Soulmarks

Chapter 10: Stay

When we get back to the hotel, the exhaustion is clear in both of us. I don't know how he does it, concerts and then parties until dawn. I don't know how I'll be able to adjust; it was sweet of him to do this for me.

"Ready for bed?" he asks, shutting the door behind us. I nod and brace myself on my chair so that I can stand up.

"Yeah, I am. Will you unzip my dress?" I ask.

"With pleasure," he says, voice husky. I smack him playfully.

"Don't sound so sexual, you better not peek at anything," I say.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he says.

"Yes, you would," I tease.

"Okay, I totally would, but I won't. I'm a gentleman," he says.

"I know you are," I say, kissing his cheek before he unzips the dress and turns away. It's a bit of a struggle to change, but Aven is patient and doesn't turn back around until I let him know that I'm finished. He lifts me into bed and covers me up.

"Are you sure you're okay with me going to the party and leaving you here all alone? You seem pretty shaken up," he says. I give him a fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go have fun without me," I say. He covers me up and kisses my forehead.

"Goodnight, Noa," he says.

"Night," I say. My voice cracks and a lump catches in my throat. I don't want him to leave. I want him to stay with me so I can feel safe and at ease, but I know he needs to go. He looks at me for a while, and I know he can see the tears brimming in my eyes, because he sits down at the edge of the bed and caresses my face.

"No, I'm going to stay," he says.

"No really Aven, I'm okay. Go to the party," I say. My voice cracks more, and the tears finally fall.

"You're not okay, and I'm staying," he says firmly. He wipes away my tears and gets into bed beside me.

"Aven, you're still in your nice concert clothes," I scold.

"Oh, right, sorry," he says, beginning to take off his shirt.

"That doesn't give you permission to undress!"

"Well, you want me out of my nice clothes, don't you?" he teases. I punch him lightly.

"You're so stupid sometimes," I say, laughing away my tears. He lays himself down beside me, wrapping his arms around me. I feel safe in his embrace. "Thank you."

"I want to be here for you, Noa. Don't ever feel like you're going to get in the way. You could have been seriously hurt tonight. You don't have to pretend like you're okay," he says.

"I didn't think that I would, at first. Cassidy just said some things that changed my mind," I say.

"She can be harsh sometimes, but she's just a little overprotective of me because I was there for her when she lost her dad. She doesn't want me to get hurt because I helped her through her own hurt," he says.

"I'm not going to hold a grudge on Cassidy, but what she said hurt. I'm afraid that I'll hold you down or impede your dreams. That's why you hid the mark in the first place, right?" I ask.

"It was more because I was afraid that I'd be too busy to give my soulmate what they need. When you told me about needing someone who makes you feel like you did with your brother, it intimidated me at first. But the more time we spend together, I realize I didn't need to be. If the love is real, it comes easy. And this has been easy. I don't feel like I have to put on a face for you, or put any effort into our time together. Being together seems to be enough for the both of us," he says.