SofiaxHugo

Episode 7: Confrontation

The movie ended, and Sofia was still fast asleep, so I just grabbed the remote and put on Pirates of the Caribbean. When that ended and my princess still hadn't stirred, I hesitated. On the one hand, I really didn't want to move and wake Sofia; on the other, I could no longer feel my right leg and I really needed to use the bathroom. Finally, and with extreme caution, I slid a pillow under her angelic curls and lifted her head off my lap just enough for me to scoot out from under her. Laying her head back down on the couch, I limped off down the hall.

Sofia was still asleep when I got back, her eyes dancing behind her eyelids. I watched her face and wondered what she was dreaming about. What secret thoughts went on in the mind of my princess? Did she dream of me like I dreamt of her?

Suddenly, her body tensed in her sleep. I frowned. The motion of her eyes sped up, her brow furrowed, and in panic I rushed forward and grasped her by the arm. "Sofia, wake up!"

Her sapphire eyes flew open in stark terror and she jerked out of my hands. For a long second we just stared at each other, but then Sofia realized that she had been dreaming and fell into my arms with a sigh of relief. I embraced her gently, remembering her broken ribs. "It's okay now," I whispered into her hair, matted from being slept on.

"Oh, Hugo..."

God, I loved the way my name sounded when she said it.

Sofia looked up at me. "Is the movie over?" I chuckled, and she frowned indignantly. "What?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "Both movies are over."

"Two movies?" she asked. I nodded. "What time is it?"

I checked the clock on the wall. "One thirty."

Her face turned the most adorable shade of red. "I'm so sorry, Hugo, I didn't realize I was that tired."

"It's not a big deal. I just wish you'd tell me what's going on."

Sofia tensed. "W-what do you mean?" She tried to look innocent, but my princess had never been a very good liar.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Like why you have two broken ribs and act like you haven't slept since yesterday? And just now I woke you up because it looked like you were having a nightmare!" Part of me wondered if it had something to do with her amulet doing the weird blue glow that she said meant she had to go, right away. If the amulet was hurting her somehow, I would have to convince her to get rid of it. I ducked my head to try and meet her eyes, but she turned away. "Sofia, please. I'm worried about you."

Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet mine. The expression of helpless pleading in those twinkling blue orbs froze my veins. "Hugo," she whispered. I leaned forward. Sofia rested her forehead against mine and closed her eyes. "I wish I could tell you."

"Why can't you?" I asked incredulously. What on earth could she not tell me? My curiosity matched my concern at this point.

She sighed. "I learned a long time ago that this burden is one I have to carry alone."

"Burden?" I was genuinely scared now. "It has something to do with the amulet, doesn't it? When it turned blue yesterday?"

The fear in her eyes told me I was right. Sofia turned her head to avoid looking at me, despite how much I leaned around to try and maintain eye contact. "Please tell me what's going on."

"I'm sorry Hugo," she said without looking back at me. "But...well, the last time I told someone about my amulet, really bad things happened. I can't risk that again."

Really bad things? I felt sick. I hadn't wanted to be right about the amulet causing her problems, but it looked like that was the case. "If that amulet is hurting you, Sofia, you need to take it off."

"No!" Her hands flew to her neck and she looked at me with shock and desperation. "The amulet doesn't hurt me, Hugo, I promise. It's just...my destiny is hard one. Sometimes I miss some sleep, or break my ribs, but it's part of what it means to be me."

I stared at her. It wasn't like her to talk in riddles, but I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean, your destiny? What destiny?"

Sofia looked away from me again, and crossed her arms over her soft, white chest. "I've already said too much. Just forget it, okay?"

Forget it? "No way. I'm not going to let anything hurt you, not even that amulet." I gently took her face in my hands and turned her to look at me, forcing her to meet my gaze. The pleading in her eyes melted my heart, and I stammered. "Sofia." I had no other words, so I just leaned forward and kissed my princess, as if I could just love her enough to make all of her problems go away. God, her lips hit harder than my father's fifteen-year whiskey. It took all my strength to pull away and finish my sentence.

"You don't have to bear anything alone anymore. You have me."

Her sapphire eyes glittered, and slowly her mouth turned up into a smile. "Really?"

I nodded, and leaned my forehead against hers. "Really. I'm here for you no matter what, okay?"

The soft sigh that escaped her lips brushed my mouth, which hovered an inch away from hers. I felt her smile. "Okay," she whispered, then closed the gap between us with another long, hot kiss. Her arms looped around my neck and pulled me, rather forcefully, toward her. Yanked off balance, I clumsily managed to fall on the couch without crushing her. I tried to sit up to kiss her again, but she pinned me down and leaned over me. I shivered when her hair brushed my face.

Neither of us said anything, but our eyes met, I raised a single eyebrow, she gave me a mischievous smile, and dove to meet my lips again.