Ellora's Sun

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, Adelaide woke up to sunlight shining in through the windows above her. For a moment she forgot where she was, but when she rolled over, she saw Christoph above her. He was still sitting on the floor with her head in his lap, leaning his head back against the wall as he slept.

Adelaide smiled at his peaceful face while he slept, laughing silently at the small trickle of drool forming on his mouth. She attempted to get up slowly, hoping she wouldn't wake him up. Unfortunately, even in his sleep, Christoph was on alert. His eyes snapped open as soon as she moved, scanning the room for any signs of danger.

"Hi." Adelaide breathed, unable to find other words in her foggy morning brain. She pulled herself up from his lap, pulling her knees up to her chest and sitting facing him. Christoph relaxed once he realized the only other person in the room was James passed out across the room. He rubbed his eyes, attempting to subtly wipe away the drool on his face.

"Good morning," Christoph told her, a toothy grin appearing on his face. Adelaide smiled back on him and leaned her chin on the top of her knee. He reached out and took her hand, pulling it up and kissing the back of her hand, "how did you sleep?"

Adelaide had never been a very big physical touch person. With past boyfriends, Adelaide wasn't usually the one to initiate hand holding or kissing. She was more likely to show her affection by doing something for them. She'd write a sweet letter or buy them their favorite coffee before she'd kiss in public.

It was easy for her to say what she felt she should say or what she should do and hide behind that. Physical touch felt so vulnerable to her, and she always felt trapped, like she wouldn't be able to get away. Adelaide had never felt comfortable enough with someone to be close enough to them they could hear her heart race when they talked, or her breath quicken when they looked at her.

"Pretty good, actually. This is the first night I haven't had any scary witch dreams since I found this thing." Adelaide answered, gesturing to the key that was back hanging around her neck. Christoph chuckled, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb back and forth on her hand.

Christoph was the opposite. Since they'd met each other, anytime she was around him, he was touching her. He would hold her hand, touch her shoulder. She wasn't even sure he was aware of it some of the time. When they were walking through the airport, he kept a hand on her back or near her elbow, just so he was close by. When she fell asleep on the plane, she woke up to him sleeping in the seat next to her, his hand resting lazily on her lap.

Adelaide didn't mind physical touch as much when it was Christoph's. She understood his urge to be near her and touch her and make sure she was safe. After everything that had happened since they met, it only made sense. 

"That's good; you're going to need all the rest you can get for tonight."

She frowned at the mention of the ritual. Adelaide was enjoying their moment in the sun, doing her best to ignore the million other worries on her mind. Although she'd agreed to the ritual, she couldn't help but worry what it would be like. She couldn't control the magic she already had, so she couldn't imagine unleashing a new wave of "growing pains", as Christoph had called them.

"You know," Christoph started, noticing the look on her face. He tilted his head slightly and looked at her, reaching up and brushing his fingers across her cheek, "you don't have to do the ritual if you don't want to. We can figure something else out."

Adelaide shook her head, but smiled when he touched her face. She reached up and put her hand over his, holding his hand against her cheek.

"I need to do this. It's time I stop running away and ignoring my problems." She explained, pushing away her worries about the ritual. Whatever was going to happen, she'd just have to face it.