Page 125 of A Tale of Ice and Ash
Eirwen froze. “Cole–”
“It’s all right. I won’t push you. I just want to be honest. I’m rather done with hiding how I feel about you.” He kissed her temple, forcing a weak smile. “I’m going to go for a walk for a bit. I’ll be back in time for the party.”
“Party?”
“Onyx just buried a centuries-old demon. They’re having a party. With a roast hog. Not a roast cave crawler, a roasthog.I’ve forgotten what real food tastes like. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Cole–”
“It’s all right, Eirwen,” he said, drifting out of her arms. “Please believe me when I say that as long as you’re all right, I really am too.”
“Are you… are you sure?” she said, trying to ignore the weight of his first comment.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because I think you’re frightened of turning into your mother. I think that’s the reason you never went back to Florin. And I understand that. I do. I understand that because I’m terrified of becoming like her, too. Or Jasper. Or even my own parents.”
Cole stilled. “Eira–”
“And we can be afraid, right? We’re allowed to be afraid. We can be afraid together. And then maybe we won’t be so alone anymore.”
Cole exhaled, the breath shuddering out of him. “You may be difficult to read, but you’re pretty good at reading others, aren’t you?”
He rushed back towards her, sweeping her into his arms and placing a soft, deep kiss on her lips. Every second he was against her, her body unwound, tying itself to his until she felt they’d become knotted together irrevocably.
“I really have to go,” he said, “just for a bit. I just… why is it so hard to let go of you?”
Eirwen suspected she knew why. She suspected he did too. And she did not want him to let go.
He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back soon. We’ll talk some more.”
He headed for the door.
“Cole–”
“Yes?” he said hopefully.
“Take… take care.”
A weak smile ghosted his lips. “Anything for you, My Lady.”
He was gone before she could call him back, or find the words she really wanted to say.
You don’t like the fact that you like me, do you?
Was that really it? Or was it something far more simple, and much more terrifying?
