Unlike Loki

Chapter 67

(Anna)

We sat there for a while, in silence. 

It was nice. 

Eventually we got up, Loki helping me to my feet. He kept ahold of one of my hands, intertwining his fingers with mine. 

My heart skipped a beat. 

He led me down hall after hall, not saying a word, only flashing me a small smile every now and then. Eventually we came to a large opening, and through it was the most beautiful garden I had ever seen. There were flowers of every color, plants of every shape, and the tallest plants loomed well over our heads. 

And the smell. 

I took in a deep breath, and then another, not able to get enough of the sweet scent. 

"It's so beautiful." It really was. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"It is." Loki paused. "It makes me sad and happy at the same time." 

"Why's that?" I asked, still very aware of how hands holding each other. 

"My mother had this garden planted. Picked out the flowers, where they went, made sure it was taken care of. She loved how the flowers made her feel free but hidden at the same time." He looked down at me. "That smell you smell, that's what my mother smelled like, she was here so often." He blinked several times, looking away. 

"Tell me about her." I said 

He looksed at me, surprised. "She's dead. Not much to tell."

"I'm sorry." I looked down at our hands, and rubbed my thumb along the inside of his palm. Who knew we had this many nerves in just our hands? "But our stories don't just disappear when we are gone."

He didn't say anything for a minute. He just led me to a large patch of soft moss and asked me to sit. I did, putting my legs to the side of me, since I was wearing a dress. Loki sat down beside me, setting his elbows on his bent knees. 

"What about your story? You know alot about me already, about my past. I don't know much of anything about you exept the gist of what happened at SHIELD." He didn't look at me. 

"Believe me, you don't want to know." I played with the hem of my skirt. I felt it harder to breathe. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loki move closer to me. He reached his hand up, and slowly pushed my hair behind my ear, letting it flow down my back. He moved his hand along my hair, and down my back until he got to the ends. He played with the ends of my hair for a moment, making me go mad, twisting my hair in his fingers, slightly touching my back. The side of his body was touching mine, and I was very, very aware of that, of him. I turned to look at him, not realizing his face was so close to mine, and my nose brushed his. We both jumped back a little, obviously nervous. But then he came back, his face dangerously close to mine. He wrapped a hand around my waist, making me shiver. "Please." He whispered, and then the fell back on the moss, bringing me with him, so that his arm was under my neck and the top of my head met with his own neck. 

I didn't know if I was still breathing. My heart was pounding in my chest and my head felt barely attached. 

I was lying next to him, with my head on his shoulder, when I began to tell him my story.