Reflections of Light

Distracted

"You seem distracted."

Nyx jumped slightly at his voice, having fazed out slightly.

He smiled at her, expression laughing. "Hi."

"Hi." She chuckled, embarrassed, burying her face in his shirt.
"Sorry, I'm a bit out of it."

"You don't say." He twirled one of her curls absent-mindedly around his fingers, as he rested beside her on the bed.
"Anything you want to share?"

She thought for a moment, before decidedly shaking her head.

"No? Well then, what do you want to do?"

She mimed thinking about it, grinning cheekily, before reaching up and pecking him on the lips, eyes twinkling deviously.

He laughed low. "Come on, you can be braver than that."

"Maybe." She teased, grinning wickedly, reaching up again for another, much deeper kiss.

He groaned into the kiss, easing her back down onto the mattress, hands in her hair, on her shoulders, down her sides, to her waist.

When he was satisfied she was completely out of breath he pulled back with a smirk, before planting a trail of hot kisses along her jaw and down the length of her neck, tracing his lips over the near-invisible scar that graced the curve of her throat millimetres above her collar bone.

He was about to say something, when she beat him to the punch, pushing herself up so that he'd have to sit back off her.

Her face was full of thought, like she was puzzling through something.

"Why'd you kiss Alysha?"

"Is that what you've been thinking about?"

"Partly, yes."

He sighed, knowing that both there really was no way out of this, and he was never going to get a better opportunity than the one he was being gifted right now.

"It was... Just one of those things.
No, look, don't get annoyed, I will explain, just let me finish.

You and me, we were... Are, even... It's difficult.
Everything just seems to happen. Something or... Someone... Just gets in the way, and it just....

The times never right.

And... Down there, in the caves, I just felt so... Lost. I was just lost.

And then, there was just that moment, she appeared so lost too, and she seems so much like you... "

"You can admit if you're attracted to her, I'd rather you be honest."

"I was, at that moment. I'm sorry. I just... Missed you.
Your touch, your smile, your... Everything.
But... You just... Weren't there."

"...And she was." Nyx finished, not sounding angry like expected, but just... Exhausted.
"Guess I can't blame you entirely."

"If it helps, she initiated it."

"Yeah. And... I can see why she would be attractive."

"Vain woman." He chuckled.

She nudged him playfully in the ribs. "Shh, that's not what I meant.
I just mean, she's a lot more... Strong willed than I am, as it were. And a lot... Less cautious. She isn't exactly unlikeable, I mean, not when you really think about it."

He took her hands then, looking into her eyes. "I'm here, with you. I want you. I choose you. And that is the most honest I can be."

She seemed taken aback by all this, lost for words, before flushing scarlet and turning her face away, lips twitching upwards almost against her will.
"Well, if nothing else, you've got 'charming' going for you." She said bashfully.

She sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "Look, it's all stupid anyway. Let's just forget about it. I mean, we were all trapped down there, was cramped, the weird light from the rocks, very little sustenance, emotions were running high...
Something was going to break."

"I hate that place." He said, fingers going back to her dark curls. "It gets inside your head, until you can't think straight.
Trust me. I spent days wandering around there, trying to remember my name."

"When..." Nyx started, but trailed off, thinking.

"Some things take longer to come