Page 39 of Check Mate

After putting my dishes away, I meet the rest of the group in front of the campfire. It’s twilight now and the foggy haze makes the whole sky look rosy pink. The same color as Isa’s pouty lips.

I grit my teeth and run a hand through my hair in frustration. “Get a hold of yourself, man,” I whisper to myself.

Isa spots me walking toward the fire pit and waves me over, a big smile on her face. Great, now if I don’t sit near her I’ll look like an asshole. I force myself to smile and take a seat next to her in the circle.

Rocco comes over to the fire and gets everyone’s attention by clapping his hands together once. He then goes into storytelling mode and tells us all about the ancient Incan constellations and the magic they were believed to impart. One of the other guides passes out pamphlets showing each constellation and where to find them in the sky.

I’m not usually one to believe anything that’s not concrete and scientific, but if I can get along with Isabella Romero, this place must truly be magical. I listen raptly to Rocco talk about the stars in the wide open sky, right above this land where the Inca Empire once thrived, and about the magic they believed in… And for the first time, I want to believe in magic too.

By the time he’s done pointing out each constellation and telling us the history behind it, I have goosebumps up and down my arms. It’s definitely due to the magical constellations and not the fact that Isa’s arm is brushing against mine.

Everyone disperses to clean up and get ready for bed. I draw out my time in the small bathing tent as long as possible, but there’s only so much washing you can do with a bucket of warm water and a bar of soap, and I can’t put off sleeping next to Isa any longer.

When I arrive at our tent, Isa isn’t inside yet. I’m feeling antsy and decide to go look at the constellations myself, now that the fog has dissipated enough to see them. I pull out my constellation pamphlet and search for Hanp’ Atu: The Toad, which is one of the constellations visible this time of year. Once I locate the Milky Way, The Toad isn’t difficult to see.

“Are the stars showing you your path, David?” Isa’s voice comes from behind me.

I turn and see her standing a few feet from where I’m sitting. She looks cozy in a white, fleece jacket and some simple black leggings. Her hair is up in a bun, but the wind has blown some loose tendrils down around her face.

“If only finding our path was that easy.”

She sighs as she sits beside me near the edge of the mountain. “I wish it were.”

“Me too,” I admit. “Please don’t fall, I’m too tired to save you again.”

She punches my shoulder but laughs. We both sit for a moment, looking up at the black sky crowded with stars of all different shapes and sizes before she breaks the silence.

“You know, I had this grand idea that I’d feel a sense of belonging once I arrived at Machu Picchu.” She looks down and plays with a blade of grass. “Like I was led here by some mystic power and would finally feel like I belonged.”

I look at her in the light of the moon, and her sad expression makes my heart twist inside my chest. I know the feeling of not belonging all too well. “And you don’t feel like you belong?”

She sighs. “No. But I’m not sure I’ll ever feel that way…” She trails off, looking back up at the sky.

I don’t often talk about my feelings, but Isa makes me want to open up and be vulnerable. To let her know me. And I have a strange feeling she’d understand me better than anyone else.

“I’ve often felt like I didn’t belong. You’ve met my family,” I huff out a laugh. “They’re all athletic, charismatic… blonde.” She laughs and I continue. “But… Have you ever wondered…” I pause, trying to think of the right words.

“Wondered what?” she asks, the light breeze blowing a damp curl across her face.

Without thinking, I reach over and sweep it away from her lovely face and behind her ear. “That a sense of belonging doesn’t always come from a place, or even from your family… but maybe it only comes in the form of a person. That one person who just gets you.”

She holds my gaze and I’m bewitched by the allure she doesn’t realize she possesses. The enchantment of her positivity, her huge brown eyes that reflect the moonlit night, and her dark curls swaying with the wind.

She leans toward me, placing one small hand on my jaw and studies my face for a few seconds before leaning the rest of the way and pressing her lips to mine. I’m startled at first; I wasn’t expecting her to kiss me. But with Isa, I never seem to know what to expect. I recover quickly and slide one hand into her thick hair, pulling her closer to me.

I haven’t kissed a woman in a long time, and I haven’t kissed many at all, but I’m 100% certain I’ve never had a kiss like this. And it’s not because we’re on top of a mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, or because we’re hidden in the quiet darkness… It’s her, this woman. I’m positive no one else could kiss me like this.

She moves her head to the side to get a better angle, and my control leaps out of my body and off the cliff in front of us. I pull her into my lap and slide an arm around her waist, the other hand still in her luscious hair, making her messy-bun even messier. She obviously doesn’t mind because her arms go around my neck, drawing us closer together.

The croak of a very loud toad causes Isa to giggle and pull away from me slightly. Freaking toad, if I find the little bastard I’m gonna sacrifice him to the Incan Gods.

Isa smooths one hand over my cheek and across my jaw. “We better get some sleep.”

With a sigh, I agree.

Chapter sixteen

Isabella