Art Deco {Cherry Wine Sequel}

five

Whoever said that time heals all wounds was the worst kind of liar. Not only did they lie, they made everyone believe wholeheartedly in the lie.

It took me ten days before I could look at Lex again without that haze of sadness clouding my vision. I was trying my hardest to forgive him-and for the most part, I had. What was plaguing me now was this sense that I had seen this all before, that whatever this was now, between us, wouldn't end well. It was a false feeling, a result of my time in a coma, but it still weighed heavy in my chest. I stayed in my room, on the lower deck, alone. Carlisle was always just out of sight, watching me. No one bothered me. I hated that the guards knew of Lex's coping mechanism before they had ever met me. I hated that they would forever see me as the clueless fiancee, and so I avoided them as much as was possible. I missed Benji more than ever.

The catalyst for the end of the space between us came in the form of my worst nightmares. The ocean got so black at night it felt like the darkness could be cupped in open hands. The only reprieve from the dark were the flashing lights on the side of the boat.  They were not regular enough to drive the darkness out, and so I endured night after night of the same distress and cold sweats. The colors had teeth.

On the tenth night, they came for me. It was the most vivid dream I'd had, and I woke to the sound of my bedroom door slamming open. Carlisle stood in the doorframe, a shadow in the night. He was next to me in moments, pulling my hands from each other. I was dragging my short nails over the skin of my arms, trying to draw blood. It was something I hadn't done since my worst days, nearly a year ago.

"I'm getting Lex." He said.

"I'm fine." I said. "Please don't."

"If your screams woke me, they woke him." Carlisle said. His face was cut by the brief flashes of light.  "You need him."

He was gone before I could protest any more. The walls crawled pink and blue, threatening oil-spill rainbows.

"Ruth." Lex's voice startled me. I hadn't realized I had fallen back asleep. A cold sweat washed over me, and I sat up. He put  a hand to my cheek, and I grabbed it, pressing my face into his grip. Around me, the walls stilled, the room darkening.

"Please don't go." I protested, as Lex pulled away.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said. "Come with me. Come to bed."

I took the hand he offered me, letting him pull me from my bed. I shivered as the air hit my damp skin, my arms and legs bare in the silk slip I wore.  The boat rocked under my feet, and I clung unsteadily to Lex's shirt. The dreams left me feeling drugged, strung out.

Lex's room felt like it was an eternity away, on the opposite side of the boat. Much like mine, one wall was made of glass, looking out over the wine-dark sea. Lex helped me gently to the bed, wrapping a knit blanket around my shoulders.

"Show me your arms." He said calmly, crouching in front of me. I hesitated, and then stretched them out. The dim light of a bedside lamp turned my skin gold. My forearms were smooth, unblemished. I had not broken the skin. Lex traced his palm down each arm, feeling for the telltale raised lines. When there were none, he nodded, and stood.

"I'm sorry." I said, my voice quavering.

Lex shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for." He sat on the edge of my bed, and rubbed a hand over the nape of my neck. I relaxed into the touch, my heart calming. He hummed the familiar aria, and I lay down, my head resting in his lap.

The wrongness was receding, it's talons retracting from my gut. Forgiveness was just outside.

I fell asleep in the circle of light from the lamp, Lex's hands running through my hair. I did not wake up once.

We stayed in that position all night, and when the morning send the first tendrils of light through the window-wall, Lex was still watching me, his back resting against the headboard. I didn't speak. I was ashamed at how Carlisle had found me the night before, worried what he might think of me spending the night in Lex's bed. I kept my eyes closed, trying to sort out my own emotions.

"I can see your mind whirring." Lex said. "I know you're awake."

I blinked my eyes open, looking up at him. The words he spoke the first night we spent in his bed came flooding back to me. Your mind goes a million miles a minute, Ruth. Just settle down. I pushed myself up, so I was sitting, leaning on one arm.

"Are you alright?" He asked. I didn't answer, but the sound of footsteps made me glance towards the door, Lex followed my gaze. "It's locked."

I swallowed hard, but I couldn't make myself speak. Lex took my chin, pulled my face towards him. My throat closed, and I dropped my eyes.

"Ruth." He said. "Are you still angry with me?"

I shook my head. "I-" My voice was ragged, choked. Lex waited patiently, sizing me up. "I'm not mad." I managed to get out. "I just don't know where we go from here.

Lex reached out, and fixed the strap of my slip from where it had fallen down my arm. "How about we start here?" He leaned in, and kissed me, a chaste, brief kiss. For a moment, I didn't move.

Then I took his face in my hands, his stubble rough. I kissed him again, laughing into it, because this felt right. Every clouded worry seemed to dissipate as his hands found my waist, drew me closer.

A knock on the door made me jump, and I laughed, dropping my forehead to his shoulder.

"Breakfast is ready." Carlisle's voice came through the door. We waited until his footsteps backed away, and then I sat back, grinning.

"We better go to breakfast." I said, tucking my hair behind me ear.

"Or we could stay here."

My stomach growled, and I covered it with my hands. My appetite had made a comeback after the coma, exacerbated by long days in the sun.

Lex laughed, kissed the divot in my collarbone, and shooed me towards the door. "Go get dressed."

I was giddy as I flipped the lock on the door, like a teenager sneaking back into the house after a night out. The hall was empty, and I slid a hand along the wall as I made my way to my room, peeking around the corners. There was no reason for me to be hiding, but for whatever reason, I wanted to stay unseen, live in a bubble of happiness for just a while longer. I could hear the clinking of cutlery from the deck, one of the guard's voices lifting as he joked.

I crept back into my room, shutting the door behind me. Sun beams glanced off the waves, lighting on the floors and wall. I watched them, mesmerized, before turning to the closet. I understood, now, the dresses, the silks. Whoever had put this wardrobe together had done it for a girl in love. Before, it all seemed too revealing, frivolous. Now it seemed to suit my mood perfectly. I yanked a white dress over my head, tugging at the thin ties that made the straps. When I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, my mouth dropped open.

I glowed, my cheeks and mouth pink, the beginnings of a tan showing on my shoulders. I was still angular and weak from my ordeal in the hospital, but for once, I looked like I belonged. I could be just another girl on vacation in Europe, another student travelling before school started.

I left my feet bare, and opened the door to the deck. Three of the four guards were sitting around the table, while Lex lounged against the railing, face to the sun. Carlisle exchanged a knowing look with another guard as I stepped outside. I blushed, but Carlisle just winked at me.

"Coffee?" He asked, pushing a pot towards me. I took it, aware of Lex's eyes on me. I felt him move towards me, and then he took the mug from my hands.
"Come sit with me." He tipped his head to a sun-drenched beach chair on the other end of the deck. I followed him to it, settling cross legged on the foot on the chair, facing him. My cross glinted between the open buttons of his shirt.

"R-"

I kissed him before he could finish my name, giggling as I pulled away. I didn't care that the guards could see, that we were in the open. "I love you." I said. "Let's leave it at that."

His fingers plucked at the white bows on my shoulders. "Let's leave it at that. then."