Aishe stood from where she'd been sitting on the couch, disturbing the window-gazing Zoe, and made her way to lean against the frame of the archway into the living room. Zoe slunk out behind her, favoring Aishe with her usual withering cat-stare, and headed out into the hallway.
Aishe shook her head at the cat's retreating backside. One the one hand, she was glad Kem's pet was devoted to him. On the other, she wished just once Zoe would let her test the principal of elevator-butts personally, instead of having to be an observer.
The cat disappeared around the corner as the door cracked open. Aishe had simply been planning to meet Kem at the doorway, but as she watched him come in, moonlight illuminated his face. He looked tired and stressed out, and he was carrying a stack of folders balanced precariously on one arm while he elbowed the door open.
All at once she felt bad for assuming he was intentionally avoiding her. She reprimanded herself even as she moved forward to help him with the door. He'd been busy and he'd put a lot of things on hold to accompany her to Egypt. Aishe thought she'd made her peace with what she'd said while there, but remembering it made her feel guilty again.
Inside, a little voice asked, "And what if your own words made you lose him again?"
That caused her a little jolt of anguish, as if the very thought could create pain. In response to it she opened the door quickly, grabbed Kem's stack of folders, tossed them onto the side table, and then grabbed the vampire himself. Pulling him in through the doorway and kicking it shut with her foot she pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest.
"Please don't leave me," was all she said, her words slightly muffled by his shirt.
We All Have Our Moments (private)
The work had, indeed, piled up around Meridian while he'd been away. It was the perfect thing to throw himself into, which he'd done with gusto. He hadn't really intended to avoid Aishe, but he hadn't seen her very much since they'd gotten home. Now as he got out of his car and shuffled tiredly up to the front door, he wondered if she was home at all. There were no lights on at all. He hadn't thought she was working tonight but she had her own friends - it wouldn't be unbelievable that one of them had called her up for something.
Zoe's eyes flashed in the front window as the cat watched him come up the walkway. As he fumbled with his keys at the door she disappeared, hopping off the back of the couch. She was either coming to greet him, or heading off to hide. It was the nature of cats to be fickle, and Kem had long since ceased trying to anticipate his pet's reaction to his arrival.
Opening the door, he was immediately ambushed, but not by a cat.
Aishe
15 years ago
Kem`Raaisu
15 years ago
"Uff."
His pile of work was neatly removed from his hands and flung - well, somewhere, Kem thought with a wince. Subsequently, he found himself pulled through the doorway and enveloped in a wonderful warm embrace.
Not how he had imagined the evening to begin. In fact, it was a considerable upgrade.
His keen hearing picked up Aishe's words though, muffled as they were, and he paused in the act of hugging her back. Instead of pulling her tighter, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back a pace. He looked down into her face, noting her worried expression, feeling something akin to sadness radiating from her.
"What did you say?" Kem raised his right hand to gently touch Aishe's cheek. "Why would you ever think I would do that?"
Hypocrisy, his very close friend of the past few days, laughed from wherever it was hiding. He sighed, annoyed with himself. "Aside from past transgressions, which I assure you, I'm cured of. Why would I ever do that?"
Was that what she'd been thinking since they'd gotten home? That he was angry with her and didn't want to be with her? Kem blinked at the idea of it. Sure, she'd said what she said without thinking. Everyone though, at some point in their lives, said things they didn't mean.
And he'd taken it to heart, like always, instead of getting over it and moving on. Evidently that had affected her. He shook his head. How deeply they were intertwined, and how easily they could have fallen into a downward spiral.
Taking Aishe's hand, Kem led her into the living room and sat down with her on the couch. He left the lights off and gathered her close, closing his eyes and giving a long, contented sigh.
His pile of work was neatly removed from his hands and flung - well, somewhere, Kem thought with a wince. Subsequently, he found himself pulled through the doorway and enveloped in a wonderful warm embrace.
Not how he had imagined the evening to begin. In fact, it was a considerable upgrade.
His keen hearing picked up Aishe's words though, muffled as they were, and he paused in the act of hugging her back. Instead of pulling her tighter, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back a pace. He looked down into her face, noting her worried expression, feeling something akin to sadness radiating from her.
