"It always feels like there is just one person in this world to love, and then you find somebody else, and it just seems crazy that you were ever worried in the first place." - greys anatomy

''So,'' Victor says, clearing his throat and breaking the spell, moving away from my back. He steps to my side now and I smile at him, silently thanking about his jacket as my chin finds my shoulder, feeling the leather against my skin. ''Are you here alone?'' His eyes light on fire as he waits for my answer.

''Smooth, dude,'' I say, shaking my head and looking ahead, observing the immense ocean. ''But, yes. All by myself in this ridiculous smalltown.''

That is not exactly what he is asking, Elena.

Oh, shut up. He asked if I was here by myself. And I am, I didn't lie.

''But I am reporting my wellbeing to my best friend every day. So, don't even start creating a sick plan to kidnap and kill me,'' I joke, trying to stop my overthinking brain. He laughs and I see him releasing his breath, like he was happy with my answer.

''No promises.'' His eyes sparkle as he raises his hands. ''But yes, this is a stupid, boring small town,'' he says, kicking the sand, his eyes finding Nyx once more as she lays lazily not far from us, watching the waters.

I observe him carefully now, noticing how his chest raises and how his jaw clenches while he is lost in his own mind. He is wearing a long-sleeve red shirt, accentuating even more his pale complex. His lips are broken, but I still imagine them soft, and in his eyes I see a tornado of emotions – there is one specifically that makes my stomach twists, but I can't put my finger on it. It is familiar; however, it seems so distant too.

I should not ask him this, it may be way too personal, but I can't hold myself back, my mouth opening as my voice is calm and sweet, ''Why did you stay?''

For a second, I think he didn't understand my question, his face frowning. But he soon relaxes, his shoulders dropping as his hand runs through his hair. He has the same accent as every other person here, but he sure as hell doesn't seem to enjoy much the smalltown.

''I didn't stay. For a couple of years, I traveled all around the world. But life happened and here I am, back to this place.'' He sighs, his voice flat as he stares at the waves coming and going. ''I simply couldn't leave again, you know? It is... it is hard to explain.'' His face turns to me, and I smile at him.

A true and warm smile, trying to convey utter honesty. I know. Sometimes, things are simply too complicated, and you find yourself doing unimaginable things. I may not understand exactly what he is talking about, but I know.

He rolls his shoulders back, and he lowers himself, sitting on the sand. His ankles cross as he brings his knees closer to his chest, his hair swaying with the wind.

He looks up at me, and I know he feels the same at me – staring at my eyes is like staring at a mirror. And it is so much easier seeing all the mess in other person's face than on your own. It is so much fascinating too.

''How in hell did you get drunk on a Wednesday?'' He asks, breaking the silence.

I laugh, my fingers curling up in the leather jacket, bringing it closer to me as I have to swallow, the guilty to be wearing another's man clothe boiling my insides. ''A friend that I met the other day, she invited me for a late lunch that actually turned in a drink session for the whole afternoon.'' My voice comes out casual and I bite my lips, trying my hardest to simply enjoy this moment.

He shakes his head, a smirk planted on his lips. ''Why to open a bookstore?'' I ask as I too sit in the sand, bringing my legs to my chest and resting my cheek on top of my knees, looking at Victor.

''I didn't open it. It was from my family; I just followed the tradition, I guess,'' he mutters. ''Your favorite food?'' He quickly fires at me, his gaze moving from me to Nyx as his fingers snap, calling her.

''Don't laugh,'' I start, and he laughs. I nudge his shoulder, watching Nyx lazily walking to us and laying at our feet. ''It is ice cream. Strawberry and vanilla ice cream, to be more specif.'' I grin and he bites his lip, holding back a smirk.

''But to sound more grow up, I usually say my favorite food is anything from Italian cuisine,'' I add, remembering how I said it to Ian when we first meet and then he took me to one cute Italian restaurant near our college.

I close my eyes, my shoulders weighing on me. It always comes back to my past, like my mind can't stop replaying each little thing. And Victor's jacket starts to burn against my skin.

I straight my posture, slipping the jacket away from my arms as I hand it back to him, the cold embracing me. ''What is your favorite thing to do around here?'' I ask, trying to sound casual. He looks at my hand, holding his clothing for a second, his eyes narrowing.

But he takes it, and only now I notice his fingers slightly shaking, their tips purple. ''Camping. Definitely camping,'' he answers, my face frowning.

I much rather sleep in the comfort of a bed. Thank you very much.

''Oh, come on. Don't be boring, Elena,'' he teases me, and my mouth opens, staring right back at him. ''I can even be your tour guide around here if you give me a chance to entertain you with a good camping adventure for a weekend. None of my friends can nowadays.'' He looks at me with big puppy eyes as he lays his jacket onto his lap.

I shut my eyes, but I nod nonetheless, agreeing with his stupid proposition. He chuckles and my head shakes, already regretting this. I really don't know why I have accepted it, I guess having a guide to show me the town is a con too.

Of course, it is all because of his idea to show me around, nothing to do with me not being able to resist his doe eyes. Whatever I say to make myself feel better, right?

He leans forwards to caress Nyx and my head falls back, admiring the skies up in the sky, my hand finding my necklace, my fingers twisting its heart pendant.

''What is the meaning of your necklace?'' he asks as he comes back to my side. My head snaps towards him, my hair swaying. My hand tights the hold on the pendant, my eyes blinking a few times.

He seems to realize his question got me by surprise and his eyes soften, apologizing. But I raise my other hand, indicating it is okay.

