A soft sigh escaped her trembling lips, the pace was maddeningly slow, and the more time he took to undress her, his arousal increased to the point it was almost painful.
But, for the first time in a very long time, his mind was clear, and he wanted nothing more than show her how much he cherished her. He wasn't just lustful. His thoughts were clear, and his feelings for her weren't shadowed by anything else
He saw a glimmer in her eyes. One could easily drown in them. He wasn't sure if it was sadness or joy, but he had forgotten all about it when she kissed his lips. The kiss was tender, deliberately slow. She took her time as she tasted him, and her tongue slowly slipped inside his mouth, intertwining with his.
Ian pulled away from the kiss, his eyes fixed on hers" I love you!" he whispered, his chest moving up and down, almost panting.
She looked at him, she looked doubtful of his words, but she remained silent. This was strange, she usually replies, but, this time, there was nothing, not even in the slightest.
She rested her hands on his shoulders and slowly travelled down. Her fingertips lightly brushed the fabric of his tunic, letting them fall on his waist. All the while, she studied his expressions. He was silent as if he was waiting for something unexpected to happen, an interruption. She wondered.
Ian pinched her chin and pulled his lower lip between his teeth. His eyes peered into hers " Tell me! I need to know your thoughts. Do you think I love you? Or do you think that is just carnal desire that I feel for you?" his voice faltered, unsure if he should ask the question.
Her eyebrows knitted together, and she lowered her gaze as if she fell deep in thought. She took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but silence remained, and Ian had his answer.
He hummed, tugged on her dress and began pulling it over her waist, back on her shoulders. Ian tied the laces back. She remained silent. Iris didn't try to stop him. She stayed unmoving with her gaze lowered.
He wasn't sure what made her think that he didn't love her, but they had a pretty bumpy road so far, and he could understand why she was doubtful.
Ian closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh " I know things haven't been great lately. Many things have happened, and we haven't had a moment to breathe. I'm surprised you haven't kicked my arse out of the door. Well, I'm guessing you're not far from it, just prolonging the inevitable," he reasoned.
A tinge of pain could be heard in his voice, fading as he approached the end of his speech.
Iris finally lifted her head to look at him " No!' she paused for a moment. She looked hurt and a little confused " Far from it. I'm afraid that the sword has affected you more than you think, and whatever you feel for me might not be real. I know the thought has crossed your mind." she paused again and straddled him, placing both of her hands on his face " I love you, and you have been by my side, no matter the challenges that we faced. I'm not sure if what you feel for me is real. That was your question, and this my answer!" she looked at him fearfully, lightly panting, and he wished for a brief moment that he wouldn't have asked the damn question.
Ian placed his hand on her thighs. The heat radiating from the palm of his hands warned her skin that now was cold as the conversation drifted to an unpleasant tone.
He licked his lips " It has." he admitted, a little sullen
" Love struck me before I touched the blasted sword. I know the way things happened wasn't ideal, but it happened. I know you have your doubts, and I have mine. I'm happy to clear them, so how about we clear things between us and worry about everyone else another day? Until now, we had very little time for ourselves.' he fell silent, and his head hung low, his forehead touched her shoulder " Please, believe me when I say that what I feel for you is not influenced by the... How I hate that thing...' he dryly chuckled " I love you!" he rasped as he lifted his head, looked a little desperate, and his eyes held a hint of sadness.
Iris took a deep breath. Her frown deepened " We will give back the sword, and once you're no longer bound to it, tell me again!" she smiled. Her voice was soft, a little hopeful, maybe regretful.
Ian gulped the knot in his throat, reluctantly nodded, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder, letting out a shaky sigh. Her hand coiled around his neck and played with his hair, gently massaging it.
" You know, I never thought that this day would come. The day I wouldn't be capable of proving myself to you.' Ian's voice was distant as if his mind was somewhere else. Iris hummed, " We all live through things that we never imagined we would. Life does that to you! I'm sorry! The day will come when we will look back on what we did, on how we did things and realise that we were foolish. Things change, you change, and I have changed. We are not the same people anymore that lived in a hut on the hill, in a world of their own. It was a beautiful dream that ended too quickly!." sadness marred her voice as she spoke, faltering towards the end. Tears streaked her cheeks and began to drop on his face.
He felt a warm drop of water fall on his cheek and looked up at her. His mind quickly went blank, failing to understand why she was crying. Was it over? Did his fears just come true? He thought to himself.
" Why are you crying, my little angel?" he wiped her tears away, looking into her eyes and watching her unravel. He hadn't seen her cry in a long time, and he guessed that she held so much pain locked away. Now, she was finally letting it all out.
She closed her eyes " I-.." there was a pause. She opened her eyes " I want the pain to go away. The life in the hut....What we had, peace, quiet...it feels so distant, so unreal. I want that life, where it's just us, no magic, no other people. Simple!" she was sorrowful, there was so much pain her eyes that he could bearly contain his tears. He felt his throat tighten and his eye sting.
" It will happen! I promised, remember!" he smiled, but it was stiff, forced. He sounded genuine, hopeful even.