Contracted To You-Chapter 68: Rain

"I don’t agree, Evie," he replied, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. He lifted her chin with his finger, showcasing her beautiful red lips. "I’ll never tire of your taste," he quipped. "And you’re not planning to get bored with me, are you?"

No, that wasn’t her intent at all. "I was just saying..." she trailed off, but he interrupted her.

"Shhh," Ezra said softly, his gaze locked on hers.

"You taste like cherries, Evie—sweet and irresistible. I won’t grow tired of your taste, and neither will you of mine because I’m not planning to let you," he continued, his confidence evident.

Evie felt a rush of warmth at his boldness. "What do you say?" he asked, releasing her chin and placing his hands at her sides.

"Fine, okay," Evie relented, feeling the moment slip away from her. Ezra’s grin widened at her acceptance.

"Close your eyes," she instructed, and he complied eagerly. She watched as his eyelashes fluttered shut, and then she stepped forward, ready to fulfill his request with a kiss.

But a playful glint danced in her eyes. Just as she was about to press her lips against his, she ducked beneath his arms and bolted away.

Ezra’s brows furrowed at the sound of her sudden retreat. When he opened his eyes, Evie was gone, and he sighed in disbelief. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

By the time Evie returned to the living room, Janet had already dozed off on the couch. Evie walked over quietly, covering her mom with a duvet while observing her silently.

Then her gaze shifted to Ezra, who had just exited the kitchen. She gestured for him to be quiet, and he nodded, moving silently to join her.

Together, Evie and Ezra slipped out of the house, quietly closing the door behind them. Stepping onto the porch, Evie sighed, taking in her surroundings. "I used to play on that swing all the time when I was younger," she remarked, her eyes landing on the distant white swing.

"Sounds fun," Ezra chimed in. Evie wholeheartedly agreed; the swing had been her favorite, even leading to an injury once. Her father had warned her against it to prevent further mishaps, and she smiled at the memory.

"Should we take a ride?" Ezra suggested, and Evie nodded.

"First one to reach the swing gets to ride," he said with a chuckle.

Without waiting another second, Evie dashed off the porch, racing under the sunlight, her dress billowing in the wind.

The scene was absolutely perfect in Ezra’s eyes. He chuckled as he pulled out his phone to snap a picture of the racing woman.

He had no intention of snatching her joy, which is why he refrained from racing towards the swing. It was clear this was Evie’s favorite thing to do, the way she looked at it and smiled.

After capturing the moment, he slid his phone back into his pocket and walked down to meet her as she settled on the swing, hands in his pockets.

As he approached, Evie grinned and said, "I thought you were racing too, which is why I sprinted ahead to beat you."

"I would’ve gotten there in the blink of an eye if I had decided to run," Ezra replied confidently, prompting Evie to roll her eyes.

"Stop bragging," she mused. Deep down, she knew he would have won if they were truly competing; he had stayed back, watching her instead of joining the race.

"Come and give me a push," Evie demanded, adjusting herself on the swing. Ezra stepped forward, giving the swing a firm push so it rocked back and forth.

"Ahh, this is amazing," Evie exclaimed as the swing soared higher, the wind tangling her hair.

As she swung back, Ezra pushed her again, and her smile brightened as she delighted in the sensation of flying through the air.

Returning to this moment felt incredible, and she needed to thank Ezra for bringing her back to this joyful place.

When she finally declared she had enough fun, the swing slowed to a gentle stop. She made room for Ezra, saying, "Come sit." Without hesitation, he joined her, and they settled close together.

"I’ve never felt this much warmth before," Ezra said, taking in the view of the house from their swing.

"Really?" Evie asked, intrigued by his revelation. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was distant from his family, leading to such a profound feeling.

"Then I’m glad to be the cause of it," she said, resting her hand on his broad shoulder. He smirked in response.

"Does your mom like me?" Ezra asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Evie contemplated, then replied, "Why wouldn’t she? You’re a gentleman, handsome, caring, sweet... She sees all that. So why wouldn’t she like you?" Her brow arched.

"Do you really mean that?" Ezra questioned, wondering if she was simply trying to reassure him.

Evie shook her head.

"You’re not serious," he said, turning his gaze away. She chuckled softly, then squeezed his shoulder.

"Don’t worry, you’re doing great," she assured him, and he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"Just don’t tell her you make me cry when you steal the last cookie" she chipped in and he chuckled.

As they spoke, neither noticed the sky darkening above them, until a single raindrop landed on Evie’s face, surprising her. "Oh?" she exclaimed, glancing up.

"Looks like rain is coming," Ezra said, and Evie nodded.

Suddenly, the rain began to pour, catching them off guard and leaving no time to retreat to the house.

"We should go back," Ezra called out over the sound of the rain.

"Yeah," Evie agreed, grabbing his hand as they dashed out into the downpour, their clothes quickly soaked through.

"I thought you said you wouldn’t need those extra clothes," Evie shouted in the rain.

Ezra didn’t seem to hear her. "Huh?" he replied, focused on reaching the house.

Realizing she was lagging behind, Ezra turned back, scooped her into his arms without hesitation, and rushed toward the house, both of them already dripping wet.

***

A.N: Hi guys, I realized that I’ve been giving y’all longer Chapters, and I just thought of changing it to shorter ones so that it could be two Chapters daily? I wonder what you think about this. Longer Chapters or shorter Chapters?