Sins in their Souls [Completed-Under Revision]

Chapter 7: Broken Strings

A playful knock on the door forced Raia to leave the warmth of the bed covers and pull on her clothes. Azram was still asleep, the blankets barely covering him at all, so she pulled them up to at least cover his nudity. It's going to show... She hesitated at the door before peeking outside where Kell stood with two paper bags. "Breakfast." He didn't wait for her to invite him inside before his eyes fell on Azram who, still deep asleep scratched his bare chest.

Turning on his heel Kell left the room. "How about we walk?"

The town was barely awake when they entered the park, taking the first bench next to the exit. Kell was waiting for them to be alone before he dared speak. "So?"

"Hm?"

"What happened?"

"Well... I think you guessed right."

"Didn't you say only three weeks ago that it was impossible? Don't play with him."

"Is that how you see me?"

He lowered the bun he was about to take a bite off and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry."

"We are trying to heal together. That is what he said."

"Hm. Everyone is talking, I thought it was about you living together, but now apparently Azram confessed to you publicly. This morning Diara, my stepmom asked me about it. She said she heard him say some embarrassing stuff like..." Kell was trying to hide his blushing face. "How he wants to... own you or something. I can't imagine him saying it..."

"Own me?" she had to laugh. "He didn't say it like that exactly."

"So he did say something?!"

"Do you want me to tell you, you seem embarrassed with only this much?"

"Yes. No... I don't know."

"I believe his words were I want you to be mine. Not anyone else's, when you sit quietly, staring into nothing I want you to think of me, only me."

"Why are you telling me? So weird! Raia!" he was covering his ears.

"Well, that was it." she drank some of the berry tea.

"Really? That is all that it takes to ask a girl out? How selfish?"

"Love is selfish, don't you think? You want the other person to belong to you, to possess their every waking moment, to be the first and last thing on their mind. It is an obsession that grips tight to the mess you both create. It is beautiful but also a very ugly feeling when you are becoming desperate to show how you feel. I don't know how else to describe it. Last night I think Azram was disturbed by screaming and was afraid so he told me. If he hadn't gone with me to the ritual then perhaps nothing would have happened."

"Your monthly check-up? Is it that painful?"

"Well, yes. It pretty much consists of me screaming my lungs out for half an hour and Rowan trying to recite the spell. I think Azram was really shaken by it."

"You seem at peace with it."

"Twelve years in the making, each month, you tell me how I should react." Raia shrugged noticing some children running around the park, playing with a ball.

Kell followed her eyes and let out a sigh before he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I have a confession to make. That winter... eleven years ago. I was also there, tossing stones at you. I think I gave you that scar."

Raia's hand moved on its own to touch the thin white line above her eyebrow. "Ancient history."

"I'm sorry." Kell was unable to take his eyes off the children. "What we did was horrible."