Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 28

I worried that after Alistair's confession he would curl up into himself and become very defensive and hostile towards me as I knew that is exactly what I would do. But, after a day of isolation and tormenting himself, he reverted back to his normal demeanor. His time of solitude in the village allowed him to gather so groceries so he was entirely prepared for an adventure the next morning, the past drifting further away by the second.

But I wasn't quite so ready to let things rest just yet.

I woke up before him and carefully prepared a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast for him and myself. I hoped that it would serve as a peace offering and the warm, dark tea would help the words go a little easier.

"Always the early riser." Alistair said with a soft laugh, rubbing his eyes as he entered the kitchen.

I tried not to notice how handsome he looked in just a teeshirt and jeans with the edge of his tattoo peeking out under the fabric, but it was difficult. I just gave him a nervous smile and sat down at the dining table.

We sat in silence for a while; the only sound was utensils on the plates. I was trying to get up the courage to say the words I needed to. They seemed simple enough in my head, and they certainly needed to be out in the air. However, my tongue wouldn't move properly. No matter how much I wanted to say it the words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

"Something is on your mind, what is it?" Alistair asked gently.

His ability to read me was almost as good as Sophie's and his words broke the spell that my mind was under.

"I'm sorry that I kissed you." I announced. "It wasn't fair of me to do that, I was running off emotion and not logical thinking, but it's no excuse. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Alistair watched me as I spoke and when I was done my horrendous rant he leaned back in his chair slowly. His arms were folded over his chest and his expression was unreadable. I was thankful that I had been able to get the words out, but now I had wished I simply let it rest.

"I kissed you too." He pointed out after a moment, "And I don't want you in a position that makes you think that you are like Malia. That was Jasper's mistake, not mine. Sure, it crossed my mind when I first met you, but you have shown me time and time again that you not only don't have the personality to do something so malicious you also aren't in a situation where you can flip this against me. You're a victim, you can't sick Josh on me without harming yourself in the process. It's a very different situation. The only real problem I see is the fact that it's heavily frowned upon to do this kind of thing in my work."

With that he stood up and walked to the sink with his dishes.

I was left with my mouth hanging open in shock. Did that mean that the kiss had been okay? Or even that he wanted more? But hadn't he told me that he essentially would've wanted me if I hadn't come with all my baggage? Did that mean that with it he didn't find me as appealing?

"Come on, I want to show you around one of my favorite cities." He hinted when I still hadn't moved.

I was still a little bitter about riding the trains again and I certainly hadn't missed the snow as much as I had originally assumed, but the city of Kosice was certainly worth it.

It was substantially quieter than Paris which made it much more magical. The cobblestone streets, the gothic street lights, the pops of modern art. It was stunning place to be and so much less of a whirlwind to enjoy. I felt like I had room to breathe again and time to appreciate the glory that was all around me instead of dodging tourists. And Alistair let me. He loomed behind me, his hands clasped behind his back as he took in the architecture, but he kept his distance and allowed me to take as much time as I needed. The easiness that rested in his eyes told me that this was his home more than Pairs had been.