an Everlasting Pursuit

twenty seven

The sharp bite of the tree dug into my back, the uneven ground poking at my tailbone. The air was whooshing in my lungs, my heart racing for me to breathe. Spots clouded my vision as I worked through the panic.

It was nothing I haven't gone through before, I reminded myself.

Warm, rough hands grabbed my own, pulling them from my face. The buzzing sensations set my blood on fire, and not in the bad way. They were surprisingly gentle as they pulled my hands into one of theirs, the other pushing my chin up against the tree.

"Ailia..." Asra murmured.

I cringed at the way his voice floated through my ears, a promise of sweetness. "Please don't... I didn't mean to upset you."

"Ailia..." He repeated, drawing my eyes up to his face.

The blue was swirling with emotions I couldn't decipher. I had never seen emotions like that before and wondered what they meant. I was used to pity, or anger, or confusion but this... seemed... strange. His eyebrows were furrowed, his lips in a small pout as his narrowed eyes studied me.

I exhaled the built-up breath, calming my racing heart. His thumb caressed my upper cheek as he watched me silently. With the comforting warmth of his skin and the gentle swirls of blue night skies in his eyes, I felt my mind start to relax. My shoulders sagged, my head falling further into his hand to seek out his comfort. His magic truly worked wonders.

"Ailia, are you with me?" His soft voice rumbled my ears.

I nodded, shakily whispering a yes. His thumb stopped its circling but he didn't pull his hand away. His shoulders seemed to relax, a loud sigh escaping him as he dropped his head.

"I didn't expect this," He murmured.

"Sorry, I didn't expect to do this again..." I began but he shook his head.

"It's not that... It's just... this." He grunted.

I cocked my head in confusion. His hand fell from my face as though I had burned him, standing to his full height. I pulled my knees closer to my body again as he towered over me, feeling exposed and minimal in comparison.

"I don't understand," I whispered.

He growled, running a hand over his face. "You weren't supposed to be here. This wasn't supposed to happen."

I frowned, not understanding the sudden mood change. By the way he seemed to grow more frustrated, I couldn't help but wonder if his words had a double meaning. He growled again, pulling at the hair at the side of his head. I shrunk further into the tree, trying to make myself look less threatening as he seemed to lose his temper.

"What were you doing out here?" He growled.

I jumped slightly, looking back up into his eyes. They had darkened, the slight confusion vanished as anger took its place.

"I-I-I don't want to be there," I whispered.

"Why?" He snapped.

"I don't belong." I mumbled, looking back to my shoes.

It fell silent. I could feel his eyes burning into my skull as I stayed submissively on the floor. Eventually he exhaled and started pacing, arms crossed as he fell deep into thought. I watched his bare feet as they chucked up leaves and debris in their path. How his strong legs tensed and rippled with the movement. I only now caught onto the fact he was shirtless, just a pair of shorts low on his hips.

"You're right." He mumbled.

"What?" I wondered, taking in a shaky breath.

He had stopped, his eyes boring back into my skull. "I said you are right."