4-ALEX

“Alex, I think I'll die...”

"Hold on, I know we will make it."

"It hurts a lot, Alex..."

"Hush honey, here they come."

“It doesn't matter, I'm already dead...”

I woke up with a start, a product of the lightning that echoed in the darkness of the room.

The nightmare left me confused by not remembering where I was, but soon my mind cleared.

I was in Abbie's cabin, and she wasn't in her bed.

I sat up, still trying to normalize my breathing, and scanned the room for the owner. Another flash of lightning lit up the room, making the cabin shudder and I could see a shadow in front of the window overlooking the beach.

“Abbie?”

I got up and went over to her, since she apparently hadn't heard me when I called her.

“Abbie?” She startled when I took her by her shoulders to turn her, "What's wrong, little one? You can’t sleep?”

"No,” she murmured with her eyes wide open, "I never do it when there’s a storm."

“Do you stay awake in case something happens?” I asked curious.

"No,” she repeated with the same face.

"You're scared of the storm,” I said guessing.

"I just don't like the sounds the thunders make and how everything lights up when that happen."

“What if we light a candle?” I asked pushing her away from the window "Maybe that helped a bit.” At least that's the way it is with my niece.

“I've already tried and it doesn't work.”

She jumped a little when another bolt of lightning struck and I felt sorry for her.

How many times in all these years had she stayed awake thanks to her fear of thunder?

I lay down on her bed and pulled her down next to me, squeezing her to my side so she could rest her head on my shoulder.

“What are you doing? She asked curiously, raising her head to look at me.

"I'm trying to give you support,” I answered uncomfortable with the closeness.

But it wasn’t because of the strange position I was in because I had never done this with a woman, but because that position felt strangely good.

I supposed it was due to the complex girl I was holding.

But most likely it was due to the unfulfilled desire that had come over me since I arrived on the island three days ago.

Since then, we had fallen into a strange but comfortable routine.

I had dedicated myself to exploring the island, discovering that Abbie had a vegetable garden, and not only had Peter and Wendy (her chickens) but she also had a considerable number of young which she called the lost boys.

She also had a wild hog and a pet monkey.

The worst thing is that those last two, they acted ridiculously excited as soon as they saw her.

It was clear that, as soon as he saw me near her, Pumba, as Abbie had forced me to call him, had tried to pierce me with one of his very sharp fangs, so I had stayed away ever since.

And let’s not remember the fact that George had thrown me bananas, mangoes and whatever fruit he came across.

It was amazing how jealous Abbie's friends were with her.

"I can't sleep, Alex,” she murmured against my shirt.

"Count sheep."

I started stroking her hair, trying to relax her, but it was a bad idea as her strawberry scent began to enter my nostrils.

"Nothing,” she said minutes later when I thought she was asleep, "How about you tell me more about where you come from?"

“What do you want to know?”

"Something other than work.” she rested her head on the hand she had on my chest and stared at me. "You always talk to me about work and it's not fun."

I laughed at her look of annoyance and thought a bit about what I could tell her.

"Okay,” I let out a sigh and began to speak, "I have a younger sister named Alessia, she has a daughter, Maggie, who is seven years old, whom I adore with all my soul and there is also my mother. The three of them live together a few blocks from me, and they always come to visit me when I'm not traveling for work.”

“And you travel a lot?” She asked interested.

“Oh yeah. Fortunately, my company is very well known, perhaps it is because I worked in the secret service and was the shadow of the president for two years in a row.”

“And what was it like?”

“Very funny. She was always telling stories from when he was in college and before he met the first lady.”

"It must be fun to surround yourself with such iconic and important people,” she stated dreamily.

“At first it is, but there comes a time when you want to have some time alone and surround yourself with silence.”

"I doubt you have much of that with what you do."

“You see? We always end up talking about my job,” I said trying to change the subject “I think you’re more interested than you think...”

She laughed in amusement, her entire body shaking with joy and prompting me to join her.

"You're very funny,” she said minutes later when we finally shut up.

“Really?” I asked surprised.

Abigail was the first person to say that to me, and it made me feel... Very good actually.

“You always make me laugh, Alex. So yes, you are.”

I stared at her for a few moments before doing something I'd been holding back for days.

I raised my head and placed my lips on her.

And for a few moments there was no storm, lightning, or problems.

Nor were there nightmares or fears, or the fact that we were lost in the middle of nowhere or that it was late at night.

For a few moments, for me, there was only Abbie and the brush of her lips on mine.

And it was a feeling that I had never felt in my life.

Here I was, giving a totally innocent kiss, knowing that this girl had never been kissed and didn’t want to traumatized her, and that even with the mere brush of her mouth against mine, it gave me more satisfaction than a kiss with tongue and insinuating movements.

When was the last time I put a woman's feelings and needs before my own?

Was there even a first time?

The answer was simple:

Never.

And with Abbie, they were turning out to be many firsts for me, and beyond feeling scared, the feeling that washed over me calmed me down.

What was that girl doing to me?

I pulled away a few moments later and stared at her.

She opened her eyes and looked at me in surprise and for the first time since I'd met her, it seemed like she didn't know what to say.

"I know how to leave you speechless,” I said amused.

“What did you just do to me?” she asked with bright eyes.

"I just kissed you,” I murmured staring at her.

“Should you feel like this?” Something fluttered on my stomach as her tongue licked those sweet, innocent lips.

"I think so,” I replied with my heart racing, "You know what kisses are, right?"

"Sure,” she mumbled, looking at my mouth with intensity. "Never in person, of course. But in magazines and on television when I could.”

"And your parents too, right?” I insisted, surprised when she shook her head, "You never saw your parents kissing?"

