As You Lay Dying - Alfie Solomons

8

//Just some fluff! BUT there's going to be a familiar face entering the scene in the next chapter and I'm so excited....

            Alfie had been unsure about his relationship with Lily almost since the day they met. They had always existed in a gray area where he wasn't sure where he stood. He felt like he was orbiting her warmth, soaking in the rays of her beauty and personality. But he continued to circle, his path unable to come into contact with her directly.

Now that they had taken that leap into a more physical relationship, Alfie wondered if he would find some clarity. However, he felt just as lost as before.

He never initiated any contact, still feeling unworthy of her affection. And Lily, as shy as she was, was timid despite her initial jump. It was almost laughable as Alfie recalled how things used to be as a schoolboy. He'd tease and taunt girls he fancied, gagging if they so much as touched his arm. It seemed he reverted to the coy, playful nature of his younger days, minus the feigned disgust.

Alfie had never been one for physical touch. When touch was gentle and loving, it felt foreign to him. He was far more accustomed to the white-hot violence of striking a man down, sometimes with his bare hands, sometimes with a weapon. It had been ages since he'd caused another person to shed blood. Now it seemed he had to retire to the softer form of touch.

Lily informed Alfie that her birthday was the following week.

"Didn't give me much time to plan, did ya?" He protested. The balcony doors were closed, giving them a good view of the season's first snowfall. The ocean was gray and some snow piles had accumulated on the beach, though they were soon blown away by the wind.

Inside Lethe, the fireplace was roaring although Argos was hogging most of the heat by lying on the rug right in front of the hearth.

"I didn't think you needed a week to plan." Lily teased from her spot on the chaise. "Besides, I don't need anything special."

Alfie grunted in disagreement. "You don't really wear jewelry, hm?" He was far more adorned with bracelets and rings and necklaces than Lily. She didn't even wear earrings though he had noticed her lobes were pierced.

"I do on nice occasions," Lily answered although she wasn't sure which occasions she was referring to. She wasn't invited to large, swanky parties or boisterous affairs. She recalled wearing her pearl earrings at her father's funeral and Rian's too. "But I have this." She tugged on the gold chain that was hidden beneath her jumper.

Alfie donned his glasses and got up from his armchair to inspect. He gently let the charm rest in the palm of his hand. "A fishhook?"

Lily laughed softly. "I know it's silly. My father gave it to me so I could think of him when he was away on fishing trips."

Alfie could see the necklace wasn't pure gold, most likely a copper alloy, it seemed to be brass if he had to wager a guess. But it didn't matter, Lily valued the sentiment over what it was made of. "That's nice." He said, letting the charm fall from his hand.

Lily tucked it back under her collar. "I feel a little silly in diamonds. I figure they're more suited for royalty." She shrugged sheepishly.

"Nah." He shook his head and ran his thumb over the set of rings always adorning his hand. "Diamonds are for those who deserve them. And royalty, they're fucking criminals just like me, ain't they?"