9 Homecoming 8

(Hi! Please check out Chapter 1 version 2. I had to add it to make the story flow a little better. If you can't find it, try clearing your cache. Thank you!)

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"Stellar? Are you inside?" Cassy's voice permeated through the wooden door as she gently knocked on it.

It startled Stellar from her kiss-induced coma that her eyes flew wide open in shock.

Breaking their kiss, panic washed over Stellar like a cold bucket of water was poured over her head. She stood frozen for a second before her instincts kicked in.

In a split second, her hand flew to Beau's face. She covered his mouth with her palm, and responded, "Yeah. Yeah. I'm here, just reading a book."

Her eyes widened in disgust when Beau darted his tongue and licked her palm. The gesture was familiar and annoying at the same time. Retracting her hand, she wiped it on his chest, like she always did.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies flew in her stomach, and she felt their wings brushed against her insides. However, as she almost got lost in Beau's hypnotizing presence, their attention went back to the door when Cassy's voice echoed.

"Okay… but… Mom's looking for you so… Can you put your book down for a sec?"

"Yep. I can do that. Just… go ahead. Okay? I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay." Cassy rapped her knuckles twice on the door before leaving.

Stellar finally released the air she didn't know she was holding the entire time, expanding her lungs.

She shot Beau a glare before crossing her arms over her chest just to remind him he was in her territory, and she would not cower down to his towering height and commanding presence.

"Whatever you have to say, have to wait," she trailed off upon seeing Beau's mouth open. "Last thing we want to happen is my mom barging in this room and sees us together."

"Precious, I told you…"

"Stop calling me precious!" Stellar interjected, whispering her shout at Beau.

She turned on her heel and headed out to the door, but Beau hooked his finger on the back of her collar, dragging her a few steps back. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he coaxed, "But you are precious to me."

Stellar's shoulders dropped. She cursed him in her heart and in her head for months, yet, look at her now. She should be cursing at him at that moment as well, but her tongue tied itself in a knot.

How could she be so weak in his advances? How could she let herself bask in the way his breath fanned on the shell of her ears and let the timbre of his voice dot goosebumps on her skin? Was she that desperate to seek any form of attention that she'd accept leftover seconds from the man who broke her heart?

Wriggling from his caging embrace, Stellar fought for her liberty, but Beau just tightened his coil. "Stop fighting with me," he said. His voice almost sounded as if he was pleading with how low and wistful it was.

Cupping his hands, Stellar stilled and closed her eyes for a second. "Half a year, Beau. You were gone for half a year. And I haven't heard anything from you. Not a note. Not a word. You just left and trapped me frozen in time."

"Stellar," Beau trailed off, taking a long pause. "Every single day, I was hoping you'd see the news or ask someone where I was."

"Really? Me? You expect me to ask your mom about your whereabouts?" Stellar rolled her eyes. She almost peeled herself from their embrace, but she knew he'd resort to other ways to trap her in his arms.

"Why wouldn't you? We're dating." She felt him smile through his words.

"They don't know that."

"Because you refused to let them know."

"Who said I refused to let others know?" Stellar's voice cracked. All those days, she was waiting for him to make their relationship official, but he never did. And she never demanded a thing because she didn't want to sound as insecure as she already was.

"How about we walk out holding hands? Mmm? Since everyone in the neighborhood is here. That's as official as official gets," Beau offered, but he was met with Stellar's silence.

"Beau…" She boked back tears. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I did."

"Then why does it feel as if you're insensitive to my feelings? I don't mind if you're out to save humanity and it would take years before you come home, but you made me feel that I don't matter to you when you left without a word."

Beau rested his chin on the length of Stellar's shoulder. His hand crawled under her shirt, earning him the sound of Stellar's sharp inhale.

He loved planting his palm on her belly, letting her skin transfer its heat on his icy hands. Doing it at that moment, Beau regretted that it took him a while to show his face to her.

He knew Stellar would be hostile once he returned. And if she knew the news he had to quash so it wouldn't reach her ears, Beau was afraid that he would lose her for real.

Turning Stellar so she would face him, Beau trailed off. "I was in a hurry and the clean-up in the rig took time. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being an ass for not leaving you as much as a note. Please forgive me this once. I'll make it up to you. Okay?"

He angled his head and studied Stellar's reaction. Out of all the ladies he knew, she's the one who intrigued him the most. The way her eyebrow twitched every time her brain would go on overdrive.

"What about what happened when you came back? You can sneak your way up like last time? But you never showed your face to me." Stellar closed her eyes when she felt herself shaking from anger. "Why, Beau? Why do I have to squeeze out the answers from you like you're some annoying orange? You know what… forget about it."

Stellar peeled herself from Beau's caging embrace and got on her feet. Beau felt the walls closing in on him, trapping him in the maze he built himself. He knew that once Stellar steps foot outside, she would hear the news he dreaded for her to hear.