"A dance?" I drawl as I come more into her line of sight. I shouldn't be doing this. But how could I not especially when she was dressed like a goddess and every male gaze might have been on her tonight. My right hand stretches out as a sign of invitation. Her eyes meet mine for a second, I can see a hint of confusion in them, which is very understandable. Why is the guy who's been just a tad distant since he found her on the brink of death two months ago asking her for a dance now? She considers it for a moment and accepts my offer by placing her hand in mine. She flashes a smile at the agent she is talking to and nods them off. Then her body is in my arms as she places her hands on my shoulders.
Now it feels like the room just got warmer, like the night could go on till infinity, Like the world could end and still be reborn again just because I was holding her in my arms as we swayed slowly to the smooth jazz that played in the hall. It's not like I haven't held her before, I've held her as I taught her new advanced moves to make her better at hand to hand combat. Held her when we walked home drunk sometimes after she was done at Spice. I also held her when her heart was at the brink of giving out. And all that I could think about then was that she could die in my arms and I let her wraith-dad escape.
Shaking the thought off, I stare at her and find her gazing at me. Reid? She penetrates my mind shields. I face her fully, blinking back the tears that had stung my eyes at the memory of having her almost dead in my arms. She was observant, and given how easily she could penetrate my mind, I know she knows where my mind had been. Reika. I say back to her mentally. She smiles ever so subtly its like I imagined it. You can fool the whole of Meridian Reid, not me. She quips ever so casually and keeps a straight face as we dance. Did you ever start therapy? I deflect. But my idiotic brain jumped to a topic discussion that is not suitable for this environment.
This doesn't seem to shock her though, she likes to think that she doesn't need therapy and proceeds to say. That was a minimal amount of harm Reid, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Plus, I think you need it more than I do. I literally do chuckle at her comment now, albeit strained. Well, the year just began and you've already made the understatement of the year already. ...I worry about you. I admit. This might have been the first time in the two months that I'd said anything remotely close to a confession in regards to her. I know she is strong. She's one hell of a fighter at that but also know what she's been through.
I'm not supposed to know but I do and I could possibly even get eliminated because of that little piece of information and what it's done to me, but I don't care. She's silent, maybe she's stunned as I am at that little piece of information I'd shared. Her eyes glisten a bit for the shortest of milliseconds and she's back to herself. You shouldn't. Is all she says and I watch her throat move up and down as she swallows. My poor sweet sweet girl. My heart is tired of breaking for her. I know too much that I shouldn't and for the first time in my life its killing me.
She's mine to protect though, I'm her agent, so whether she likes it or not it's my job to worry about her. As if I wasn't doing it enough already. I know. You are a formidable agent after all. Respect, pure respect in that statement was enough to set us back straight on the professional path of platonic sunshine and professional rainbows. yay cockblock. My mind teases me.
"Have you seen Garth?" She asks. Well shit.
"Not yet, he should get here at any moment now." I admit feeling like steel pricky wire was cutting through my throat. They were like casual lovers now. At least i was back at my house now. Garth had been on assignment by Meridian to hunt hell-wraiths and study more about them ever since the incident. They don't seem to understand how her father was able to become a wraith, especially because he wasn't a magical being at all. All of Reika's magical abilities she had gotten from her mom.
He was however going to be making an appearance at this new year's gala. Swallowing the ball of hot saliva that felt like lava going down my throat, I excuse myself and casually walk out of the gloriously decorated hall and into the corridors. Letting go of her feels like slamming onto a handful of snow. At least here everything was still dull and normal, I need to breath so I naturally head out to the one place I liked when I was here. The helipad on the roof. It was eerily silent here, void of human noise, just tranquility.
Inhaling deeply, I walk towards the edge and watch over the city. Greenwich is stunning, especially tonight. The fireworks that kept exploding gloriously in the sky were a good distraction. I'd stood here for a good five minutes before getting disrupted by an ear wrenching noise and explosion of black and green in the air. Well I did not miss that.
"Hey," Ameira chirps excitedly as she heads towards me after closing the portal. "Hey." I say back grumpily as I hug her. I was excited to see her. It's just that I knew what came after this. Slow footsteps are heard as the subtle click of winklepickers approach us. I'd had a short fall out with him after he'd learnt about Reika's attack. Bitter harsh words had been said and we were not exactly on good terms. And the fact that they had sexual relations was not easing the 'feud' at all.
Standing tall at 6'3 in a tuxedo ten feet across me on the other side of the helipad, is Garth Lard.