Word Count: 1586
~Avila
"Please don't hurt me!" I shriek, pressing my back against the headboard.
He frowns a little, dark brows drawing together. He looks the picture of darkness, the shadows drenching him and his cloaked figure.
If there is any reason for a hooded figure to climb through my window at night, it's to kill me.
"Av, it's me," he soothes, approaching.
I hold my hands out in front of me, causing him to stop in his tracks. Whether I knew him before I lost my memory doesn't matter. There's something dangerous about him, which frightens away my curiosity.
"I know you-"
He cuts me off by approaching quickly. Before I can so much as scream, his wet, gloved hands grasp the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss.
I gasp. The pressure of his lips is a vaguely familiar feeling. His hand grips tightly to my neck, keeping me still. The feeling of being kissed, which is entirely foreign to me until now, is pleasant, although slightly terrifying.
Realisation hits me like a rock in the side of the head. Firmly planting my palms against the man's chest, I push him off me, sending him stumbling back a few steps. In the gap he leaves, I dash off the bed and to the corner of the room, putting as much distance between him and I as I can.
"Don't do that again," I snap, raising my fingers to brush against my lips.
I never thought about what kissing would be. The moment that man's lips touched mine, though, it all clicked into place.
"I missed you. I needed to see you." He wipes his hand down his face, clearly embarrassed at the rejection. "I know you hate when I come in here, but Lee told me you were alive and I had to see for myself."
"You...you snuck through my window." I stare at the glass, at the rain pushing against it. How he managed to scale up here is a wonder, but that's not what scares me the most.
"Just like old times." He smiles, his gaze dipping down to assess me. "How is it possible you're still alive?"
I'm not going to launch into a full scale explanation when I have no idea who he is. We were obviously lovers, but I need to know more than that.
"How do I know you?" I demand.
"How do..." He sighs, shaking his head. "Come on Av. Don't play with me."
I wrap my arms around myself, feeling awfully exposed in my bed clothes. He's so tall and is staring at me with eyes that I can only describe as sensual. Even if he is confused...
"I don't remember you, and yet I know that I know you," I say slowly, trying to wrap my head around it as I speak. "So who are you?"
"How can you not remember me?" His voice is soft, hurt.
"I died." I swallow thickly, my throat painfully dry. "But I'm alive again, and I lost my memory."
Various emotions pass over his face, shifting from one to the other so quickly I can't grab onto one. He's trying to make sense of what I'm telling him, that our past together is now gone from my mind forever.
If we were lovers, that must be incredibly difficult for him to process...
"How..." he stammers. "How is that possible?"
"We don't know," I say uncomfortably, rubbing the back of my neck. This would be a much easier exchange if I actually had some answers to tell him. Too bad I'm almost as in the dark as he is about this.
He takes a tentative step forward. "I'm just happy you're okay, that you're alive. So fucking happy, Av."
"How do I know you?" I ask quickly. I don't want to feel relieved with him yet, when I still don't have the answers I need.
He shrugs off the wet coat and peels off his gloves. His skin is riddled with tattoos, depicting various different patterns and a portrait of some unfamiliar person on his right arm.
"My name is Emerick. We were friends for a time, before we became lovers," he exclaims. "I loved you with every fibre of my being."
I flush, my skin tinting with colour. He pins me with his gaze and says his words so confidently it's unnerving. Was I so good at talking about my feelings with him? It doesn't feel very easy now...
"Why has no one here mentioned you to me? Why are you a secret?" I demand.
His entire demeanour changes suddenly. He goes from warm and sweet to closed off and serious immediately. He looks at the bedroom door, then back at me.
"You cannot tell anyone here about me, okay?" he says, his voice hushed. "It's dangerous, for both of us."
My eyes widen. "Why?"
"You are to be married to the Prince, not me. Not some feral man off the street," he mutters. His jaw clenches as he casts his gaze off through the window.
That isn't just some fleeting moment of frustration, of jealousy. This feeling he is experiencing has come from something that happened in the past that I know nothing about, and it still bothers him today.
"You don't look so bad to me," I murmur, tracing his body with my eyes.
Although I don't have much reference for what's attractive, something deep inside me responds to him when he is near. My body is clearly familiar with him...
But why do I feel that way about Vade? Him and I haven't been together before, but I feel a burning attraction to him like I do to Emerick.
"But to your family, I'm a monster," he tells me. "You fell in love with a commoner, and if they knew, they would have split us apart."
I shudder. That's a depressing thought. Why should it matter who I've fallen in love with? I shouldn't be forced to marry someone just because of their connections.
"They would do that?" I ask him, trying to garner what else he knows, even though I know the answer.
He shakes his head, seating his hands into his pockets. "They would do far worse, sweetheart."
"How can I be with you when I am to be married to Vade?" I'm talking into the air at this point. I'm trying to make the puzzle pieces fit in my own mind, but nothing makes sense. Past me was hiding so much...I just want to know the truth.
A storm plays on Emerick's face. The mention of Vade's name has created something dark in him, making me want to back away further into the corner if I possibly could.
"He would do anything to force himself upon you," he growls.
I frown. "He doesn't seem to want to marry me...he hates me."
Emerick sighs, rubbing his face, like he regrets that outburst. My stare lingers on the back of his hand, which displays some kind of symbol.
He steps forward, although this time I don't flinch. I want to be open to getting to know him, to hopefully reveal more about who I was in the past.
"Trust me, Avila, on one thing..." he breathes lowly.
"What?"
"Vade has been in love with you since you two were children," he says slowly, the muscles in his shoulders tensing as he speaks of the Prince. "He doesn't hate you, he hates that he cannot have you."
"He can-"
"Your heart, I mean." He swallows as he points to my chest. "That belongs to me."
The air in the room has gone from rigidly cold to too hot to bear. He's painfully close now, and with his proximity brings feelings deep within me that I haven't felt before.
After I died, at least...
"I don't know you," I remind him, shifting uncomfortably.
"You will, in time." He smirks, obviously sure of himself. "Then we can start our plan again. We will find a way to be with each other."
My eyes widen, and panic grabs a hold of me. I push Emerick away again and stalk past him, drawing in deep breaths. One after the other.
"Is something wrong?" He asks.
I wave my hand in front of my face. "This is just a lot to handle."
Not only was I apparently insufferable to Vade, but I have endless secrets. Why would I even consider entertaining another lover when I was promised to Vade? I can understand hating the institution that forces a marriage upon me, but that doesn't feel fair to Vade.
Unless of course, Vade couldn't care less if I had other lovers.
"I should go, give you some space," he murmurs, resting a hand on my shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I will return when it is safe."
He shrugs his cloak on, stuffing his gloves into his pocket, heading toward the window.
"Wait, Emerick..."
He turns back. "Hmm?"
"I can't promise I will ever remember you again," I whisper. I don't want him to think that it's a guarantee that we will fall in love with each other again.
He smiles gently. "I believe in fate. I believe we are destined to be together, so if I have to make you fall in love with me all over again, so be it."
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~Midika ðð¼