The Rogue

XXXXII

*Rian*

After showering and dressing in the second set of clothes I'd ventured out to buy earlier this morning, Faye and I headed downstairs for breakfast. Our tangled fingers hung between us. I kept thinking about last night and how it'd felt to finally be beside her. She wasn't ready for anything more, I knew that. While I wished she was, I also knew rushing her would cause more damage than good.

"I dreamed of you last night," she whispered as our hostess sat us at a long mahogany table where another older couple already were.

"You did?" I asked.

"Mhmm. I dreamt of you while we were separated, too."

I squeezed her hand under the table. "Same here. Except I don't have to be asleep to dream about you."

She smiled self-consciously before turning to face the couple. They flashed us grins of their own and nodded their hands. The man must have been about sixty with a receding hairline and bushy mustache, and the woman was only a few years younger with shoulder-length hair highlighted with silver.

"Honeymooners?" the woman inquired.

Faye tensed but I rubbed her knee under the table and said, "Yes. We're on our way to the actual destination. Yourselves?"

Both of them chuckled.

"Feels like it," replied the man. "We're going on thirty-five years next week."

"That's wonderful," Faye gushed, the most girlish thing I'd ever heard her say. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." The woman smiled up at her groom.

A crooked grin enveloped the man's face as he said, "You'll be there in no time, believe me. Time passes too fast."

Faye and I shared a sweet look. There wasn't enough time in the world to spend with her. I wanted more than forever.

"So," the woman continued, "how did you two meet?"

"He was in my hometown for the summer," Faye readily answered.

The older couple gave us curious looks.

"It was love at first sight for me," I joked. "For her...it took a little longer."

My other half chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "I never believed in love at first sight. What about you two?"

"He was one of my father's employees."
The woman smiled at her husband. "What is the fun of young love if we don't make things a little difficult?"

I couldn't help but laugh. No one understood that better than me and Faye. We had faced the impossible over the last few months, supernatural qualms included.

"You two are a cute couple, really," Faye told them. "Do you have any advice for two naive kids?"

They looked into each other's eyes before the man seemed to get an idea. Another smile rose to his cheeks. Slowly, his gaze turned to me.

"Learn how to fight well," he said. "You know how to do that, son?"

"Uh..." I grappled for something intelligent to say.

"It's simple. You always let her win."

We all laughed. His wife patted his hand affectionately while boasting a grin.

"Smart man," I remarked.

Squeezing the hand that still rested on her knee, Faye smirked up at me and said, "You better start taking notes."