Tides of deception ✺ Outlander/Stephen Bonnet Fanfic

♤10. What if I stay?

The morning light filtered through the small window of the cabin, casting soft shadows on the floor. Stephen jumped out of bed with a swift, almost mechanical motion, his expression set and unreadable. His back was to Maria, his posture rigid as he busied himself with pulling on his clothes, the air around him tense.

Maria stirred slowly, her mind still foggy from the night before. She blinked, trying to make sense of the subtle tension that seemed to hang between them. It was quiet, too quiet, and Stephen hadn't said a word since waking up, not even acknowledging her presence. The silence gnawed at her, twisting the memories of their shared glances from the night before into something uncertain.

As she sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest, she watched Stephen's every move. His shoulders were taut, his fingers working quickly to buckle his belt, but his face-his face was a mask, betraying nothing.

"Stephen?" she asked softly, her voice still hoarse from sleep, but there was a hint of uncertainty.

Without turning around, Stephen reached for something at the foot of the bed, pulling out a small, weathered leather bag. He tossed it onto the bed beside her, the weight of it causing the mattress to dip slightly. "Here," he said, his voice low, almost clipped. "Your clothes. And a bag of money."

Maria blinked, staring down at the bag. Her heart skipped a beat, confusion swirling in her chest as she tried to comprehend what he was doing. "What... what is this?" she asked, her voice wavering as she sat up straighter, eyes searching his unreadable face.

Stephen finally turned to face her, his expression hard to decipher. His eyes were cold, distant, as though he had already made a decision and was resolute in it. "Take it and go," he said flatly, as if discussing the weather. "This is your chance to leave."

Her chest tightened as she looked between the bag of money, her clothes, and him. Everything about his demeanor was different-aloof, calculated. It was as though last night hadn't happened at all. The connection, the silent tension, the way their eyes had locked in shared understanding-it was as though none of it mattered anymore. He was pushing her away, handing her an escape.

Maria's throat tightened. "Why now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't read him, couldn't decipher his coldness. Was he angry? Was he disgusted with her? Or was he simply done with her?

Stephen's jaw clenched as he exhaled sharply through his nose. He looked away, his hands moving to straighten his cuffs, as if avoiding the question. "It's what you wanted, isn't it? Freedom. Away from me."

His words hit her like a slap. She swallowed hard, trying to push down the surge of emotion rising within her. He wasn't just offering her a way out-he was forcing her to question everything. The coolness in his voice only deepened her confusion. This wasn't the man who had locked eyes with her last night, the man who had shown that brief flicker of vulnerability. This was someone else, a captain making a calculated decision.

"You're giving me money... clothes..." she murmured, her mind racing. "Is this you trying to make it easy on yourself?" She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong-that this was all a pretense to hide something deeper.

Stephen's face remained unreadable, though there was a flicker in his eyes, just for a second, before it vanished. "Take it or leave it, Maria. The choice is yours." He turned away from her again, busying himself with the papers on the table as if to avoid meeting her gaze any longer.

Maria's heart raced, torn between confusion and frustration. Why was he doing this? Why now, after everything? Was this really about giving her an escape, or was he just trying to escape something himself?

"I don't understand," she finally admitted, her voice wavering. "Last night... it felt like-" She stopped, unsure if she should even bring it up. Unsure if what she had felt had been real or imagined.

Stephen's shoulders stiffened, but he didn't turn around. "It was nothing," he said quietly, almost too quietly. "Don't read into it."

Maria's chest tightened further, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words. The tension between them thickened, the silence almost unbearable as she tried to decide what to do.

She looked down at the bag of money, her clothes neatly folded beside it. It was everything she had wanted when this all began-a chance to escape, a chance at freedom. But now... why did it feel like that wasn't enough?

Stephen remained facing the wall, as if unwilling to give her any further glimpse into his thoughts. His hands were trembling slightly at his sides, and Maria noticed. Despite the cold, calculated demeanor, there was something else beneath the surface. He wasn't as unaffected as he pretended to be.

For a long moment, the cabin was filled with nothing but the sound of their breathing, both lost in their own thoughts. Maria's mind raced, questioning whether she should take the out he was offering-or if, perhaps, something had already shifted too far between them for her to walk away.

Her eyes flicked back to Stephen, trying to read him. Maybe... maybe this wasn't about her freedom at all. Maybe he was trying to free himself-from whatever it was that had happened between them last night.

Her heart pounded as she took a breath, her voice steady as she spoke. "And if I don't leave?"

Stephen didn't respond immediately. His back still turned, he stood frozen for a moment before his head dropped slightly, his shoulders slumping. He let out a slow exhale, as if bracing himself for something. Finally, he turned his head, his profile sharp in the morning light. His voice was low and rough when he answered, "Then you'll stay."

The words hung heavy in the air between them.

As Maria dressed, she and Stephen exchanged fleeting glances. The cabin was filled with a thick, unbearable tension, and with each look she tried to read his expression. His eyes flickered with something she couldn't quite place-was it regret? Despair? Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest as she fastened the ties of her dress. Stephen's hands trembled slightly as he pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves, but he remained silent, his face hard, hiding whatever war raged inside him.

With a shaking hand, Maria grabbed the bag of money and her folded clothes, her movements swift and deliberate. She wanted to escape the room before her emotions betrayed her. As she passed him, she avoided his gaze, her throat tightening as tears threatened to well up in her eyes. The engagement ring-a symbol of their feigned relationship-lay on the table, untouched, abandoned. She couldn't bring herself to wear it anymore.

The soft thud of the closing door echoed in the quiet cabin. Stephen stood still, staring at the spot where Maria had just been. The panic that rushed through him was unlike anything he had ever felt. He couldn't understand why her departure felt so final, so wrong. He clenched his jaw, hands still trembling, as his confusion deepened.