I wet my lips, feeling the knots around my muscles. ''It... it was a gift from my dad for my tenth birthday,'' I say, smiling. It was one of the other things I was able to hide from my mom, being always careful to put it under my clothes so it would not upset her. I only take it off when I am at work. Otherwise, I wear the gold necklace wherever I go. It always gives me a sense of comfort, of belonging.

''He died three years later. It is my connection to him.'' My eyes shine in nostalgia.

Victor raises his hand, but it stops in the middle of the air like he is unsure what to do next. But soon after, his fingers find my arm, squeezing my skin. His touch is simple, but it spreads a peace through my nerves.

''What was his name?'' he whispers. For a moment, I have frozen again. No one has ever asked anything about my dad. People would nod, sometimes hug, and listen. But not ask, never ask.

''Alexander,'' I answer. And it is nice. It is nice feeling his name rolling through my lips.

Victor smiles – no smirk, his warm damn smile again -, his hand never leaving me. ''People should talk more about the dead. It is the only way to make them continue around. It is terrifying to be forgotten, don't you think?''

His words hit me hard. And I feel like drowning. The only thing still keeping me afloat is his touch. I am trusting him in the deep waters we have entered with our conversation. He is making me continue swimming. And it is as much frightening as it is exciting.

''Come on,'' I say, pushing myself up, his fingers slipping down my arm. I stretch my hand to him, his eyebrows frown, but he still takes my hand, getting up as well.

I laugh, trying to exhale all the heaviness out of me, feeling at ease. I pull him along with me as bounce like a kid. I let go of his hand, concentrating in the sand, my feet drawing lines on it. Once I am done, my head tilts, my shoulders relaxing.

In the sand, there are four big lines, delimitating nine squares. Victor comes to my side, looking at me curiously, a mix of a smile with a smirk adorning his lips.

''We will play tic tac toe, silly,'' I say in a duh voice. He rolls his eyes and I push his torso with both of my hands right before turning around and drawing a big X in the middle square. I look over my shoulder, finding him shaking his head, his hand running through his face.

But he still walks forwards, drawing with his foot an O. We play a match after the other, joking around and laughing. For some reason, one of us always introduces a small, funny story about our parents in the middle of the conversation.

I hadn't talked about my dad this much since he died. And Victor loses himself, retelling stories about his mom. She died not too long ago, and I see a mix of emotions on his face while talking about her. I don't say about my mother, nor he does about his father.

However, none of this seems heavy. It hurts. But not in a heavy way – teaching me that wounds don't burn forever.

The waves create a nice melody as they crash into the sand. The wind stirs our hairs and clothes. The night stretches as the moon shines bright.

I win one more match, my X doing a perfect line right in the middle. I jump, throwing my arms up as I enjoy the victory. He scoffs, muttering curses under his breath, but not once losing the playfulness from his chocolate eyes.

I continue jumping, just like a child, but when I land, my right foot twists. I lose my balance, my body falling to the side as my eyes shut and my hands stretch forwards, ready for the impact.

But it never happens, Victor is fast and he steps towards me. One of his arms circles my waist as the other comes to my back, pulling me to him.

My eyes open, finding him right in front of me. My hands lean on his torso as I try to catch my breath. My chin rises, my eyes staring at his.

I can feel his heart beating, his warmth sipping into my skin and woodsy scent filling me up.

I see the lust in his irises and I sense the hunger in his touch. However, he just admires me, waiting for me to be the first to react.

My body tickles, a cold running through my veins. What the hell am I doing?

My head falls, my forehead leaning right in the middle of his chest. I bite my lip, cursing myself for being so stupid. I really should go back to my hotel. But his embrace feels so good like I am protected from everything.

I look at my writs, my golden watch shining. ''Fuck, it is almost midnight already,'' I mutter against his shirt. He sighs and loosens his hold from my waist, slightly stepping back, opening a space between us again.

I raise my head, finding a nostalgic smile on his lips. ''What?'' I ask him in a whisper, my hands still on his torso.

''My mom,'' he starts, shaking his head and swallowing a lump. ''She had this weird saying. When the clock hits midnight, do something stupid.''

''It is the exact moment where one day turns into a new one. So enjoy it. Be brave for one minute and do something you would not have the guts to do in any other hour.''

I smile as he tells the story. ''Do something stupid at midnight,'' I say, my voice so low that I don't even know he listened to it.

''Do something stupid at midnight,'' he repeats, intensely staring down at me as one of his hands put a strand of my hair behind my ear, his fingers brushing my cheek.

''My next question,'' he says slowly, and I can't hold myself, admiring his lips. ''Do your eyes always twinkle like this? It is like they have tiny golden stars on them.''

I release a breath I didn't even know I was holding, and I laugh. I simply laugh. His arm slips down my back, leaving a warm trail behind. His chest reverberates, he is laughing too, and my hands leave him. But his fingers that tuck my hair behind my ear remain on the side of my neck.

"That was so cheesy, wasn't it?" he asks, and all I am able to do is nod, my nose wrinkling thanks to my smile as I playfully nudge his shoulder.

Our eyes meet once more, my teeth biting my lower lip. I want to say to him that his eyes sparkle too. I want to thank him for making me company during our sleepless night. I want to say that he is wrong, that my eyes don't shine anymore. But I simply admire him, his face lightened by the distant moon.

For some reason, I trust Victor. And maybe the stars in my eyes have not faded completely away. Maybe, tonight, they have came back.

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

•Any thoughts on Victor?

•Any thoughts on the midnight story? That is the reason for the previous tittle hehe

•Any thoughts on Vicena as a couple?

*these two parts are dedicated to all my silent readers. I am grateful to all of you

[SNEAK PEEK 11: next morning comes and our dear Elena decides to pay a visit to our beloved bookstore. Two cup of coffees, a hangover and a nice company await for us...]