Another Life

Chapter 27 - Escape

My boyfriend. Staring at me, seeing my naked shoulders and some of my cleavage, his face dark with anger.

I didn't remember him. Well, I sort of did, and I sort of felt something. But right now most of it was related to 'What the hell is your problem?' type feelings.

“I-”

“We've been together for three years now. I put up with your 'I'm not ready for sex' bullshit, with oral only, I put up with your health problem, and now you let me think you're dead?” His anger burnt somehow. It hurt. I stared at this man, this gorgous man, and felt my old nature return.

He was beautiful. Sweet. He got angry sometimes, sure, but he loved me and he was with me! Me!

So why did I want to swear my head off at him?

Somehow I suspected this reaction wasn't going to be the one he was expecting. I stared at him, at this man who I apparently loved, caught in two minds. The first was me. Me, now, me who'd smashed blades into big nasty black blooded monsters... and the usual me, someone I barely remembered now, the one who felt insecure. Afraid of being hurt. Grateful to him for loving me when there were so many beautiful women out there, thinner, healthier...

Was I insecure?

The bed sunk, suddenly, and Legolas grabbed the phone. He looked furious.

“You cheating on me with him? After all I've done for you? After I waited for you to be ready for sex? To loose weight? Cheating on me with some kind of fail cospla-” The man's face was red with anger. Not pretty, I realised, not really. It was just fake.

Legolas flung it down, a knife in hand, almost ready to stab it. I grasped his arm in time as the phone hit the rug, battery fell out, Legolas' arm shaking under my grasp. “This thing is not safe.”

“It is.” I sounded flat, tired, and a trace of depression filtered in. But ...hang on. I lifted it up, pushing Legolas to one side, muttering, “Put your knife away,” as I stared at it. Reception. Good. Hundreds of missed calls. Lots of phone messages. Emails? Thousands. Alerts kept popping up. Missed things.

How the hell did it have reception right now? In Rohan? In Edoras? I stared at Legolas, suddenly, grasping him tighter, half afraid he was just some illusion in my head. I felt mad suddenly. Like, this was a delusion, that he wasn't really here.

“You exist, right?”

Legolas b linked at me, tightened his grip on his knife, and tried to peel it out of my hands. “Let me destroy it.”

“No, I... It's safe!” I was confused, I got up in a hurry, and the cold of the room made me remember quickly that I was still pretty naked. “But ...Gandalf.” The word, the realisation of who I really needed to talk to, it somehow reassured me somewhat. Legolas wasn't doing much good. He was sitting there, white faced, and I was trembling with more than just cold. With what? Hurt? Anger? Confusion? Yep, that one for sure.

“I will help you dress and bring him.” Legolas stood, sliding up, his hands sliding over me. In one quick sudden motion, he embraced me, leaning against me, adding softer, “I am real, my love. I am sorry. I did not expect any man to talk to his lover that way.”

“He's not ...” The guy, my boyfriend, was something all right. Had been, anyway. Oral? I couldn't remember but... if I'd felt guilty, if I loved him, I probably would have tried. I felt sick again. “I don't know who I am anymore.”

“You are a member of the Fellowship.” Legolas released me, grasping my arms, before he bent down to gather up clothing. “You are a warrior. My lover.”