ι'м ησт qυιтє нυмαη, вυт ι'м ησт qυιтє α мα¢нιηє {Rue}

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Despite himself, Aron grinned. "Probably better that way. Wouldn't want him to know how many of his secrets you know."

[assassinrue]

Despite herself, Valerie snorted. "Really though. He'd be mortified."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Who wouldn't be?" Aron asked. His eyes swept down from her face and across her body, and despite himself he remembered how it felt to touch her and kiss her, to drink in her scent. Was Elijah doing that now? What was the true extent of their relationship. "I wish I could go back," he said. "To that day. I wouldn't have left if I had known what would come of it."

[assassinrue]

Valerie offered him a small smile. "I think you still would've left, Aron. I think it was calling you."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"But now you're calling me, and I've lost you forever," he said. "I had something real, however fleeting, and now it's gone."

[assassinrue]

Valerie couldn't respond. Her face didn't change and she didn't say a word. After a moment she finally said. "I don't know."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Aron blinked at her. "You don't know?" He had no idea what she meant those words toward. Was it a sign of hope, or something else?

[assassinrue]

Valerie shrugged. "Forever is a long word. I'm also just not sure what to do."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Aron fell silent for a few seconds. "Do you love him?" he asked eventually.

[assassinrue]

Valerie sighed heavily. "Now isn't that the question." She thudded back into the bench. "It's hard to separate the us from now and the us from before."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"What do you mean?" Aron asked. He supposed she could have loved him before, though differently, when she was a dog.

[assassinrue]

"There's a difference between being his dog and being his girlfriend. And I'm different now, you changed me."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Aron's eyes flickered across her face. "And how did I change you?" he asked. For better or worse?

[assassinrue]

"Well, the things we've been through I'd never had with anyone else."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Oh?" Aron actually managed a wry grin. "You mean being captured by nutcases and tortured?"

[assassinrue]

Valerie laughed harshly. "Well that was something."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Without thinking, Aron leaned forward quickly and kissed her. It was a fast kiss, but he could remember how she felt and tasted. He just wanted it one more time...

[assassinrue]

Valerie gasped. She had forgotten that, how he could make her burn and melt and freeze all at once, like an electrical storm that changed temperatures so fast you weren't sure what you were feeling.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Aron kept his face close after he broke the kiss, his forehead pressed against hers and his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I forgot how that felt," he murmured.

[assassinrue]

"Me too." Valerie whispered, her voice shaky. She pulled her head away a little and looked at Aron.