Four Elements Book 2 - Fight and Feel

Part 63

Andie went back to bed after Balon left, but she couldn't get to sleep. And with Hannah lying next to her fast asleep, she couldn't even toss and turn in frustration. But Hannah was resting peacefully, so she didn't mind too much. She gently moved a lock of hair that was tickling her sister's nose, and looked out the window. The sky looked blue in the moonlight. There wasn't a sound. She couldn't stop thinking about what Balon had said. She had heard of people silently loving another person for years, but she hadn't expected it to happen to her... why had Bane never told her this? Was it because he thought it would scare her off?

She bit her lip. Of course he did... she had probably only reinforced that feeling when they had first started growing closer, and she'd tried to slow things down, not knowing if she wanted what Bane did. And she couldn't say she hadn't sensed a difference in the way they felt about each other. She loved him dearly, deeply, but Bane was... far more intense. She sighed and rolled carefully over. That was probably the reason the situation seemed to be hitting him so much harder than her... he must have felt he had ruined everything between them... and the worse part was that she couldn't tell if he was right or not. She still cared about him, of course... but if he didn't trust her, how could it possibly work between them? The answer was simple. It couldn't.

Andie had always grown up with the idea that trust is the basis of a relationship. And she was no longer sure she could trust Bane. And yet the thought of losing him was unbearable... but things would never be the same, and she couldn't tell which path was best for either of them. And while she was ready to do a lot of things for people she loved, she had no intention of living a lie if there was another way... she glanced at a picture of her and Bane by the Christmas tree. She sighed again and closed her eyes, wishing things could go back to the way they had been then.

Andie woke up feeling like she'd barely rested. And in retrospect, she probably hadn't much. But she had classes and rehearsal to get to. She got up quietly, got dressed and brushed her hair. Hannah could sleep a little longer. By the time she was ready, however, it was time for Hannah to get up.

"Hannah? Hey, time to get up, sleepyhead."

Hannah shifted slightly.

"Five more minutes..." she muttered sleepily.

Andie chuckled.

"I already gave you twenty," she smiled. "Come on, if I give you any more, you'll only go back to sleep. Up you get."

She turned to her dresser and took to brushing her tangled hair, wincing as the brush yanked through the knots. With a huge yawn, Hannah sat up and rubbed her eyes. Andie stepped away from the dresser and crouched before her.

"Hey... are you okay, Hannah? Did you sleep all right?"

Hannah nodded, but her eyes were uncertain.

"Am I going to have dreams about fire again?"

Andie sighed and squeezed her sister's hands.

"I don't know..." she said. "You might, you might not."

"Andie, am I going to catch fire like the napkin?" she asked in a nervous voice.

"No!" Andie said, trying to smile. "No, of course not. Fire isn't your enemy, it's your friend. You just have to be careful with it because it can get... a little out of hand. But you can always trust one thing: it will never hurt you. Okay?"

A small smile appeared on Hannah's face, and she nodded. Andie smiled back and reached up to kiss her forehead. She stood up and ran a hand through Hannah's hair.