10| Unrecognized Feelings

"Cloud!" I heard Adriano's loud voice as I walked through the doors of the arrival terminal. He was jumping up and down as if I could not already see his giant body. People around us stared at him weirdly and instead of being a bore I dramatically ran to him. He picked me up and spun me around as I laughed loudly. "How was your trip my little ginger?"

"Tiring, but exciting. I can't wait to present it to the King," I smiled as we walked to the parking.

"Aren't you slightly nervous? Having a one on one with the King," he wiggled his eyebrows as if trying to make me even more nervous.

"Of course. The man radiates intimidation, but I am really confident with my work," I smiled. If I kept a positive mind set I would receive a positive outcome. Truly I was scared as hell.

"Maybe Ezekiel will give you a few pointers," he winked as he drove us to our apartment. "Speaking of Ezekiel he sent something for you today."

"Really?" I sat up straight as my ears perked up, "What is it?"

"Well they came straight to my place and asked if I could give it to you when you returned. So I put it in your apartment," he smiled.

"What is it?" I was terribly eager and Adriano knew how much I hated secrets.

"You will see when we get there," he laughed at my pouting lips.

"Well then stop driving like a granny," I commanded.

Big mistake I swore I nearly saw my life flash before my eyes as he made a twenty minute drive into a ten minute drive. Adriano was a threat to humanity to be honest. He offered to take my bags as I ran into our apartment lobby and waited for the elevator. Finally when I made it into my apartment I noticed a huge white box on my kitchen island.

With excited fingers I lifted the box off and under it was one of the top light microscopes with a red bow with a black briefcase with all the equipment needed to use it. We had these at the lab but I was not allowed to take one home, so to have my own at home was like having a piece of heaven with you. I nearly burst out in tears as I stared at it.

Something like this cost thousands and I never really thought I would ever personally own one. It was just too expensive for me to even think of it. There was a small note that stated the gift was from Ezekiel. It just made me all the more excited to see him that night.

I pulled out my phone and quickly texted him. I thanked him so much I was sure I nearly sent twenty messages. He responded quickly with red heart emoji's and it just made me swoon. He was such a great friend.

"He is such a wonderful boyfriend," Adriano slyly commented as he walked into my apartment. With a murderous glare, I turned around and threw the empty box at him. "Love has made you bitter."

"I'll kill you," I growled causing him to laugh loudly. It had not even been an hour but I was already having a headache from his antics. I still had eight hours before I had to leave to see Ezekiel and was counting them down with blue eyes. I headed to the supermarket, brought his favorite fruit salad and a gift bag to put the gifts I had gotten for him.

I took another bath and finally got ready. It took me longer than usual to dress up since I felt the need to put in extra effort to look a bit decent. In the end I was dressed in my dark denim dungaree, a black long sleeve shirt underneath and a beige cardigan with white sneakers.

I happily rode my bike to the Palace with the black gift bag in the basket and the lunch bag with our fruit salads at the front of my handles. My head was buzzing with excitement as I walked towards the Royal Family tree. As I got closer I noticed Ezekiel's distinctive figure.

There was crescent moon that night so I could make out what he was wearing. Instead of his usual sweatpants and hoodies, he, himself seemed to put in a bit more effort. He was dressed in black jeans, a black shirt with a dark jersey covering it and black ankle boots.

When he heard my footsteps he turned around and I could see his bright teeth as he smiled. He walked towards me and immediately wrapped his arms around me hugging me tightly.

"I missed you," he whispered into my ear. His arms were wrapped around my waist with mine wrapped around his neck. In the excitement of seeing him I neatly placed the gift bag and lunch bag next to us.

"I missed you too," I smiled and hid my face in his chest. How the hell did he manage to make me feel nervous and so happy at the same time? My stomach was in knots as he rested his forehead against mine. I had no idea if it was due to the fact I had not seen him in nearly a week or if I was just crazy, but his scent seemed to engulf me.

My head felt dizzy as his hand gently held the right side of my face. I leaned into his warmth and closed my eyes. I had no idea why, but being around Ezekiel always made me feel so comfortable. All my thoughts focused on him and the present. We stood there for the universe knows how long in each other's embrace.

