63 Wishing for love (1/2)
”How's it going, man?” Rin flopped down on the ledge of the large outer wall overlooking the vast lands beside Russ. ”What's on your mind?”
Russ grunted as he stared out over the strange new landscape. ”What's on my mind? What... Who is always on my mind...” He ran both large hands through his hair. ”I can't help but think I'm just wasting time sitting here, while she's out there with that asshole... possibly in danger...” He sighed loudly causing several birds that had been perched in a nearby tree to take flight. He watched as they flew into the clouded sky. ”Rin, it's all my fault. I pushed and pushed... and even after I got her
I... I...” He covered his face with his large palms. ”I fucked up so bad.”
Rin looked out over the land watching the distant twinkle of the city lights. ”You know, for the longest time every time I saw Shelly I'd think: Is this my chance? What if it is... what if it isn't... I'm so much older than her, would it be creepy if I said something now? would she hate me...” He glanced over at Russ. ”I know you don't really think about it, may not even realize it but it's hard to openly love someone with so many odds stacked against you. Take Shelly and me, she's royal...” He held up both arms exposing the tattoos branding the inside of each wrist, ”and I'm no more than a servant.”
Russ rolled his eyes, ”You are a powerful gin AND live in an actual palace. Big difference there, buddy.”
Rin arched his brows, ”But is it? Do you think your counsel, your clan... are going to look at it differently?”
Russ shrugged, ”Who cares what they think.”
”You should,” Rin said stoically. ”Your people do, Joslyn does...” Rin clasped Russ's shoulder, ”Social class, age, race, orientation, species... it all matters to the outside world, whether it does to us or not.” He frowned, ”Some of us are more painfully aware of this than others... but it still affects us all.”
Russ arched a brow in his friend's direction. ”I get what you're saying and yes Jos has made it painfully obvious my... 'social class' matters to her as I'm sure the difference in our species does as well.” He frowned as he looked back out toward the sparkling lights of the city. ”I would gladly give it all up in a heartbeat if it would make her stay with me.”
Rin lowered his head as he shook it. ”Your place among your people is already written, it's past time your people had a worthy leader.”
Russ sighed, ”Speaking of written fates... what do you think that picture of you meant?”
Rin frowned as he turned his head to avoid his friends searching eyes, ”It means I should value every possible second with her that I can... We never know when it could be our last...” With that Rin stood up. ”Think about what you would what to say to her most... what you wouldn't want to leave this world without her knowing...” A sad smile lifted the edge of his full lips, ”And tell her...” He held out his hand and snapped his fingers, disappearing in an instant.
Russ shook his head, ”I'll never get used to that...” He looked down at the phone he had been holding. ”What would I want her to know before I die...” Russ racked his brain. {There's so much I haven't said... so much that I would want to fix.} He slid his large index finger across the screen to unlock it, taking a minute to stare into the eyes he missed so much, before pulling up her earlier message and typing his response.
***
The evening light had faded to night. The moonlight cast a shimmer on all the many embroideries throughout the room. Shelly blinked several times trying to dispel the sleep from her eyes. The cool night breeze coming in from the open balcony sent a shiver across the bare flesh of her stomach as large fingers created tingles along the patterns they traced there. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the large frame of the man she loved who was laying quietly beside her. ”Rin?”
”Hum?” He purred as he continued tracing patterns across her tiny flat stomach.
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She frowned taking in the darkness of the room. ”What time is it? How long have I slept?”
Rin smiled meeting her questioning eyes warmly, ”It's a little after midnight. You were sleeping so well I didn't want to disturb you.”
Shelly snickered, ”Yet here you are tickling my tummy?!”
Rin's smile widened, ”I couldn't help but think what it would look like,” The merriment and wonder danced in his eyes like a child on Christmas eve admiring the perfectly wrapped present with their name on it. He leaned down and kissed her stomach before meeting her eyes again, ”swollen... with my child growing inside...”
Shelly blushed as her hand instinctively moved to her stomach as well. ”I... I...” her blush deepened, ”Isn't it too soon to think of something like that?”