His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 146: Healing Touch

Chapter 146: Healing Touch

** Harper **

After days of pondering the puzzle that was Eli, Harper thought she was finally beginning to understand the reason behind his dramatic reaction and gloomy perspective whenever it came to families and relationships.

It wasn’t just about his father’s betrayal. Of course, something as unforgivable as that was bound to leave a permanent wound on anyone involved, and it was way too harsh a marriage lesson for a child to learn. But the deepest wound left on Eli’s young heart had been far more cruel. It was so plainly obvious that he had once believed without a doubt in what his parents shared ... until all of it was shattered in the most tragic way, with a finality that could never be undone.

How could he trust loyalty and love again, if what he thought was precisely those things had led only to betrayal and the most painful loss? If he had witnessed with his own eyes how much harm could be done between those bound by marriage and vows, then what did devotion even mean to him, and what were those romantic oaths worth?

No wonder he had told her upfront that he couldn’t make any promises. It wasn’t just because he didn’t trust himself to keep his word, but because he simply didn’t trust anyone in that regard.

Harper brushed her thumb softly over his cheek. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind. She wished she could think of something wise to say, something with a profound view on love and trust to comfort him with ... but she was far from experienced in relationships herself. How could she change his perspective on a subject that she understood even less than he did?

"... Anyway, sorry for going off on an irrelevant tangent." Eli cupped her hand with his own and chuckled. As usual, he didn’t seem completely comfortable with the family conversation. "I appreciate your thought. But to your point, this was so long ago that I honestly have no idea how much of my memory is even accurate, or how much of it has been subconsciously post-processed over the years, so don’t mind the details too much."

He had said it with a playful casualness that almost sounded like he meant it ... Except they both knew that there was no way those details weren’t true. Not when every scene had been recounted with so much colorful vividness like they had only happened yesterday.

Harper closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his.

Maybe she was indeed too inexperienced and naive, or maybe she had read too many romance novels and got helplessly misled by the grumpy vs. sunshine trope, but at that moment, she wished with all her heart that she could help him. She wished she could heal that decade-old scar for him, to prove to him how beautiful love could be, without betrayal or heartaches or anything that led to regrets.

She wasn’t sure how to do it. Though she tried anyway, tilting his face and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "I loved those details," she said softly. "I hope you won’t dismiss those memories, even if they were old or remind you too much of the past ... Someday, I’m sure you’ll find happiness just like the way you remember it, with a new family of your own."

And I hope I can be the person to give that to you.

She didn’t say that part out loud, knowing she might scare him off again with such a blatant confession. Instead, she only kissed him once more.

His lips were cool, just like his forehead where she touched a moment ago. The sensation was a welcoming sanctuary under the warm Hawaiian sun, though Harper wondered if that was an effect of the story he just told. Carefully, she warmed them with her own lips, brushing her tongue over the lower contour of his mouth before slipping inside and deepening the kiss.

Unlike the sensual exploration they usually shared, she kept this one slow, soft with all the tenderness she wanted him to feel. It was a gesture of comfort, an offering to soothe those melancholic thoughts away from his mind, and she let the calming sound of the ocean guide her, keeping her caress light and gentle like the rhythm of those rolling waves.

An almost inaudible sigh was his response. As if out of pure reflex, his hand that was clasped around her wrist slipped away, reaching behind her nape, and his long fingers threaded into her hair, drawing small patterns that matched her own movement. The sand under their blanket gave way when they leaned into each other’s touch, conforming around their knees like a soft bed cradling them both.

A soft bed ...

The thought ignited a spark somewhere in the depth of Harper’s mind. She hadn’t intended for the kiss to become anything more ... but she should’ve remembered that there was always more. His lips and hands were already warm again, and as he reciprocated every touch from her, the air between them started to shift. The slow dance of the tongue gradually picked up speed, accompanied by tickles of breaths on her cheeks that seemed to have grown hotter than the wind—

Then the subtle intimacy in that air snapped when the sound of a seabird’s screech startled them both. They broke apart, just in time to whip their heads around to see a brown shadow dive for the leftover food sitting unattended on their side. The bird’s long wings beat precariously close as it snatched up a piece of nigiri, turning over a tray with its momentum and spilling crumbs of cheese all over the blanket.

"... Aaargh." Eli groaned in exactly the same tone he did last night. "I apparently don’t have much luck kissing you on this island, Harper."

Harper laughed, squinting to make out the silhouette of their little intruder flying off into the distance. "Maybe the bird was jealous," she offered. "Why don’t we go somewhere it can’t get to and continue there? The car ... or the bedroom?"

She liked how that successfully brought a genuine smile back to his face.