There's A Fine Line Between Coincidence & Fate ✓

Chapter 28

The next morning dawned bright and early, with Ardeth waking me up with him so we wouldn't be late to see off Rick, Evy and Jonathan. We would eat later, after we had a chance to go to the market. It amazed me how much life could change over the course of a year. I hadn't considered it too much before yesterday, but after seeing my brothers I couldn't help but reflect on the person I was a year ago. We had just left America for Egypt, and I was determined. To find a lost city, gain notoriety within my field, and to be independent of the life that my mother tried to lay out at my feet. I had come to find that history wasn't all that is said in history books, that notoriety isn't everything, and that maybe mother was onto something when she said that nothing in life was worth having if I didn't have anyone to share it with.

My favorite moments with Ardeth were in the quiet of the evening, when he was home. We would sit in the most comfortable silence, reading. No words would past between us for hours, but we were content. I hated to admit it, but my mother was right. Marriage did make me happy. But she was wrong with the options she brought forth. I needed someone who challenged and respected me. None of the boys back home had done that. These thoughts stayed with me through our travel to the docks where Rick, Evy and Jonathan were waiting for us. With hugs goodbye and promises made to write often, and visit when we could, I watched my friends get on their boat and slowly sail away. I must have had a few tears in my eyes because I felt Ardeth carefully wipe my face, smiling down at me as he did so. "Don't worry habibti. We will see them again." He said, wrapping his arm around me, pulling me into his side.

"Of this I have no doubt. As long as there is some tomb to desecrate, Evy and Rick will find a way." I replied with a laugh. We turned, leaving the dock behind us, ready to head back home. "We need to head to the market. There's no food in the house and my brothers will be coming over with an appetite that can rival a small army's." All too happy to oblige, Ardeth took my hand and lead me through the crowded streets, weaving through people as we made our way to the market. We finished up there in no time at all, I was an efficient shopper, and we headed back to the house.

I put the food away and turn to see Ardeth standing in the doorway, a sly smile on his face. I grin back and allow him to lead me upstairs where we spend the rest of the afternoon in a haze of skin on skin, twisted sheets and getting lost in the other's embrace. It wasn't until much later, as the setting sun was coming in through the windows, that I was reminded that my brothers would be arriving in a little while for dinner. Not wanting to be found in a delicate state, I hopped out of bed, waking Ardeth from where he was dozing with a grunt. "I'm sorry my love but James and Edward will be here soon, and I don't see them being dissuaded by a closed bedroom door if dinner isn't at least being cooked when they get here. They're not known for their subtlety or their manners." I said before going to the bathroom to bathe and freshen up before heading downstairs to make dinner. I turned on the taps for the bathtub and went to grab a towel from the shelf by the door, when I saw that Ardeth intended to join me. I smiled and turned back around, intent on ignoring him so that I would be ready.

He appeared to have other plans. With my back to him, I didn't see him cross the bathroom until I felt him pressed up against my back. I moaned softly when his lips found the spot where my neck met my shoulder that made me go weak at the knees. He continued his administrations until I was nothing more than a muddled mess, practically begging him. There was nothing gentle about this coupling, as he pulled me up and held me against the wall. Instinctively my legs wrapped around his waist and I cried out at the friction it caused. He took the opportunity to put his lips against mine and thrust his tongue against mine. It really wasn't fair how he made me completely come apart like this.

There was nothing slow and sensual about it. This was rough and raw and passionate. I knew that even if I lived a thousand lifetimes, I would never find someone as perfect as him. He invaded every part of me, and I wasn't sure what I would do if that was ever taken away. I came fast and hard, stars dotting my vision as I cried out his name. He was close, waiting for me like a perfect gentleman, to finish before he couldn't hold off any longer and came so completely that neither one of us had much energy after, sinking to the floor to catch our breaths. He held on tight to me, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

I quickly cleaned myself off and got dressed, in a rush to get dinner started. I was putting the finishing touches on it when I heard a knock on the door. I heard Ardeth go and answer it, so I set the table and did my best not to appear too nervous as they entered the dining room. Dinner passed by with little arguing so I can only assume that James spoke to Edward before they arrived. My brothers took the time to get to know Ardeth, and by get to know I mean question him like they were conducting an interrogation. Ardeth was amazing, answering their questions with grace and a smile on his face. After hours of their third degree and then sharing horrifying stories from our childhood at my expense, they were calling it a night, their boat leaving early the next morning. As I walked them to the door I stopped and gave each of them a hug. "I promise to write. And you won't need to keep this to yourselves forever. Just a little while longer." I said before opening the door and watching them walk out into the night.

"Do you wish you were going with them?" Ardeth said. I hadn't heard him come up behind me.

"As much as I love my family, I'm right where I want to be." I said with a finality that I was ready to drop the subject. Ardeth looked like he wanted to argue, but seeing the look on my face, he stopped short. Him, of all people, knew how important it was to keep Hamunaptra and everything it held a secret. I shouldn't have even told my brothers but there was no way they were going to leave without an explanation.

We went up to bed that night, anxious to get back to our tribe. We would be leaving Cairo the day after tomorrow and there was much to prepare. We would need to go back to the market in the morning and pick up the supplies the tribe would need for the coming months. Many of the vendors knew Ardeth by name and I could see the respect they held for him.

The next day passed by in a blur of shopping, packing, and preparing the house for our departure. I didn't have a lot of time to dwell on my brothers, which I was happy about. But there was only so much I could clean and pack and eventually I was just left with my thoughts to occupy my time. I was in a constant state of tug-of-war with my plans for my family. There was no way that I could tell the rest what happened here but was I being too cruel to not reach out completely? I tossed and turned for hours our last night in Cairo. I eventually gave up just before sunrise and gently got out of bed, careful to not disturb Ardeth. Although nothing beat a desert sunrise, watching the sun come up over the sprawling city was still something to behold.

I didn't have to wait too long for my husband to join me, as even here, away from early morning rounds and elder meetings, he was an early riser. I felt his presence behind me as I looked out the kitchen window. "I didn't wake you, did I?" I asked, not turning around to him just yet.

"No. It's just habit now. You seem far away. Is everything alright?" He could see the lack of sleep in my eyes.

"I keep going back and forth about my brothers. I know that the truth we protect is important. They didn't live through the consequences of waking the creature. I trust that they wouldn't tell anyone about that, but I worry that they don't understand my decision to stay, beyond you. Everywhere I turn I still see my brother's ghost; I hear him plead for mercy. I know going home, facing my family, would be too much."

These thoughts plagued me the whole way home. Ardeth could see that I was struggling with it and let me have my space. The days passed by in a blur and we were finally back in our village. Little did I know how much these musings would affect me in the years to come.