"What did you say?" Kem raised his right hand to gently touch Aishe's cheek. "Why would you ever think I would do that?"
Hypocrisy, his very close friend of the past few days, laughed from wherever it was hiding. He sighed, annoyed with himself. "Aside from past transgressions, which I assure you, I'm cured of. Why would I ever do that?"
Was that what she'd been thinking since they'd gotten home? That he was angry with her and didn't want to be with her? Kem blinked at the idea of it. Sure, she'd said what she said without thinking. Everyone though, at some point in their lives, said things they didn't mean.
And he'd taken it to heart, like always, instead of getting over it and moving on. Evidently that had affected her. He shook his head. How deeply they were intertwined, and how easily they could have fallen into a downward spiral.
Taking Aishe's hand, Kem led her into the living room and sat down with her on the couch. He left the lights off and gathered her close, closing his eyes and giving a long, contented sigh.
Aishe
15 years ago
Even Aishe hadn't realized how upset she still was, how annoyed with herself for her own thoughtlessness. Until Kem looked at her with that quizzical expression and asked her, maybe not in those words, what she was smoking, she hadn't recognized her own distress.
Walking with him into the living room, she didn't need to be asked twice to curl up next to him on the couch, resting her head against his chest once more and echoing his sigh as he rested his arm around her.
She sat with him in silence for a few moments before saying, "I'm sorry about what I said. In Egypt. It was..."
She was cut off with a finger pressed against her lips, and she looked up to see Kem's silvery eyes sparkling down at her. In that moment, she realized he wasn't angry with her, a fact she knew already but was afraid to trust in. She didn't even think, as she used every method at her disposal, that he was still even hurt by it.
Following his unspoken directive, Aishe shut up, looking back at him.
Walking with him into the living room, she didn't need to be asked twice to curl up next to him on the couch, resting her head against his chest once more and echoing his sigh as he rested his arm around her.
She sat with him in silence for a few moments before saying, "I'm sorry about what I said. In Egypt. It was..."
She was cut off with a finger pressed against her lips, and she looked up to see Kem's silvery eyes sparkling down at her. In that moment, she realized he wasn't angry with her, a fact she knew already but was afraid to trust in. She didn't even think, as she used every method at her disposal, that he was still even hurt by it.
Following his unspoken directive, Aishe shut up, looking back at him.
Kem`Raaisu
15 years ago
Kem found himself smiling down at Aishe, his finger sealing her lips. "We both know you didn't mean what you said. I know it, even if I let myself get caught up in it for too long. I'm sorry, too. I should have known better... known you better."
He moved his finger away from Aishe's lips, tracing it along the curve of her lower lip and feeling, for the first time in over a week, truly happy. "Can we just let it go, then?"
When Aishe just nodded, his smile widened. "I'm fine with it, with things just the way they are. But only if you're fine with them."
He meant everything - what she'd asked, what her family was going through. Just the way things were, was how they should be. She had to be there with him though, or they wouldn't be able to move on.
He moved his finger away from Aishe's lips, tracing it along the curve of her lower lip and feeling, for the first time in over a week, truly happy. "Can we just let it go, then?"
When Aishe just nodded, his smile widened. "I'm fine with it, with things just the way they are. But only if you're fine with them."
He meant everything - what she'd asked, what her family was going through. Just the way things were, was how they should be. She had to be there with him though, or they wouldn't be able to move on.
Aishe
15 years ago
Aishe didn't have anything to say, not anymore. All her plans to explain her thoughts evaporated. Kem seemed to already know, and had managed to reach his own conclusions before she did. At his question, she nodded.
His meaning was implicit, too, when he said "the way things are." She understood it was more than just the here and now. It was their life. Who and what they were, and she had made her peace with it. She knew her role, and she knew what she would need to do to be strong and see them both through the future.
"I'm more than fine with them." It wasn't as hard to say as she thought it might be. She wasn't condemning her father and mother to death. What Kem had said in Egypt was true. Everyone dies. This was one more test for her. The biggest one, perhaps. But they'd all done it. She could do it, too.
