Torrential Love

Chapter Thirty-Three

~YAEL~

She brushed her fingers across his bare abdomen, and he grabbed onto her waist, pulling her into his embrace hungrily. Her mouth opened into their kiss, and she lurched forward but gave a cry of pain when the movement strained her wounds. They parted in an instant.

"I'm sorry," Duncan said.

"It okay," she replied.

"I think we should patch you up as soon as possible - I'm sorry - "

"Okay," she said as she blushed. He was in a frazzled state as he picked up a fresh plaster to apply it to the wound on her chest. He removed the old plasters from her stomach and back as well, replacing them with fresh new plasters. "Thank you," Yael said, and he passed her blouse back to her. She put it back on.

"You should get to sleep," Duncan said.

Yael could still feel the ghost of his lips on hers and she wanted to continue where they left off, but something told her it would not happen. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression, and she couldn't decipher what he might be thinking. She nodded in agreement and he returned the first aid kit to the cupboard and turned off the lights.

It didn't take long before she could tell from the way he breathed that he had fallen asleep. Her mind wandered easily back to the kiss they shared. She had made the first move and kissed him bravely. She had thought she would only be brutally rejected because it was clear as day that he was not over Maya, but he had actually returned her kiss with the same fervour. She couldn't help but smile broadly at that. She hadn't thought things would come to this point, but the more she pondered it, the more she loved the idea of being with Duncan.

She touched her fingers to her lips and felt her face heating. If only she could kiss him again and feel him kiss her back. She had kissed before but it was nothing like that kiss just now. Duncan, he was different. Special.

She turned to her side, a smile still on her lips. Would there be a future for them? She liked him very much and wanted to be with him. He appeared to want the same thing -

"M-M..."

Yael's ears perked up. It came from Duncan's direction. She propped herself on her elbows, trying to hear what he was saying.

"Duncan?" she asked. He did not reply. And from the way his breathing sounded, he was most likely still asleep.

"M..."

What did he say? Yael neared the edge of the bed, trying to hear better.

"Maya..." Duncan said in his sleep.

Maya.

Yael slumped back down on the bed. He spoke her name in his sleep. Her mouth fell open in deep thought and she replayed the way his voice sounded when he spoke her name. It was so full of emotion, so full of longing.

She was not Maya.

And she would never be. Maya held a special place in his heart, a place she could never overthrow. A sudden feeling of sorrow crept into her heart, and she closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out her thoughts. She soon fell asleep.

When she awoke the next day, Duncan was busy preparing dinner for them. Thoughts of what happened the previous night ran across her mind, and she watched his body going stiff as she thought about it. She knew he could hear her thoughts.

Duncan brought the plate of English breakfast to the table, then came over to carry her to the table. "How are you feeling today?" he asked her sweetly.

"I alright," she said.

"So, I think we should talk about what happened yesterday, when I was patching you up. That kiss..."

"It nothing."

"Yael, I think I'm in love with you."

"No," she said.

No, not me.

"Yael - " Duncan began. She watched his expression. They were both thinking about what happened last night, when he was sleeping.

"We eat," Yael said.

"Alright," he said, picking up his fork.

And he spoke not one word about what he said last night.