Drifting Grace [An Alastor Fanfiction] [PROOFREADING]

Chapter 11 [PR]

Read A/N, please! Thank you

Emma Lovett

"Good night, mommy," Alvin yawns as I gave him a peck on his forehead. I smiled down at him and caressed his head.

"Good night, sweetheart," I whispered. He fell asleep, hugging a pillow on his side. I gave him one last kiss and retreated downstairs where Alastor was waiting.

After we had our dinner, Alvin got tired and immediately fell asleep. I carried him upstairs which woke him up, but he continued to rest just as I laid him down on his bed.

I dreaded going downstairs; Alastor was waiting.

I mean, he was waiting with a cup of hot cocoa at hand and enjoying the warmth of the fire but of course, I had to make it sound eerie. I was scared.

Not of him, but of what he could do. And for that, I was terrified.

I slowly went downstairs and turned to my right. Sure enough, the man of the hour was there with a small relaxed smile on his face. Seems to me someone's guilty pleasure was being alone.

I knocked on the wall, signalling my return and I sat on the spot a bit far from him to the left. He turns to me and places the cup down onto the coffee table.

"I hope today was to your liking," I say to him with a smile. "Alvin seems fond of you now. Then again, he's fond of people too."

Alastor stares, his expression I was unable to read.

"Emma--"

"Oh, would you look at the time! It's dangerous to head out late, Alastor."

"Then would you mind if I stayed?" He says softly. I stared at him with wide eyes. What woman lets a man she barely knows stay at her house?

I stare at him for about 10 seconds. All I could think of was a polite way to get him out of my house.

But there was none.

His eyes were pleading.

"I apologize f-for the kiss. I don't know what came over me," Alastor says quietly. The silence seems to beat him in the game of sound. "I don't know what I can do to make it up to you. All I can say is I'm sorry."

Now I was quiet.

The silence seems unbearing for him, he was fidgeting a storm and was twirling his thumbs. I pulled out my hand on instinct and laid it on his.

"It's alright," I told him. "I forgive you."

He stares at our hands and intertwined them. He tightened his lips and put his free hand to his chest for a brief moment.

"I didn't have the best childhood in mind," He says. "I'm not used to being touched."

I widened my eyes in realization and tried to gently pull my hand away, only for his grip to tighten. Alastor raises his head and stares at me with a soft look in his eyes. As if he was looking at something or someone small and fragile.

"But for some odd reason, I'm fond of yours," He says softly, rubbing a thumb atop of my hand. "How weird must that sound? A man loving a woman's touch. I sound vile."

I laughed but covered my mouth. He looks up at me, his eyes with a glint of amusement. I waved it off with a smile threatening to escape my lips.

"Quite weird, but I can't blame you," I told him softly. "I feel like life hasn't been kind to you, Alastor."

I sit closer to him, leaning my head back onto the sofa. "You look a little bit like me when I was a child. Eyes seen more things than the mouth can say."