Free A Sorta Fairytale by Emily McKee

one thing that couldn’t be broken, no matter what. This was all just supposed to be fun. No worries. No feelings. And definitely no falling in love. But like I said, rules are always meant to be broken. That’s the similarity between fairytales and real life. The rules are always broken, and just when you think you have it figured out, everything changes.
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 12
     
     
    Stella and Alex
     
    Standing outside the gates of the garden, I wonder if it’s too late to leave. I have a love/hate relationship with Rule Three. I hate it in ways I never thought were possible. You bring out emotions in me I never knew existed. But I love Rule Three inexplicably and unimaginably because you fell into my life. You bring out the best in me, and I feel like a better person when I’m with you.
    “Hey, you made it,” your voice rings from the opened gates.
    “Dammit,” I mutter under my breath.
    Striding toward me with a huge grin, you say, “I thought for a second you weren’t going to come.”
    “I thought about it.” I’d rather be honest with you than lie. No matter what this is, I can’t lie. It’s not in my repertoire. Now, having amazing sex with Thomas and getting to know you, I see no problem. I don’t know if that makes me fucked in the head, but who the hell knows what normal is? I know for damn sure it’s not the creep who lives across from me, the one who stares through the peephole at passers-by. I know it’s not the woman who fucks random guys when her husband’s gone on business, then acts like fucking Susie Homemaker when he’s home. I wonder if he knows, but maybe he’s doing the same exact thing behind her back.
    I thought when you and I first met that you were, well, more normal than Thomas and I combined. Instead, I have come to realize you might be more fucked up than both of us. I don’t know of many who would willingly put their hearts through what I have asked you to go through, but you did it. Are doing it. That’s ultimately what drew me to you.
    You give a sincere smile. “I’m glad you decided to come.”
    “I almost left when I got here.”
    “But you didn’t.”
    “Yeah.” I laugh. “Because you called my name.”
    Waving a hand toward me, you say, “Come on, Stel. You’re here, and you’re not leaving.”
    “Oh, yeah?” I joke. “Says who?”
    I bump into you when you spin around and stare deeply into my eyes. “Me, Stella.”
    Your voice. It sends rockets through me, making me want to do really bad things with you.
    “Come on,” you beg. “We’ve got to get going. I have things I want to show you. And the way you’re looking at me right now, well, it’s making me want to forget all the things I have planned and throw ’em out the fucking window.”
    I gulp. We’re running a very thin line here, you and I. I know I shouldn’t, but I want to know. Curiosity. It truly destroys relationships, wins wars, and breaks empires to the ground. People are always curious of the unknown. They always want to know just a little bit more. Take one more step. Push the boundaries. And with you I’m pushing boundaries I never thought I would. I’m not questioning it. Maybe a little, but most of all, I’m curious. I’m curious what you want to do to me. I’m curious how far my feelings could go for you, so I ask, “And what things do you want to do to me, Alex?”
    The corners of your mouth turn up into a conniving grin. “Oh, Stella,” you sing. Your voice sends delicious shivers down my spine, and I see your smile turn into a grin. Running a finger lazily up my upper arm, you say, “Things you’ve never experienced before.”
    “And,” I gulp, “what kinds of things are those?”
    You lean into me further. Your scent is intoxicating, and your eyes are glued to mine. I forget we’re in a public place. I forget people and families are walking around probably staring at us.
    I wonder what’s going through their heads.
    Are they