A Winters Memory

Chapter Thirty-One

It was some time before Ara had finally found the courage to face Alec and speak with him. Alec had been seated on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting atop his knees while his head hung low, his eyes downcast to his feet and the floor below.

Ara walked into the room making him look up and stare at her before standing up from his sitting position and started towards the door. "I'll give you your space..." He had been about to walk out when she grabbed his arm. "Please don't leave me..." She looked up at him through her lashes as she waited for him to speak.

"Ara, I would never leave you, even if you wanted me to." He pulled her towards him as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers; deepening their kiss as if he needed to somehow prove his words to her that he indeed would never leave her.

"I think you and I should have that talk now..." She put her head down as she placed a hand against his chest, lightly pushing at him. "Anything you want. I'm all ears, I promise." She bit down on her lip as she gathered her thoughts. "I want to talk about last night."

Alec sighed but agreed nonetheless. "Alright, we can talk about it but not here, let's go somewhere quieter without prying eyes; just the two of us." She nodded softly. "Grab some things and bundle up, we're going to our place in the forest." Ara pursed her lips. "But the lake is frozen over still." Alec shook his head with a chuckle. "Not that one, the cave."

"Oh, right." She laughed. She moved passed him as she began to gather up some clothing, placing on a long black cloak with a red lining on the inside. She pulled the hood over her head and grabbed a couple of other things before bundling up in one of the cloaks made from animal fur and handing the other to Alec.

Once they were dressed for the weather, they left the cabin and headed out towards the cave. When they arrived, Ara settled in comfortably while Alec quickly began the fire to keep them warm. Ara placed the extra items she brought and laid them out on the ground by the fire spreading out the large sheets of animal fur to lay or sit on.

When all was settled she and Alec sat down by the fire, Alec then turned to her as he spoke. "Would you like for me to begin or would you prefer to go first?" "I'm not sure; I still don't really know what to say about all of it." Alec nodded his head. "Then just listen, for now, okay?"

She agreed. "I realize now that I should have told you what I was going to do instead of you finding out the way you did, however, it was that it happened." He sighed. "I truly am sorry, and I wish that I could say that it will never happen again but we both know that I would be lying if I said that." She nodded. "It isn't because I want to keep doing it, but because I have to in order for us to be together and safe from harm."

Ara bit down on her lip as she listened to him quietly waiting until he was finished for her to speak her turn. "I need you to know that even though I am not with you, you're the only thing going through my mind, you're the only face I see and ever will see." Ara smiled at his words, though touching and heartfelt it still plagued her deeply.

"Say something, please..." Ara looked at him sadly as she pressed her hand to his cheek, he, in turn, leaned his head into her hand. "It's a very difficult situation that you and I find we in; even though I know what must be done in order for me to be with you, it still hurts me. You belong to me and because of your deluded family, I have to share you and to make matters worse, it's your sibling! I can't stand it!"

Alec moved closer to her, his hands on either side of her face. "I know, I know; I hate it too." She shook her head. "You don't understand, Alec... Last night when you came to bed, I smelled her on you, not just a little bit but all over. You couldn't even look at me, that is what hurt me the most; is that you couldn't even tell me when we were both outside the cabin last night." She sighed softly.