Lower Your Eyes (A Loki Romance Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Look to the Past

I could hear the pages of Loki's book turning from the bathing chamber, where he lay in the tub after a hot shower. Built well into the ground and adorned in marble, the vast tub was more of a miniature pool, and was truly the hallmark of the room—the pinnacle of relaxation. After our encounter with Davos, some relaxation was certainly in order, but I found myself reluctant. With the edges of my thin robe pulled in around myself, I realized—most ridiculously—that all the candles in the room had been lit. With a single wave of his hand, Loki had lit them all before slipping into the bathwater.

I approached the archway leading to the room and stopped, staring. If I went in there...if I joined him, it would be the first time that he saw my body so abjectly in such lighting. All our previous encounters had been beneath covering, most often at night. Particularly when I was still a slave and had duties to attend to during the day.

"Are you just going to stand there all night?" Loki said, and the page of his book turned on its own.

I strode into the bathroom wearily, stopping beside the tub. "I think I might just go to bed."

"And leave me soaking here on my own?" He finally arched a brow in my direction, looking up at me from the tub. "On our wedding night, no less?"

"We will have another wedding night, you know."

"That one won't be ours," he said, then set the book down to extend his hand to me. "You said you wanted to when we came in. You said you weren't feeling well."

I looked down at my robe, at the tresses of hair still damp from my own shower. Then I glanced around the room, scanning the ambient lighting that the candles created. There were no sheets to hide beneath, no shadows to cling to. "I won't lie to you, Loki," I murmured. "I don't feel comfortable taking this robe off."

A flash of amusement struck his features. "I beg your pardon?"

"I did not think you would light all these candles."

He glanced around at them. "I fail to see the problem with my having done so?"

"You've never seen me in such lighting, so—fully."

"I'm not following."

I was tempted to roll my eyes. Loki was extraordinary in so many ways—and yet, in the ways of a man, he often proved himself equally clueless. "My...scars," I ground out. "You've never seen them so broadly."

Slowly, his brows drew together in incredulity. "I'm more than a little acquainted with your body by now, Aila."

"But you haven't seen them."

"Aila—" Loki rose, extending his hand further. I took a step back, and he paused, sinking back into the water. "Very well, then." With a wave of his hand, all the candles but one were doused. "Would you like me to close my eyes, as well?"

The lighting was low enough that I wasn't sure he saw me shake my head. He didn't protest as I slowly pulled at the edges of my robe. It pooled at my feet when I let it drop, and then I stepped into the warm water. There was ample room for both of us in the massive tub, but Loki pulled me into his corner quickly. After a moment of getting comfortable, I rested my head against his chest, relaxing into him as he picked the book back up.

"There, now," he murmured. "Rest."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm sorry I'm like this."

"It's unfair to apologize to a man who is viciously in love with you. You know I will forgive all your faults."

"Within reason," I murmured, smiling a bit.

"Would you not forgive all of mine?"

"Of course." I nodded. "There's no one more precious to me in all the nine realms than you."