Assailant
His eyes close and his chin raises automatically at her touch, giving her greater access to the vulnerable skin of his throat. He sighs quietly as she melts into him, finding as much reassurance in her proximity as she does in his. For now, he is content to join her in selfishness, to delay the sober turn their conversation will inevitably take.
So, he laughs gently at the forced outrage in her question. He loves that enough time has passed, that they've grown together so thoroughly that they can find humor in something that had previously torn them apart. He knows how difficult it is to let go of old habits and patterns of thinking, so he does his best to mute the waspish whispers of her anxieties through careful words and actions. He responds in a lighthearted tone, “There's really only one that I remember… a bit of a pain sometimes, but I just can't seem to get her out of my head.”
He lets her see the playfulness in his eyes before draping a wing over her back to pull her closer, to let his lips roam across her face and neck as she falls into her quiet contemplation. He continues even after she answers his question, smiling against her skin when she says that she missed him (he didn't hear any hint of “might have” in his mind).
Eventually, he stops, wondering whether he should verbalize his frustrations, or continue on with the flirty banter that he never seems to tire of. He supposes he will just let the conversation take whatever path it chooses.
“I missed you too…I didn't really go anywhere, just kinda drifted along for a while. I'm sorry, I lost track of time, but I'm here now.”
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware
--Martin Buber
@Adriana
post total: 294
running total: 537 / 2026