The Shadow of Our Past

Defy

My heavy eyes barely open, squinting at the bright light streaming in from the glass door across the room. A small figure shifts next to me, a blanket pulled up to her neck. She's facing me, expression peaceful with her lips parted in small breaths. She's beautiful this way, with no worry furrowing her eyebrows or making her lips downturn.

A fluffy cat is on her back between us, legs sticking up and face tilted back. I huff in amusement and reach down to pet her exposed belly. Green eyes peer back at me after a moment, then Maxine's legs stretch out and her back arches. As if on cue, Kira shifts again, taking a deep breath in. I look back up at her, leaning forward to press a small kiss to her nose. She hums, reaching out for me blindly and landing a hand in my hair. It trails down past my ear, resting on the nape of my neck. Her diamond eyes flutter open, lidded with sleep.

"Morning," I greet in a gravelly voice and she smiles. Her thumb runs up and down on my shoulder and she shuffles closer to me. Maxine chirps in dismay, but jumps up from between us before she's crushed. Kira curls herself around me, tucking her head into my chest.

"G'morin'," she whispers into my chest groggily, adjusting her free hand to rest on my chest. I wrap an arm around her waist and tuck her head under my chin. My other arm is under her head, hand curled in to run my fingers through her hair with a methodical pattern.

"How'd you sleep?" I say, my voice muffled against her. She tilts her head to look at me, forcing me to lift my head and peer down at her. The way she looks in my arms makes my heart thump against my chest.

"Really, really good. Thanks," she murmurs, eyes shimmering in the morning light. I seriously could never deserve her. I look away for a moment, unexpected tears building in my eyes. I blink rapidly, mentally berating myself for already getting emotional today. "How about you?"

"Fantastic, but I'm happier to be awake now." I smile down at her, pecking a kiss to her nose. She wiggles up the bed so our heads are level with each other, then soft lips graze against mine. A hand trails up to my messy hair, then back to my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her waist and shift to pull her onto my chest. She squeaks, but doesn't pull away from our kiss. Instead she circles her arms around my neck, half lying on me. Our lips move against each other in a shameless, needy dance. She only pulls away when I can feel a lack of breath starting to strain my lungs. Her head falls against my chest and I kiss her hair tenderly.

"I'm not getting up." She smiles up at me. "This is too perfect." I hum, shifting to sit up and pull Kira fully into my lap. She adjusts to bury her head in the crook of my neck with her arms tucked against my chest. We stay intertwined, simply enjoying each other's presence. However, the calm that had resided in my mind when I woke doesn't stay and my thoughts begin to wander.

Everything went wrong yesterday, our actions pushing us further back than they did forward. We did learn that going to the police is a lost cause, but even that isn't in our favor. Even with the woman who soothes my fears in my arms I still feel helpless and weak to the harsh circumstances surrounding me. Maybe there's no way for us to win and we'll fight just to get hurt. The thought makes my heart constrict and I look down at Kira once more. Her hair is gracefully falling around her face and onto her shoulders. Behind its curtain her eyebrows are furrowed, her soft face scrunched up in discontent.

"Hey." I reach down to cup her cheek in my hand, running my thumb over her soft skin. "What's on your mind?" She looks up at me, then out the glass door. A million expressions contort her face, none of which I can pinpoint.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt," she finally says, her voice calm but far away. "I can't stand knowing that more women could be hurt by him. I can't stand knowing he got away with hurting us."