forbidden { michael gray } ON TEMPORARY HOLD

t h i r t e e n

Panting heavily, Talya almost had to scramble away from Michael to stop him from trying to go for another round. The sun was just beginning to rise and she knew she had to meet Anechka later on that day, so she needed to get some sleep beforehand.

"Had enough?" Michael asked with a smirk as he leaned back and looked at Talya smugly.

She nodded and let out a sigh as she tried to catch her breath. "You're crazy."

Still smirking, he pulled her close to him, so her head rested on his stomach. His hands lazily played with her hair, splaying it out across his torso and brushing any knots out of it. "I missed you, you know. I really did."

"I missed you too." She said as her eyes closed. The feeling of his fingers brushing against the scar on her temple, the smell of his cologne, the warmth he inspired in her heart felt like coming home. But it didn't matter how good he made her feel, she couldn't just forget how much he had hurt her recently. "This doesn't mean I'm not still upset with you, you know."

Talya felt his hands stiffen for a moment, but they quickly relaxed. "I didn't expect it to. But it's a start."

A small, contented smile graced Talya's lips before she began to fall asleep. Michael's smile mirrored her own as he watched the girl he loved be back where she belonged: in his arms.

-

The sound of Talya's alarm blaring woke her with a start. Michael was nowhere to be seen as she stretched over the side of her bed to turn of the alarm clock. She wondered where he had gone? Or if he had ever been there at all and she had just dreamt it in her drunken state.

Her mind had begun to convince her of the latter when Michael materialised as he walked through her door, making Talya let out a small squeal.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Talya said through a shaky laugh. "You just spooked me is all. Where've you been?"

He began to smirk as he removed his arms from behind his back, producing an extravagant bouquet of flowers filled with many different colours and scents, all tied together with a thick, baby blue ribbon. "For you, madam."

Talya was speechless as he placed the decadent gift on her lap. It was absolutely huge, almost as tall and wide as her torso. "Oh, Michael! They're lovely! Thank you."

He stooped down to kiss her cheek, his mouth still curled into a self-satisfied smile, but Talya noticed it didn't quite reach his eyes. As though he wasn't being wholly truthful about something. But in that moment, she didn't care. If he wanted to keep something from her, that was his decision; she was too enamoured with her happiness over his thoughtful gift.

"So," Michael said as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Talya's feet onto his lap. "Any plans for the day?"

"I'm seeing Anechka for a bit, but other than that no."

"Alright, come to mine after and I'll cook you something nice for tea."

Talya smiled and nodded. "That's if Anechka lets me leave."

-

A few hours later, and Talya was sat in Lickey Tea Rooms, waiting for Anechka to make an appearance. Her cousin was already 5 minutes late, which meant she could expect her in another 10 minutes. Talya didn't know why she bothered showing up on time.

While she patiently waited, Talya made a point of observing the many people who filled the large room. Many of them were dressed in grand clothing, meant to show off their wealth. It made Talya laugh. Just a few months ago, she too put on such displays. If she hadn't have moved out, she probably still would be. But being independent and earning her own money had made Talya realise the error in her ways. She, like many of the suit-clad, moustached men and the facinator-wearing women with upturned noses and an air of grandeur, had never done a day's work in her life. Of course, she'd had her job as a secretary, but that was just to keep herself entertained. She never needed the job. Her parents had made sure of that. She had never worn clothes with holes in, never had to check the price of something in a shop, never felt the dull pang in her stomach when there hadn't been enough food to make it go away. Not until now. And she was glad of it. Glad she was no longer like the women she could hear, gossiping about their friend who had been brave enough to excuse herself to use the bathroom or complaining about how their nannie had dared to take a day off to look after her own children. It made her realise just how glad she was to be free of her parents, even if she was struggling for money at the moment.