𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍; 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫.

𝐱𝐥𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

"𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮," 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. "𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭." 

Evan slowly sat in the chair behind him, guiding her gently to straddle him. He rubbed his thumb up and down her cheek. "Doll..."

"And I know this was always...the plan," she said, looking pointedly at Evan's forearm. He swallowed and looked away. 

"Doll," Evan said quietly. "Amara."

"Is this really what you want?" Amara said, leaning into his touch. Her glassy eyes were staring into his so deeply he thought they might absorb him.

"Being a Death Eater?"

"Yeah."

"It's what I am," he said. 

"No, it's not. Not yet."

"I have the Mark to prove it, Amara."

"That proves nothing," she insisted. "It proves nothing. It doesn't say a thing about the quality of your character."

"Why do you keep trying to 'save' me?" Evan muttered, placing a hand in her hair and tilting her head, drawing it very close to his own face. "Why, doll?"

"Because I would rather be a shepherd than a soldier," Amara whispered. "Why won't you let me try?"

"Are you going to leave me," he said, "now that I am one of them?"

She pursed her lips, looking at him.

"You should. It's not safe."

"Not yet," she said. "Not tonight."

"Amara," Evan said grimly, "I'm selfish. I'm not going to make you leave."

"Then come with me when I go," she said. "Please, Evan."

"Can we not talk about this," he said, resting his head in the crook where her collarbone met her neck. He inhaled. "Can we just...be?"

Something strange was happening in Amara's stomach. "Okay," she said softly. She was beginning to relax. "We can be."

They sat in silence for a while. There was only the sound of their deep breathing, and the occasional rustle of his owl.

His arms were wrapped around her, holding her onto him.

"I missed you, too," Evan said. "I don't know if this is okay to say."

"Say it."

"I missed holding you."

Oh. Amara gently pulled on the back of his hair so he lifted his head and looked at her. She slowly kissed him. "Tonight, it's okay for you to say. I missed it, too."

"And I don't want it to be the last time," he said, tightening his grip. "And I don't care if we fuck or not. I don't want it to be the last time."

"Will you play your song for me again? Before..."

She didn't want to say the rest.

"Do you want me to teach it to you?" He gestured to the piano at the other end of his room.

"Yes."