The Ties That Bind Us: (The Ties Duet Part One) Danda K. (dark academia books to read TXT) 📖

vanilla shampoo had me so desperate to see her, I went back to that beach every single night.

I want to inhale that addicting aroma again.

Touch her again. Get her out of my head. Anything.

But she never came.

I walk to her right for a better look, and there she is, her beautiful face coming into view. She’s facing the sky with her eyes closed, dark brown hair falling down her back in natural waves. The pieces closest to her face seem to be a bit curlier than the rest.

Her ear pods are in, so I know she has no idea my entire world just came to a screeching halt.

She’s breathtaking. Her nose turns upward a bit at the tip, leaving the smallest slope from her forehead down, and her full lips are slightly parted and relaxed. I wonder what song she’s listening to that has her feeling so unwound.

I take Sam’s hand and continue to walk him and his friend through the large groups of people, trying my hardest to keep them in line with the other campers and sneak a look behind me to make sure she hasn’t moved. I wanna be able to watch where she goes if she does decide to get up. We reach the bus, and all the kids start to pile on.

“I’ll see you at home, little man. Make good decisions.”

I pat him on his head and step back, watching him climb up the steps. I take a few more seconds to make sure he’s seated and secure, give one final wave, and haul ass back inside the garden to find the girl who’s been spending so much time running through my mind. The same girl who now has me running to her.

Eight

Cameron

My eyes are still closed, but I feel it immediately when the sun stops beating on me.

The presence of someone next to me has me tensing up, and I’m grateful my steady tears didn’t turn to sobs. The last thing I need to do is fall apart in front of an innocent bystander. I lower my head, open one eye, and look over to see who the hell is blocking my light.

I spot the black Timberlands first and then allow my gaze to slowly move up, past the black jeans with rips at the knees, to land on a slouchy white tee.

There he is.

His arms are much more noticeable now.  They’re not as broad as I initially assumed from our last two encounters but are perfectly defined with just the right amount of muscle. He’s fit but doesn’t seem like the type to go to the gym. You can tell he stays active in other ways.

Like roaming the streets all night with his cat.

I can finally see his hair, and it’s just as I thought- dark blonde and shaggy, messy on the top but cleaner on the sides. His sharp jawline is much more prominent from this angle, and, my God, it could slice right through metal.

There’s still such a relaxed look to him like he just rolls out of bed, slaps on a beanie, and still manages to look sexy as fuck without trying.

He’s not model-like; instead, he looks like he belongs on a beach, and he has the skin to show for it. He emanates light as if his aura just oozes out of him, and he’s not afraid to show the world who he is.

Jaxon grins at me, and I realize I’ve been staring way longer than socially appropriate. “We have to stop meeting like this.” He shakes his head and plops down next to me, one leg dangling and the other bent to his torso.

“Is this your happy place, too?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. He rests one arm on his bent leg while the other supports his weight behind him.

Looking straight ahead, he corrects me. “Oh, no. I was here with Sam for a trip.”

“Is that another animal of yours?” He chuckles at my comment.

“No, Sam is my landlord’s son. I helped his dad out by chaperoning a camp trip. They just left back to the campgrounds.” He points his head toward the entrance of the Garden, and I look just in time to see the big yellow bus take off.

“You have such a diverse group of friends,” I say jokingly.

“Not really. I prefer quality over quantity.”

I refrain from a sly remark about the first friend he introduced me to and continue to keep things light. “So, if this Sam kid is off to his camp, why did you come back inside?”

He shrugs and says, “Because what I really wanted to look at wasn’t part of the trip itinerary, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see it again.” He freezes as if he’s said too much.

I stay silent, wondering what is here that’s so beautiful he couldn’t leave without seeing it. So I ask, “What’s so special that it has you sticking it out in this heat just to see it?”

He shakes his head, then smiles before looking over at me. “Have you ever been here before?”

“Uh, no. This is my first time. I’m not much of a traveler.” I pause, then correct myself, “Until now, I guess.”

As if deciding something, Jaxon jumps up and wipes his hands down his shirt. Looking at me, he reaches out his hand to help me up. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

Staring up at him, I politely refuse his hand. I’m a big girl and can stand on my own.

Plus, I don’t want one of these trees to catch fire from the electricity that flows through me when I touch him.

I don’t know why I want to know what he loves, what intrigues him, but I do. I want to know badly enough to let him lead the way behind one of the greenhouses.

We walk side by side down a small dirt path covered in leaves and sticks. Struggling to keep up with his long strides, I accidentally