Blindsided

Begin Again

Seriously, I'm blown away by the response this fic has gotten. Here I am, a humble author tending to her feels, and not only has the community latched onto this like the Second Coming but someone sent this to Dokki and she shouted it out multiple times on Twitter. I cannot EVEN, y'all. Em and I are so grateful for how this is going, there simply are no words.

Song is Begin Again by Purity Ring, and the proofreading and such are all done by the fabulous Dotemms. With kiddo in school again I have hours of uninterrupted writing time again, so updates will potentially get longer :D

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  The light faded and twilight draped over the world, stars bursting into brilliant pinpricks in the growing darkness. Crickets and cicadas played their symphonies, call and response echoing in the night. The heat of day cooled as the sun slipped past the horizon, the moon's pale face beginning its ascent, a waning crescent arching through the heavens. Streetlamps fizzled to life and illuminated the streets with their golden light, casting lurid shadows in its wake.

  Sarv was locking up the church in the dim light, the only illumination being the votives and long tapers set in candelabra around the sanctuary. A long douter in hand she made her way to the back of the sanctuary, snuffing candles as she went to be relit tomorrow before Mass. Her footsteps clicked against the cool stone of the floor, the smell of aged wood and chill permeating everything around her. She slipped into the side passage to the cloister, leaving the yawning expanse of the dark sanctuary behind.

  She walked into the sitting room and collapsed into the sofa, tired beyond belief. The clatter of dishes being laid and flatware being collected seemed far away in her exhaustion and she pulled her habit from her head, sighing in relief as her hair came free and fell about her shoulders. Someone came behind her and began to rub her scalp with their fingers, eliciting a groan of bliss.

  "Long night tonight," Ruv said as he reached the hollow behind her ears with his thumbs. "Dinner's ready, I made borsch."

  "I don't want to get up with you doing that," she murmured as he scrubbed at her nape with tiny circles. "Feels nice."

  "You can't tell me you aren't hungry, you've been on your feet all day. And all you had for lunch was that sandwich and the kissel, you didn't even have breakfast."

  She whined as he pulled his fingers from her hair and pushed her up. "Come on, let's get something in you and you can turn in early tonight."

  "So bossy."

  He hauled her out of her seat, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Yes, we all know you can't live without me. Now come on before the borsch gets cold."

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  She dragged herself into the shower after dinner, sagging as the warm water hit her head and back and turned her hair a shade of mauve with moisture. Scrubbing at her scalp, her mind wandered and meandered. Her scalp still tingled from where Ruv had massaged at it, her skin flushing as she remembered how gently his fingers had traced her nape.

  She was no closer to understanding her feelings than she'd been earlier that week. She didn't understand this weird attraction she was getting at even the most innocuous things, the brief moments her mind went elsewhere when she'd catch sight of Ruv bending to pick up books or straightening his jacket, shoulders bunching under the material. The way his hands looked curved around the handle of his mug when he'd drink his tea in the mornings raised goosebumps on her arms. The sight of him with the kids that afternoon had been downright distracting . She thudded her head against the cool tile of the stall. What the hell was happening to her?