The silence is invigorating for some reason. It brings a sense of peace that I haven't felt in a very long time. We sit on the frozen ground in silence, and for once I don't mind my ass being completely frozen. Instead, I focus on the heat radiating from Mason. I'd swoon, but I try to keep my mind clear of all the nonsense that usually goes on in my head. I've never met anyone quite like him, and I don't think I ever will.
No matter what happens between us, we will find our way back to each other. That much I know, or at least I'd like to believe that we will.
For once, we don't speak of anything, and I find that comforting. I don't want to make demands, and ask questions. He will tell me, eventually. At least I hope so. For now, I just want to take advantage of this moment, alone. Where I don't have to share him with anyone, where it's just us, and that should be enough.
His heavy sigh drags me back to him, and I chance a quick peek from the corner of my eye to see what he is doing. His eyes are closed, and he is gently fiddling with my fingers. He is at peace. I know that look, even though it is quite rare on Mason. There is no tension in his body or his features. He is completely relaxed. Maybe my ability to create these little pockets in our reality is the answer I have been looking for to our problems. A place where we don't have to worry about anything but us.
" I missed you," He says quietly and the admission makes my heart thump harder in my chest ready to go to him and join his. He has had my heart for a very long time, and I know it will always be his. Among all the uncertainty surrounding us, there has never been something truer than that little fact. It might not mean much to the others but to me it is worth more than any precious jewel.
I know he loves me, and I love him. But why does it have to be so damn difficult to find common ground?
" I'm feeling better now. We should head back," I whisper, and Mason opens one eye to look at me but doesn't move. It is freezing, and I'm on the verge of becoming a human popsicle.
He exhales, opens both eyes and looks into the distance. A way out. For some reason, I struggle to find those little fissures in the veil between our worlds but Mason seems to spot them within minutes.
Perhaps we are meant to operate as a duo. Perhaps I was never meant to do this alone. Perhaps he was right. Anam Cara is getting stronger, rather than dissolving like my father thought it would.
The are a lot of 'ifs' and ' buts' in my life at the moment but hopefully, we will figure it out.
Slowly Mason begins to rise, pulling me with him, and points somewhere in the distance. He has found the fissure. The white plains seem endless, and other white, nothing else is visible. Why do I struggle to see something I've created?
Mason slips his hand in mine and gives me a reassuring squeeze, and begins to walk. He remains silent, pensive.
It seems that we have reached a crossroads in our journey. And I fear that the wrong action or inaction, for the lack of better words, will determine our future or the lack of it.
We've had many turning points over time but this one seems and feels final. The last nail in the coffin sort of thing.
For once the silence between us is comfortable. Mason appears to be at ease, if not a little preoccupied. I take my eyes off him to look in the distance. We have been walking for a while now, and I don't see any trace of the fissure in the fabric between two realities.
With a tug of my hand, he stops, and I turn to look at him with questions.
" We are here," He points to the snow, and I see it. How did he even find it?
A well of snow rippling softly, barely noticeable unless you have a very good eye, or know what are you looking for. I suppose he has both. But it could have been in any other direction. Questions pop one by one in my head.
" How did you know?" I feel the need to ask, he smirks and shrugs.
" It is what I do," He says casually, " Being exceptional at being me," I repress the need to roll my eyes at the sheer arrogance in that statement. He already has an over-inflated ego. Any more and we would have the take the doors out of the hinges, and winden the entryway, so we could fit his big fat head through it.
" Thank god, you're a natural," I smirk," And you saved us from our impending doom," I say pompously, curtsieing in front of him, " My Knight in shining armour," I bat my lashes at him, pretending to swoon.
He laughs," Only you could mock me for being helpful and saving both our asses," He grabs my hand once again and pulls me to his side, leaning in so that we share a breath, our eyes meet and all the amusement leeches away from me, being replaced by something else entirely. Something that I keep under lock and key, but sometimes does, manage to escape my grasp, and I remember those feelings all too well. They never ceased, merely dormant.
Slowly, his hand wraps around my waist pulling me flush against him, and I feel my heart jump in my throat, lodging itself there, and breathing becomes something that requires forethought.
My skin lights up, and can feel through our clothes every single muscle of his, twitch, and contract, as he slides his hand up my arm in a gentle, seamless stroke. We are barely touching, and I am already on the verge of combustion. Those breathtaking sensations where all rational thought leaves you, and you become a bundle of want and need. Longing, loss, love, despair, lust, all dance with each other in perfect harmony.
When his hand reaches my neck, the spark in his eyes is crystal clear. The attraction between us is undeniable. His fingers dig in the small of my back with bruising force, holding me close to him, as if he is afraid I would run. I won't.
Our warm breath mingles with the cold air billowing around us, and all I want is for him to kiss me. Ever so slightly the corner of his mouth quirks up, and I know that he is hearing what goes on in my mind to some extent.