"I got you something," I smiled and looked up to him hoping he saw the excitement on my face.

"What is it?" he chuckled softly.

"Sit, sit," I pulled him down with me. I let out a squeak when he lifted me up so I was sitting on his lap. His arms were around my waist and if it was not for the cool night breeze I was pretty sure I would have fainted from how hot my cheeks were.

He seemed to notice my speechless state and laughed, "You got me a gift?"

"Yes," I jolted and reached over for the gift bag. "I thought this would be nice for you to read whenever you felt bored and wanted to bore yourself even more," I laughed and handed him the book.

He studied it with a smile and looked up to me, "Thank you now I can feel equally smart."

"Shut up I'm surprised they haven't replaced me with you," I rolled my eyes. Ezekiel knew just as much about plants as me. With nervous hands I pulled out the smaller box and presented it to him. I had brought the low light torch. I allowed him to open it as I shone the low light on his hands so he could see it.

He gasped lowly as he ran his fingers along the glass beads. "My mother used to have something like this," he said softly, "Thank you so much Cloud. This… this means the world to me."

His reaction was more than what I expected and warmth just spread all through my body at his reaction. "I'm happy you like it."

"I love it," he easily slipped it on and it rested perfectly on his wrist. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," I grinned. He wrapped his arms around me once again and I willingly snuggled against his chest. Ezekiel was making me a sap. He asked me about my trip and I told him every single detail. He listened and commented with pure interest. Eventually we ate our fruit salads and joked around.

"Is the King as intimidating as he seems?" I asked as Ezekiel ran his fingers through my hair.

"As long as you are friendly to him he will be friendly to you. He is the King what more can I say," he chuckled and shrugged.

"Well I hope he is nice. I don't react well to hostility," I sighed.

Ezekiel kept quiet for a few seconds before responding, "Cloud I… I need to tell you something."

I looked up so we were face to face and waited patiently as he stared into my eyes. He held the left side of my face gently then stroked the skin of cheek with the pad of his thumb. The atmosphere drastically changed from playful to serious.

I wished I could fully see the way he was looking at me because at that point my mind was travelling five hundred kilometers per second. He opened his mouth as if to say something then closed it again. He seemed to doubt what he was about to say or rather do.

Before I could question him, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine. My heart stopped and instead of moving away I closed my eyes and allowed him too. He seemed to take my response as a positive sign and slowly moved his lips against mine.

His lips were extremely soft and sweet. I wondered how I felt to him. My hands rested on his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. It felt like the ground beneath us was spinning as I kissed him back. I had never experienced something like this before. Something that felt so right and pure.

Just as the thought crossed my mind I realized what we were doing. I was kissing him. Not just the fact that I was kissing Ezekiel, but the fact I was kissing another man! My blood ran cold as I felt the tip of his tongue gently trace against my lower lip asking for permission to enter.

Reality finally hit me and I pushed against him abruptly ending the kiss. He looked at me with confused eyes as I just gasped and quickly stood up.

"I'm… I'm not like that," I stuttered out and stretched out my hands in front of me so he could not come any closer.

"What do you mean?" he stood up and from the sound of his voice I could hear the hurt.

"I don't… kiss men," I blurted out.

"But you kissed me back," he sounded so confused that I felt terrible for doing this to him.

"I know, but that was a mistake I wasn't thinking clearly," I defended. "Why would you do that Ezekiel?"

"Because I like you Cloud. Isn't it obvious? I thought…"

"You thought I felt the same way?" I exasperated.

"Well yes," he said softly, "Don't you?"

"Ezekiel… I…" I pursed my lips not knowing what to say.

"Oh," he seemed to physically recoil from me. Just from his body language, the once carefree Ezekiel immediately became guarded. Guilt flooded my body as I watched him.

"Ezekiel I'm sorry," I tried to reach out for him but he took a step back.

He leaned down and took the book I had gotten him and held it against his chest as he looked away from me. "I have to go," he whispered.

"Ezekiel please," my voice wavered as I felt tears rush to my eyes. Before I could utter another word he turned around and ran.

What had I done?