Aurel

twenty- five

When she awakened the next morning, she found Lio knocked out on the floor. Heart warm, she smiled against her pillow. She was surprised that he had actually stayed. Daylight savings time was approaching but for now, they could still enjoy the moments of early morning light. Sitting up, she yawned quietly and rubbed her eyes. Another day, another dolla but why did getting up feel like pulling teeth this morning? Maybe it was because he was here, all tucked in like a child that made her not want to leave.
Glad for the distance, she was free to stretch. He remained undisturbed as she got up and left him, with a frowning yawn. This was her only chance to steal away and shower and she did just that, after tidying up the blankets she'd slept with, all but one. Getting up, she stretched it out across his body and pulled away, heading to the bathroom.

***

Dressed and ready, she did her best to keep relatively quiet, with the lights still off and white noise still playing. It made her happy to know that he felt comfortable enough, that her space was comfortable enough for him to let his guard down. It made her feel special. Taking care, she gathered her lunch and importants and quietly closed and locked the door behind her.

With it coming up on their six month anniversary and his birthday, she was wracking her brain trying to figure out just what to do. Maybe a visit to a brewery since he liked beer. Maybe a little staycation somewhere local? Dinner and a movie? So many options to choose from. She'd think of something.

***

"Hey there Jasp,"
"Barry, hey."
"Hey."
"Whaddya want?"
"Damn, can't I call my own sister? Hell, you owe me a couple conversations. Moved to Pennsylvania and forgot all about us back here in Tennessee."
"I have not."
"Well, you do think you too good and pretty to call huh?" Guilt hit her in the stomach.
"I'm sorry, Care Bear." Her brother's frowning face lit up slightly at the nickname and she knew she'd be forgiven. Beryl always did have a super soft spot for her.
"When you coming home, Jack?"
"Hm,"
"Now, don't start that. I want an answer. Pops been asking bout you and Momma too. We all miss you." Taking the time to shake up her salad, she popped the top and dug in.
"What y'all doing for Christmas? New Years?"
"Same as we always do. Celebrate at the ranch." Memories of what used to be her most favorite time of the year rushed into her head.
"I'll see what my funds looking like and we can go from there."
"Ain't no see, now. We wanna see you. Gar, Flint nem gone fly in too. All that'll be missing is you." Biting her lip, she licked the Italian dressing off the corner of her mouth.
"I wanna be there so bad, bear. I'll try."
"Alright then, that's good enough. How Shay nem?"
"They good. Real good," She said, eating some more.
"Mmhm. They can come too." Rolling her eyes, she pursed her lips.
"No matter how hard you try, Sarah is not gone go out with you, Bear." He mirrored her pursed lips as if to say yeah right.
"All I gotta do is show her I done grown up some. That's all." Smiling against her fork, she watched him puff out his chest some.
"You a fool boy. Get off my screen." He grinned.
"Love you Jack,"
"Love you too Bear." With a sigh, she ate the rest of her food and hurried up, making it back to her counter on time.

***

"You look stressed out,"
"When don't I look stressed?"
"You're an immortal being, Lio. You're far too young? Old? Whatever however to constantly have bags under your eyes." He didn't reply to that verbally, a right and proper middle finger lifting, behind Willow's back of course.
"What the hell do you keep running for anyway? Hell, you should be proud of yourself. You controlled yourself for once, had a little sleep over and got some warm fuzzy feelings. Why do you keep invading my house?"
"Lauden," At his wife's insistence, he sighed and rustled his reddish-blonde curls. Flopping into his favorite arm chair, he buried his face in his hands.
"Speak clearly, mate. What's going on?" For once, he actually sounded kinda concerned.
"My feelings for her scare the absolute shit out of me," He answered honestly, voice muffled.
"She's making you feel in a way you haven't felt before." An observation, assumption that proved correct.
"I felt the same. With Willow." Said woman kept cooking but they both knew she listened intently.
"When I was courting Willow, I wanted to tuck tail and run every time I started to fall deeper in love with her." At the candid confession, Lio finally removed his hands from his face. Lifting his eyes, he made eye contact with him.
"Jasper, it sounds, is forcing you to finally face your fears." His jaw tightened.
"It's only uncomfortable because it is unfamiliar. But, we become our truest most genuine selves when we allow ourselves to embrace the unknown."
"That's what fucks with me the most. The unknown."
"Well, we all cannot be clairvoyant like Willow can we? Even that comes with a price." Sighing heavily, he sat back on the couch.
"I feel comfortable with her. A peace I...I'm not deserving of comes over me."
"Why aren't you deserving?" A cynical laugh chilled the room.
"I am a bringer of death, Lauden. My place is far deep underground somewhere away from every vestige of light. Jasper is... well, she is completely opposite of me. She is a bearer of light, of glorious grace and purity."
"Wow, that was Shakespearean."
"If you met her, you'd understand." Licking his lips, he continuing spilling his frazzled thoughts, the need to put them to words suffocating him.
"I am afraid that all of this will be ripped from me." Like all of the others.
"My mother was taken from me. She could not nurture me the way I needed her to but after so long, I don't want to hate her anymore. In a lot of ways, she was just as much a victim as I was." Eyes watery, he cleared his throat.
"She didn't deserve her end." Willow had finished for now and he felt her touch on his shoulder.
"Go on, Will. Let your inner child free. Let him heal," The sound of his human name from lips that loved him caused him suddenly to break down and cry and he sobbed then, centuries of pain and torment finally finding a release.
"I searched and searched for my identity, for someone to tell me... show me who I was. They called me half-devil. So, I became one. They called me half-breed. So, I existed as an invisible creature." Letting his tears saturate his face and neck, he didn't try to stop them. They had to flow.
"I tried to be what they wanted, a man of the church, a royal son, a puppet." Sniffling, his shoulders trembled.
"Now, a penitent old dog, I dare to seek refuge, now I dare to seek one of God's own, a messenger of His glory and majesty, knowing that I will soil her. I dare to want her knowing that I won't even want to share her with God Himself." At that, Willow drew him to her in a hug. For a while, his two oldest friends... his family listened to him weep and when no more sound came out from his mouth, Willow released him.
"God knew you before he placed you in your mother's womb. And, He loves you now more than ever." Kissing his forehead, she smiled, eyes watery.
"He has never forgotten about you. Whatever you chose to do... the man you choose to be now, He shall be there."
"All I need is His blessing. I won't let her go once I have her." Smile again, she declined any further word and pulled away from him completely..
"You are on your way to reversing Amarande's curse." Her words dug into his belly and he turned to watch her walk back into the kitchen.
"She lives up to her namesake." She murmured to herself with a smile.
"Dinner is ready, boys. Come and get it."