So, Shahrazad. I would love to know your real name now,'' he teases, and I roll my eyes.

''If you must,'' I start, not wanting to give in easily. ''It is Elena.''

His eyebrows raise with my answer. ''You know, there is this other Greek mythology story — Helen of Troy, or in Portuguese, Helena. Two kings fought for her, two nations going into war for the most beautiful woman in the entire world. It is funny how love can make you do unbelievable things, right?''

His voice is delicate, pulling me into the story as he tells it. It is hypnotizing his way with the words, his lips moving as the melody reverberates around us.

''Actually, that is the reason for my name. My dad was a college professor, teaching history and stuff. He loved mythology, especially the Greek one. And he would always tell me only to marry a guy that would start a war for me.''

Victor laughs by my side, and a nostalgic smile opens on my face. The cold breeze passes through us, bringing the sand alongside. It is good to talk about the past with someone new, and just like I did to him before, I know he notices the pain in my eyes but not comment on it.

''Next question,'' I say, trying to think in something, my lips frowning. ''You said you have always had problems with sleeping. Is that why you are walking aimlessly through the town right now?''

''And who said it was aimlessly?'' he fires back, his head pointing to something ahead of us and I follow his gaze, finding the stair guiding to the beach a couple of feet away.

We walk silently towards the beginning of the rust stair. Nyx gets excited and Victor lets go of her collar, her paws running down the steps till the sand.

My arms embrace my waist, trying to warm me up against the cold breeze. As we get closer to the beach, a peaceful air surrounds me, sobering me up in the most amazing way.

''Why did you choose to be a doctor?'' Victor asks, his eyes following Nyx as she runs around. He is closer to me now, our shoulders almost touching as we step in the soft, light sand.

I watch the waves breaking in a constant movement, the white foam contrasts with the dark blue ocean. ''Wow, you actually remember our conversation.'' I tease him and his gaze snaps towards me, his eyes playfully narrowing.

''I always liked the idea. And I don't know, I honestly never saw myself doing anything else,'' I answer casually. He nods; in his irises a flash of understanding runs by.

I step forward, entering deeper into the beach. My neck turns to him as I look over my shoulder. He crosses his arm, his gaze not leaving my face.

''I have the most important question now. It will define our friendship,'' I say seriously. His eyebrows raise and his head tilts as he looks at me curiously. ''What in God's name do you have against coffee?''

He laughs, walking towards me, his body reverberating as I look down, enjoying messing with him. ''I have nothing against coffee. I actually pretty much love it. Double, black, no sugar,'' he says, behind me, his voice low.

''I have problems with feisty and clumsy girls that bring coffee to my store, putting the books in extreme danger.'' I can feel his breath against my neck as he leans closer to my shoulder.

My body stiffs with our proximity, his warmth right in my back, his voice tickling my ear. My eyes close as I inhale the sea air mixed with his woodsy scent.

I feel a movement behind me. I think about moving too, but I don't want to break the spell I am under. When I feel a thick cloth being put around my shoulders, I know Victor took off his leather jacket, his scent intoxicating me as I wear his clothing.

His hands stay for a couple of seconds on my arms, and I already feel my body warmer. I relax under his touch, my breathing hitching.

For a moment, the rest of the world stops, all my mind turning blank as the butterflies wake in my stomach, my blood boiling through my body. What are you doing to me, Victor Macedo?

A part of me wants to run away, but another part – a huge part – is excited to see what is going to happen next.

The night is only beginning.

——•:•——
HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE. THANKS FOR READING

- continue scrolling for part 2

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[Sneak Peek Part 2: they continue their questions... we get to know more about both of them... a close moment comes]