Follow the River (River of Rain, #1)

by C.E. Ricci

But why would they bother attempting to educate themselves when they can simply post whatever they want, hidden behind a phone or computer screen, without fear of any backlash unless it comes from a comment thread.

Yeahhhh...I’d definitely fuck the shit out of him.

“I’d much rather bite. Lick. Suck and fuck. Leave marks on you that a kiss just doesn’t accomplish.” And then I drop my knees. Bringing down the only barrier of decency he had with me.

“Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall,” he murmurs, his hot breath whispering across my hip as he reads the Shakespeare quote, written in a gothic font.

“I love the way you fight me, baby. It makes the taste of your cum that much fucking sweeter.”

His lips move over mine, and goddamn me, I kiss him back.

“Accept this is who you are, so you can start to enjoy being stranded in a fucking cabin in the woods with me for another four weeks.”

On his ribs, I see a quote in script. Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.

“The color…it reminded me of your eyes.”

“It’s like even when I was trying to escape from you, it only made me think about you more. And I’m done letting my thoughts of you drive me mad.

“I just wanted to make you shut up by making you fall.” I’m starting to think you have…in more ways than one.

“Breathe, okay. They have no say in what we do. It’s the twenty-first century, they can get the fuck over two guys kissing each other. Love is love.”

“To be close by. If you need me. ‘Cause of the nightmares.”

“And what I want? More than anything? Is to finally have something to hold onto to make it through the night.”

And as much as I don’t want to, I need to know. Your thoughts. Your feelings. Not of just the world, but of me. Of this side of who I am.”

“It was the same one that’s in my head right now,” he whispers. “It’s called ‘Right Here’ by Ashes Remain.”

“It’s your name, Riv. Just your name.”

“And while I might be too late to keep the nine-year-old Rain safe, I’m here now. I’ve found you.”

“I’ve found you and I’m here, and I promise I will always be your safe place for as long as you need one.”

“Thank you for sharing this with me.” “Thank you for caring,” I whisper over his lips.

One of the best things about art is the mess you get to make while creating it.”

Yet as messy as this love is, it will always be beautiful. Because it will always be ours.

Art, like love, is messy.

Staring up at the night sky, it’s the best way to remember we are so much smaller than we make ourselves out to be.

My friend, my lover. The keeper of my secrets. My saving grace.

“You have me. You will always have me. Until every star in the night sky burns out. And maybe even then.”

“Tá mé i ngrá leat, Abhainn,” I murmur into his ear before gently kissing his temple.

Being in love is a daily battle, not only fighting for the other person, but for yourself. It’s finding the common ground, the parts of your souls that speak to each other, strengthening them in ways no one else’s ever could. It’s knowing your worth and not only telling the other person you won’t accept anything less than what you deserve, but trusting them to provide that for you. It’s giving the darkest parts of yourself to another human, saying this is who I am in all my fucked up glory, and not asking them to fix you, but to give you what you need to mend yourself.

“Sure did, Coach. I lost my mind and found my soul.”

“If you put half as much effort in trying to make us work as you are in trying to rip us apart right now, we could be fucking unstoppable,” he mutters softly. “We’d be everything.”

We already are, my love. You are everything. I only wish I could tell you that.

“I didn’t want to fix you, only save you from your nightmares. Too bad I didn’t realize the real nightmare is you.”