Blackmailed For Love

Elsa I opened the shed door and stepped inside to find him standing with his back to me.

And he wasn't wearing a shirt.

He was doing something on the small counter, so engrossed that he didn't hear me.

I closed the door, making sure not to make any noise and walked toward him.

When I was just a few feet away and I could see him in a profile, I stopped and watched what he was doing.

My heart somersaulted inside my chest and a smile broke on my lips.

His phone was propped up against the wall and a YouTube video for how to make pasta, I assumed was playing as he stirred the vegetables in a pan on the induction stove that he had brought here not two weeks ago, and the reason why he wasn't aware of me was the earphones in his ears and that his attention was focused on the video.

2 I stayed there and watched him.

The way muscles in his back shifted, how the veins in his arms were visible and how handsome he looked as he cooked.

Since the last three weeks we had spent every available moment with each other, making sure that no one was aware of our closeness.

My mother was told that I made new friends in school and I was always spending my time with them.

No one was allowed in this shed, it was exclusively Kristian's domain so no one ever ventured here and when Kristian wasn't caring for his mother or brother he would come here and wait for me.

"Fuck!"

Kristian cursed, making me blink and focus on him.

He glared at the pan as bubbles started to form in the sauce he had poured like it was its fault.

A splash of hot sauce landed on his chest and he picked up a napkin to wipe it off muttering another curse under his breath I walked to him and slipped my arms around him from behind.

He stiffened at first as if he thought I was someone else then he relaxed and I placed my cheek on his back.

"You are early."

He said and I heard him pressing on the buttons a few times and then the sizzling sound of the vegetables stopped, leaving behind a strong aroma that told me some of it had burned.

"I couldn't wait any longer."

I replied and pressed a soft kiss at his smooth back, inhaling his scent in my lungs.

He stiffened at the soft kiss and turned around.

His fingers plucked my arms from around his body and he said, "Let me grab a shirt."

I shook my head.

"No.

I like you like this."

His grey eyes stared down at me and I said, "I promise, I will behave."

He didn't believe me, it was clear the way he looked at me but he sighed and raked his fingers through his hair in agitation as he said, "I was trying to make pasta for us."

I looked behind him and replied, "I can see."

I pulled him away from the counter and pushed him on the mattress on the floor.

I said, "Why don't you sit, I'll see what I can do."

He made a face, looking adorable and said, "It's a waste.

It burned."

I stood up on my tiptoes, my hands on his arms as I kissed his lips.

Like always, his body went rigid as he let me kiss him.

It has been three weeks and he was still not letting go enough to kiss me like he really meant it.

I understood his side, but it was getting difficult for me to hold on to my own reckless affection for him.

I wanted him so much I couldn't explain it, maybe because it was my first love but also because I knew he would be my last love too.

I pulled back and his dark eyes the only confirmation that I affected him darted away from me.

He gave a nod and turned from me.

It took me ten minutes to spoon the sauce and veggies mixture from the pan before I scraped the pan off the burned part that was stuck to it.

Then I poured back the remaining sautéed vegetables and started the induction on low heat.

Pouring the already boiled pasta, I mixed it well and served it on a plate with two forks.

When I turned around I found him asleep with half his body reclining as if he was trying to stay upright.

I could've let him sleep without disturbing him as I knew he didn't always get a full night's sleep but I missed him and he had made an effort for us.

So I walked to him, placed the plate on the floor then woke him up the way I knew wouldn't make him jump like the last time I had made the mistake of callously waking him up by shaking him and ended up with his warm and strong body on top of me.

I wasn't complaining about that part but when I had met his eyes, he had looked close to murder and afterwards the guilt that had gripped him wasn't something I wanted him to suffer with.

He was already so reluctant about our relationship because of our ages.

I hated to see him like that, fighting a battle inside his mind, every moment of the day.

3 I walked around the mattress to his other side and laid down beside him, slowly I took his hand in mine and pressed my palm to his cheek.

His fingers tightened around mine and as he felt my soft touch on his cheek, his other hand touched the back of my hand and he opened his eyes.

At first they were dark and hazy as if he was trying to place my touch then they cleared into a beautiful light grey and he took my hand to press a soft kiss in the middle of my palm.

I pursed my lips and said, "You fell asleep."

He looked at me then at our joined hands, he said, "I don't know how you do it, but sometimes it feels like you're the one with all the maturity between us and I'm just a scared little boy."

I shook my head and said, "Mama said that girls are always far more intelligent than boys ever could be.

We mature early, you know."

He just smiled and I fell in love a little more.