"Only on the cheek,” she answered, locking her eyes with mine, "Can you do it again?"

“The what?”

Now the confused one was me.

"I really liked what I felt,” she explained enthusiastically, "So... can you?"

Before I could speak or mentally prepare, she had already pushed herself up with her hands on my chest and pressed her lips to mine.

I took her by the waist out of inertia, and forced myself not to open my mouth and give free rein to the stinging wish to penetrate her at least with my tongue.

I let her smack her lips against mine several times and smirked under her lips as she laughed in amusement at her new discovery.

"I feel very bad,” he mused without leaving my mouth.

“Oh yeah?”

"I feel like I have to do something else."

“And what will that be?” I asked nervously.

"I don't know,” she answered in a whisper.

"Hmm, I have an idea...”

Before she made a sound, I turned to be on top of her and I couldn't miss the surprise that filled her face.

"Don't go,” she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer to her, staying nose to nose and with me wedged between her legs. "Sleep with me, don't go to your bed...”

"Little girl, I'm not leaving.” I said “I would give you support and that is what I’m doing.”

“Then?” I looked at her expressive and large eyes and felt like the need to make her mine was winning me little by little.

"Just...” I gulped, not really sure what to say, "I'm just going to kiss you in a different way."

“Oh...”

I couldn't help but think that she reminded me of someone else.

"You remind me of someone, but I don't know who."

“Someone you know?”

"I don't think so” I leaned closer to brush my lips against hers again, "I think it's just someone I've barely seen... Open your mouth."

“What?” She asked confused.

"Open your mouth, Abbie, or don't you want me to kiss you?"

She automatically opened her mouth and I lowered my head to inevitably take her lower lip between mine.

I pulled her gently, feeling her tensing, and after releasing her, I began to move my mouth over her, preventing my tongue from making any contact with her lips. It was only a superficial kiss, but I felt generous and excited to teach her little by little, the art of kissing; but I broke up after a while when I noticed she wasn't kissing me back.

Her eyes were glassy and she was staring at me.

“Are you okay?” I asked worried.

"Your facial hair tickles me,” she finally said, making me laugh out loud.

“You don’t like it? I can take it off tomorrow morning...”

“Don’t!” she exclaimed, surprising me "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But don't shave, I like it a lot, I'm just not used to it.”

“Is that why you didn't kiss me back?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That you have to move your lips against mine, just like I do over yours...”

Her frown disappeared and again her smile took its place.

“I thought it was one person who gave and the other received and afterwards the places were changed...”

"Well, now you know, so do as I do and kiss me."

Her enthusiastic laugh died as soon as we put our lips together again, and as amazing as it seemed, I was satisfied with those innocent and delicate kisses that we dedicated ourselves to give and receive for the remainder of the night.

***

I woke up when a ray of light almost burned my retina even with my eyes still closed and I found myself in a warm, illuminated and silent cabin.

My whole body ached from having slept so badly.

Abigail was a woman who slept in a very particular way.

When I felt that the kisses soon increased in tone, and that the excitement came back to possess my body, I had ended the session and had returned to lean her on my shoulder to sleep a little.

I didn't know when the rain had stopped, I just knew that my mouth still had the sweet strawberry flavor of the lip balm Abbie liked to put to sleep.

I also knew that my neck and back hurt, since at some point I had rolled over on my stomach and she...

She had climbed on my back like a fucking cat and slept there for the remainder of the night!

But I was stupider to leave her alone because I did not want to interrupt her sleep and preferred to sleep squashed.

I had felt her rhythmic breathing on my neck and an arm and a leg around my body until I finally fell asleep again.

I got up, stretching all my muscles, and went out onto the porch.

Surely Abbie was taking her respective beach bath and I liked seeing her from where I was.

We had established a privacy code: I let her bathe naked and she let me do the same, but far from each other.

I wasn’t prepared to explain what a penis was and what was done with it.

Well, I supposed she knew what a penis was and what it was used for, but not how it worked. I still very much doubted that I would let her see me without pants and then have to give other kinds of explanations.

I saw her a few meters from the shore, and unintentionally, a silly smile appeared on my lips, as I watched her swim.

Contrary to what I feared, I did not want to run in the opposite direction for what that girl was beginning to awaken in me, because to be honest where could I go?

It is not as if I had many options of being able to flee terrified before that emotion I had never felt before.

And of course, it wasn't love... was it?

That is, I knew her from just a few days ago, I liked her attitude, her innocence, her laugh, her... Anyway, I liked her a lot, but love? Was it possible to fall in love so fast? I liked the girl, period; but I didn't feel able to delve into the feelings I was beginning to harbor for her and the way she made me feel.

I couldn't deny the affection that little girl was beginning to sow inside me. But I didn't care much about it. I mean, I didn't admit it out loud since we were always fighting, but I felt immense affection for Olivia and I also knew she felt the same way for me.

The only different thing was that Olivia had never wanted me nor had I wanted to kiss her to know her taste.

And when do you really want to kiss someone? Mark's voice should really leave my head.

I saw Abbie wave to me and I returned the gesture before my eyes fixed a few feet behind her and I felt all the blood leave my body.

I saw how she turned too and noticed what my eyes had seen.

I ran towards the shore when I saw a dorsal fin approach even faster to where she was and began to swim headlong towards Abigail, but it was too late.

I raised my head to see where the large bloodstain was, but I did not see it anywhere and I began to feel the pain gripping my chest at the recognition of having lost it so quickly.

“Abbie!!!”

I screamed as loudly as I could, but nothing happened.

It had simply disappeared.

"Oh, God...” I heard my voice break, but I didn't care, I'd lost her forever.

“Abbie...”