Alone

Chapter 57 🌶🌶

"You're not planning on jumping, are you?"

Marian nearly would have laughed at his words, the familiarity of the situation beginning to grow old.

Quiet footsteps drew closer, stopping at the small opening in the outer railing. Ominis leaned against the stone wall of the tower, his wand drawn and tucked behind his crossed arms. His pale eyes, unfocused as always, seemed to peer right through her, but the sharpness in his tone was impossible to miss.

"No. It would only ruin the feast for everyone else."

She had meant to sound cheeky, perhaps even dismissive, but her voice was wavering as she gripped the handrail a bit tighter.

The tension between them was palpable, thickening the air as the wind whipped around them both.

"Why else are you up here, then?"

His voice was low and tinged with a weariness that made her gut wretch.

"I just... needed some air," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"To think. To clear my head."

Ominis let out a small, almost amused huff. But there was something else too - a guardedness, a hesitance that hadn't been there before as he spoke.

"Running off to the highest point of the castle to brood alone... doesn't exactly seem like a great idea."

Marian huffed out a small, bitter laugh.

"Seems like I'm full of bad ideas lately."

He didn't reply to that and there was a heavy silence as the wind whipped around them, carrying with it the chill of the encroaching night.

Ominis took another step closer, his voice strained as he spoke again.

"No one expects you to always make the right decision... Me included. I realised I've been holding you to a standard that I myself can't always meet. For that, I apologise."

She fell silent, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for him to continue. The wind seemed to hold its breath along with her, the world around them suspended in this fragile moment.

Ominis took another step forward, his fingers now gripping the railing beside hers.

"However... It's not just about making the right decisions. It's about trusting each other enough to share the burden."

Her breath hitched at his words and she felt a lump form in her throat, desperately trying to swallow it down.

"Do you... Do you think I don't trust you?"

Ominis's fingers tightened on the railing, his knuckles turning paler as he stood beside her, his expression unreadable.

"It's not about whether you trust me, Marian. It's about whether you trust me enough. And frankly, I-... I'm not sure that's the case."

She took a shuddering breath, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"I-... Ominis, I do trust you. You have never given me reason not to. But... but you have given me reason to..."

With a shaky exhale, she turned his way, one hand still clasping the railing, fingers trembling as she finally let the truth slip out.

"You have given me reason to shut you out. To rather leave you behind than expose you to any kind of danger. I'm not taking the risk of you getting hurt again because of me. I'm not-..."

She was cut off, anger flashing in his unseeing eyes as he snapped back, his voice gaining volume.

"You're not what?! Taking along the blind kid? The one who-..."