Captive Innocence

Regrets? Possibly

When Leah finally woke up, Anna walked up to her and handed her a letter. "What's this?" She asked as she sat on the couch next to Ofelia.

"Some guard told me to give it to you when you wake up," explained Anna.

"Oh, thanks Anna." When she opened it, she saw James' hand writing. It said, 'Leah, I'm sorry for my behavior last night. I didn't mean to scare you in any way. My emotions got the better half of me. I can't stop thinking about you, and when I close my eyes all I see is you.'

"What does it say?" Ofelia asked, leaning in.

Leah quickly put the note in her pocket. "Nothing important."

Ofelia looked at her in disbelief. "Right. I see how it is."

Leah smiled and said, "So how was the Christmas party?"

"It was beautiful Leah. I can't believe you missed it." Adelina said.

"I think I'll survive."

"Whatever. It was your lose."

Leah laughed then turned her attention to Anna. "Anna, how was your night?"

She searched for the right words. "It was unexpected, but in a very good way. My night was amazing."

"I'm so glad." Leah got up and walked into her room. It was a long night and a shower sounded so good at that moment. She walked over to her bureau and something there had grabbed her attention. There was a small paper folded on top of it. She hadn't noticed it before; she wondered what it could be...or who it was from.

As she opened it, she couldn't believe what was before her eyes. It was a drawing of the meadow; the one Marcus had taken her to. There were words written at the bottom of the drawing. The words made her breath stop. 'Life was nothing, and it had no meaning...until you. Your warm eyes, your dazzling smile, and your compassionate words. From the first moment I saw you, I knew my life would never be the same again.'

She couldn't believe he came back that night. Leah stood and ran for the door. She had to find Marcus. She needed to talk to him. She ran as fast as she could to his cabin.

"Leah, what are you doing here?" Chris asked, suddenly at the door.

"Chris, where's Marcus? I need to talk to him."

"I think he went to the jungle gym."

"Oh okay. Thank you."

As she approached the jungle gym, she noticed the children were leaving. Searching through the crowd, she didn't see his face. She walked a bit farther, hoping to find him somewhere. Then she spotted him; he was standing on the lake shore looking out. His tall dark figure stood out against the orange and pink rays of the setting sky. She walked closer, hoping he would hear her approach; however, he did not turn around. "Marcus?" She said softly. He still didn't turn around. She stepped closer. "Marcus, did you come by yesterday?"

"Why does it matter?" He asked in a bitter tone.

"Marcus, please, I need to know."

He could hear the pleading in her voice and turned around to see her face. "Would you feel satisfied knowing that I just came crawling right back to you? Begging you to take me back?" His voice was rough and harsh.

"I...Marcus, what do you mean?" She was dazed and confused.

"Do you love him Leah?"

She didn't want to answer; she didn't want to hurt him farther.

"Do you know what it feels like to know that the person you love loves someone else?" He saw that she wasn't going to reply. He took a step closer. "Do you know...what it feels like?!" He said yelling.

Leah had never seen him like this before; she didn't know what to do. "I told you I couldn't give you what you wanted," she admitted softly, afraid to look him in the eyes.

He turned around and felt her arms around his, pulling him back around to face her.

"Why did you draw the meadow?" She asked. "Did you mean what you wrote?" It was silent. "Answer me, Marcus. Please," she added softly.

Why did I leave it there? He thought to himself. Why didn't I just tear it up while I had the chance? He took in a deep breath and sighed in frustration. "I meant it then, but now I'm not so sure anymore. Why? What's it to you if it meant anything or not?"

"I just needed to know. Things are different now. Marcus, I can't be the person you want me to be."

He felt as if she was stabbing him in the heart. "I don't want you to be anyone but you. I love you just the way you are."

"Love?" She took a step back. "There's that word again."

"Yes, Leah. It's the only word that best describes the way I feel about you."

"Right. You don't even know the meaning of the word." She threw back at him. Leah shook her head silently to herself. Marcus had to show her. He grabbed her shoulders unexpectedly making her wince in pain. His hold on her deepened. He wanted her full attention.

"The feelings I have for you are deeper than a crush and aren't near to a 'like'. I can't explain to you what I feel when you touch me and especially when you kiss me."

She closed her eyes and he knew he was getting through to her.

"It’s not enough." She whispered as she opened her eyes and waited. Waited for him to realize what she was saying. His mind went blank and he let her go. Leah turned and slowly walked away.

But he couldn't let her go just yet. Marcus gently took a hold of her arm again and turned her around to face him. He reached up with his other hand as he looked into her eyes. He carefully brushed away the few strands of hair from her face, marveling over her beauty.

"Marcus, don't..."

He leaned forward and cupped her face with his free hand. He slowly closed the distance between them. Oh, how he had missed the feeling of her in his arms. He had to show her, show her that she had feeling for him just as much as he had. He gently brushed his lips against hers. "Leah..." He didn't want to let her go ever again. He didn't want to feel the pain of losing her. The thought of losing her made him react instantly; he pulled her tighter into his embrace, kissing her more fiercely. He felt her melt against him for a second, before she pulled away.

He looked into her dark brown eyes and was afraid, afraid of losing her trust and especially her.

"You shouldn't have done that." She turned around and began to run. He didn't mean to hurt her or upset her. He regretted the kiss as soon as he saw the deception in her eyes.