He was right, though… With him, I did feel like I was the one he needed the most.

With the outside world, he was a force of nature.

Cold, closed off and controlling with anger that simmered like a volcano just below the surface waiting to explode, but here with me, he let me soothe his darkness, his invisible demons and he let me sometimes take care of him too.

We ate our pasta in silence, it was a little bit uncooked but nothing like we couldn't eat.

When we were finished, he said, "I wanted to make it for you."

1 I shrugged.

"You did.

I just helped."

I held out the water bottle to him after drinking some.

I offered it to him and waited for him to drink before capping it.

fingers tucked a loose curl behind

day, I'm going to make it on my own and serve it to

as I

softly and

and said, "Kiss

but then his

away as I slipped my arm around his neck and kissed him

"Elsa…"

He groaned.

"Mmm…"

listen to him as I erased the distance between us and

his fingers grabbed the back of my neck and he

and

to stop before

that

dark hair, clutching him just as tightly as he was

"Because you're underage."

like I would

And he always said it like it

narrowed my eyes and slapped at his chest as I said, "Didn't we

and

a pain

if he sent you as a gift or

easily turn it around, and it

"Shut up."

and then laid down with me

hearing his heartbeat in my ear,

couldn't wait for my eighteenth birthday, I didn't

him so much, I can't explain it and when my sixteenth birthday comes in a month or so, I will have him and

smooth skin, making him go

trailed down his arm, a red scarred tissue had me

length of the scar on his elbow,

"What is this? How did this

hand off his arm and brought

"Kristian?"

"Someone broke my arm."

as I asked in a whisper, afraid to know the

"Deliberately?"

dark grey eyes met

twisted in pain and I asked, "How old

my eleventh

3 "No…."

I was horrified.

just eleven and looking at him even now sometimes he looked so

me from my father

bears the brunt of his anger so

"Why? Who was it?"

deep breath and visibly let out a long exhale then smiled for

to worry about me,

a young boy who can't

"You shouldn't have to…"

he brushed his thumb under my left eye and said, "Your tears are too precious to cry for what

hadn't even realized I was

not precious enough when

you and for you I will cry a river

with

smiled and lightly rubbed my bottom lip

about what I

will do anything

me

I laughed.

such a promise when I know I would break it at the first possibility of losing you or someone hurting

eyes and said,

I shook my head

scar on his body, even the invisible ones, but it was a line that

how much I

walls and love him the way I want to Elsa I

wasn't wearing

small counter, so

to make any noise and

just a few feet away and I could see him in a profile, I stopped

and a smile broke

in a pan on the induction stove that he

there and

way muscles in his back shifted, how the veins in his arms were visible and how handsome he

had spent every available moment with

friends in school and I was always

was exclusively Kristian's domain so no one ever ventured here and when Kristian wasn't caring for his mother or brother he would come here and wait for

"Fuck!"

making me blink

to form in

up a napkin to wipe it off muttering another curse under his breath I walked to him and slipped my arms around him from

as if he thought I was someone else then

"You are early."

him pressing on the buttons a few times and then the sizzling sound of the vegetables stopped,

couldn't wait

replied and pressed a soft kiss at his smooth back, inhaling his scent in

soft

plucked my arms from around his body and he said, "Let me grab

I shook my head.

"No.

like you like

me and I said,

at me but he sighed and raked his fingers through his hair

him and replied, "I can

the counter and pushed him on the mattress on

don't you sit, I'll see what I

adorable and said,

It burned."

stood up on my tiptoes, my hands on his arms as I kissed his

always, his body went rigid as he let me

and he was still not letting go enough to

understood his side, but it was getting difficult for me to hold on to my own reckless

maybe because it was my first love but

pulled back and his dark eyes the only confirmation that I affected him darted

a nod and turned from

mixture from the pan before I scraped

back the remaining sautéed vegetables and started the induction on

already boiled pasta, I mixed it well and served

turned around I found him asleep with half his body reclining as if he

I knew he didn't always get a full night's sleep but I

the last time I had made the mistake of callously waking him up by shaking him

I had met his eyes, he had looked close to murder and afterwards the guilt that had gripped

about our relationship because of our

like that, fighting a battle inside his mind, every moment of

his other side and laid down beside him, slowly I took his hand in mine and pressed my palm to his

mine and as he felt my soft touch on his cheek, his

dark and hazy as if he was trying to place my touch then they cleared into a beautiful light grey and

pursed my lips and

at our joined hands, he said, "I don't know how you do it, but sometimes it feels like you're the one