Lovers at War - (A.R.)

Chapter 27

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Love's Web is Spun

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"FAYE."

I turned around to see Arvin facing me. He'd been asleep just some hours ago, but looking at him now, he looked like he'd gotten all the sleep that he needed for one night.

I was standing by the window, looking at the starless sky for no reason in particular. An empty cup of tea was in one of my hands, when I suddenly heard him call my name.

"You needed something?" I said, smiling. He shook his head, now standing beside me.

"I was hopin' that you were awake," he admitted quietly and I looked at him curiously.

"How come?"

"Guess I just wanted somebody to talk to."

"Well then, it's your lucky day." I smiled at him and put the cup down. "I happen to know a lot of things to talk about."

He smiled back, but it came off as a little strained on his end.

"So, did you get enough sleep?" I asked after a moment of silence. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means, just merely two acquaintances sharing the night sky together.

"I did," he said. "I didn't think I needed some until you'd dragged me to bed." A small chuckle came from him as I grinned knowingly.

"Yeah well, it was only me trying to be a good friend."

Arvin rummaged through his pockets and took out a cigarette box and a lighter. He popped a cigar into his mouth and I sighed, grabbing it with my fingers to which he groaned in annoyance.

"You smoke?" I asked and he nodded. "Since when?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Had my first one at the age of 10."

"You are not obliged to listen to me, Arve, but you do know what happens if you have too many of those, right?"

He looked at me. "No . . ."

I sighed again. "It makes you sick. Really sick. Like Cancer sick."

That had caught Arvin's attention, and he was so quick to spit it out onto the ground.

"Fuck," he murmured under his breath. "I ain't never touchin' one of them again."

"Good." I nodded. "I'll make sure that you don't."

In the dim light, I admired Arvin's face. He stared out the window, jaw clenched and I half wondered whether he was still thinking about the truth of cigarettes. I didn't even notice when he'd caught me as I'd just continued to stare at him in awe.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," he said and it was only then when I looked away, a blush creeping up my neck. At my embarrassment he grinned to himself.

Arvin cleared his throat and then moved so he was now standing behind me. I wasn't sure what he was planning at first, but when I felt his hands slide around my waist and his chin popped on to my shoulder, I furrowed my brows. "Arvin?"

He hummed in response. Taking a deep breath, he looked out the window again.
Maybe the man just needed some comfort from another person? I mean, this should've been considered normal since he'd just lost his sister, and because I was the one closest to Lenora, it made sense that he was acting so clingy all of a sudden.

Although . . . we barely knew each other, and yet, as we stood in the moonlight under the starless sky, I felt like I'd know this man for years. Where the time had gone I'd never know, but all that mattered to me was that he was there - he was there now. And I found myself being glad that I was there too.

"I think I'm fallin' in love with you," he murmured, and I thought that I didn't hear him properly.

"P-Pardon?"

"But I'm far from capable of loving someone."

I blinked owlishly despite myself. Did that mean that Lenora was telling the truth . . ?

"You're still sleepy," I said, trying to come up with a believable excuse. "You don't know what you're saying, maybe get some -"

"I mean it, Faye." He spun me around so we were facing each other, a close proximity that we'd never touched base on before. "I think I've fallen for you. And I don't know when, or how, and I don't even know if you feel the same way, but . . . I just needed you to know."

At that, I was positively speechless. Staring right back at him, I cursed at myself for not being able to mutter out a single word. I knew how I felt about him, but I couldn't say it: I didn't find the nerve to admit my feelings out loud.

"Why?" I found myself asking, not quite sure what kind of answer I was looking for myself.

"Because you're every man's dream," he said like he hadn't given it a single thought. "You're my dream."

I gulped uneasily, wanting to put some space between us and forget that this conversation ever happened. But I couldn't. I just couldn't, and instead I had a strong desire to grab him by the face and kiss him until no tomorrow. Had Lenora been right all along? Had I intentionally or not fallen for her brother, not quite knowing when or how, or from where?

"Arvin -"

"I'm a mess. My whole life is a tragedy. I could never deserve something that Holy," he said. Love, did he mean that? The intensity of his gaze, looking almost seductive under the moonlight, and I - I didn't know what the Hell to say. So, I did what I knew best: I changed the subject.

"I should go check on Wesley . . ."

"He's asleep."

"Wash the dishes then," I reasoned. Turning around, just as I was about to walk the other direction, I felt Arvin's hoarse voice whisper my name again, stopping me in my tracks.

"I don't deserve anythin' Holy," he quietly said and I held my breath. "But that doesn't mean I can't try something that is."

He gently, yet forcefully at the same time, pushed me against the nearest wall, his hands on either side of my head. He whispered slowly into my ear, something that had confirmed entirely that I did, in fact feel the same way about him as he did about me. It had just taken for this moment to happen for me to figure it out. "I'm yours if you'll have me."

Our noses touched, and I could feel the heat rushing through him. Rushing through me. Lifting up his chin, our paths crossed again. All it took was a straightforward press of my soft lips to Arvin's for his mind to swirl. An irritated, passionate growl escaped his mouth as he reciprocated the action. A binding was formed that night; a combination of love and desire all at once.