"When it comes down to it, Kiamhaat," she said softly, "I can say goodbye to anyone. Anyone but one person."
His meaning was implicit, too, when he said "the way things are." She understood it was more than just the here and now. It was their life. Who and what they were, and she had made her peace with it. She knew her role, and she knew what she would need to do to be strong and see them both through the future.
"I'm more than fine with them." It wasn't as hard to say as she thought it might be. She wasn't condemning her father and mother to death. What Kem had said in Egypt was true. Everyone dies. This was one more test for her. The biggest one, perhaps. But they'd all done it. She could do it, too.
"When it comes down to it, Kiamhaat," she said softly, "I can say goodbye to anyone. Anyone but one person."
Kem`Raaisu
15 years ago
There wasn't much more to say, although it occurred to him that now would have been, finally, a perfect time to give Aishe the present he'd managed to lose somehow. How ironic.
He settled for words instead. "You're never going to have to say goodbye. Not as long as I can help it. I don't want to be anywhere else."
Snuggling her closer, Kem gently brushed his lips against Aishe's, the taste so sweet he couldn't believe he'd gone without for any length of time.
He settled for words instead. "You're never going to have to say goodbye. Not as long as I can help it. I don't want to be anywhere else."
Snuggling her closer, Kem gently brushed his lips against Aishe's, the taste so sweet he couldn't believe he'd gone without for any length of time.
Aishe
15 years ago
Aishe could have sung with happiness, except for the fact that generally she was asked not to sing. Ever. Instead she contented herself with pulling Kem's "secret" from her pocket and showing it to him.
"Does that mean I get to put this on?"
Her expression was one of innocence as she watched his face mold itself into an expression of surprise.
"Does that mean I get to put this on?"
Her expression was one of innocence as she watched his face mold itself into an expression of surprise.
Kem`Raaisu
15 years ago
Kem blinked in disbelief as Aishe held out to him the ring he'd tracked down and gotten a hold of.
"Where did you... no, I don't want to know. I'm just glad you found it. Do you like it? And yes... yes, of course you get to..." he broke off, grinning stupidly, and took it from her, wordlessly sliding it onto her finger.
"There."
After that there was really nothing left to do but kiss her again. He wasn't about to pass that up, so he complied.
"Where did you... no, I don't want to know. I'm just glad you found it. Do you like it? And yes... yes, of course you get to..." he broke off, grinning stupidly, and took it from her, wordlessly sliding it onto her finger.
"There."
After that there was really nothing left to do but kiss her again. He wasn't about to pass that up, so he complied.
Aishe
15 years ago
Aishe felt the metal warm as Kem placed the ring where she had wanted to see it for the past week and a half. It hadn't taken a rocket scientist to figure out what it was when she'd found it wedged between the couch cushions before they'd made their hasty departure to Egypt.
Smiling once they came up for air, Aishe marvelled at the twist fate had taken. There were up sides and down side to every story, of course, but as far as endings went hers wasn't bad.
Reconsidering, she looked at Kem. As far as beginnings went, hers wasn't bad.
"Does this mean I get to plan a wedding?" she asked with a cheeky grin.
Smiling once they came up for air, Aishe marvelled at the twist fate had taken. There were up sides and down side to every story, of course, but as far as endings went hers wasn't bad.
Reconsidering, she looked at Kem. As far as beginnings went, hers wasn't bad.
"Does this mean I get to plan a wedding?" she asked with a cheeky grin.
Kem`Raaisu
15 years ago
Kem looked at her skeptically, trying to figure out if she was joking or not. her smile was genuine though, with no hint of mischief. His views on marriage were ambivalent, but, romance aside, it was a sensible idea. Then she couldn't complain when he bought her a car.
CLearly, though, Aishe had another motive for asking. Kem didn't have to look far into the past to figure out what.
"Is that what he'd want?"
CLearly, though, Aishe had another motive for asking. Kem didn't have to look far into the past to figure out what.
"Is that what he'd want?"
Aishe
15 years ago
Good looks and brains too! Aishe nodded at Kem.
"It is what they'll both want."
And, of course, he understood.
"It is what they'll both want."
And, of course, he understood.