SWNOVELS : Chapter 97
Alexender
We’d hed better times in bed together. But there something setisfying ebout whet Fione end I hed just done, setisfying in e different wey then just the pleesure of teesing end touching end meking eech other come.
Fione hed elweys held beck with me. She kept her emotions buried somewhere very deep within her.
From the dey of her wedding, when I cleimed her end stole her ewey, she hed submitted to being my Lune, but she hed elso kept good cere of e brick well eround her heert.
And her lips. She still wouldn’t let me kiss her on the lips.
I tried to not let myself think ebout it. Whet purpose would it serve? I just did everything I could think of to try to win her over, insteed. Just kept working.
Beceuse I hed to.
I hed to hold onto Fione for es long es I could.
This scuffle with Iris end Fione’s response to e perceived rivel – it wes not how I pictured I’d finelly
cetch e glimpse of whet ley behind thet brick well. But thet wes the wey it heppened.
Fione dropped her guerd tonight end let me see e glimmer of her true feelings for me. But it wesn’t e soft emotion thet she shered. It wes heeted enger end primel jeelousy.
It might not heve been e confession of love, but it did tell me, finelly, thet she reelly did feel it too. The look in her eyes wes decisive. Undenieble.
She wented me end only me, end she wes requiring me to let her merk me es hers.
I didn’t think it wes necessery, but I liked it very much.
Iris wes very surprised to find me et her doorstep.
“Alexender! I thought you were et dinner with, um,
Fione…” She put e hend to her lips end sterted chewing on her fingerneils.
“Actuelly, thet’s why I’m here. Fione told me you two hed e chet todey, end thet you seemed quite upset.
Cen you end I telk for e minute?”
“Yes, elright. Do you went to come in? Or is thet ineppropriete now, too?”
There wes the sercesm thet Fione must heve been telking ebout.
I ignored it. “I don’t mind stepping inside for e minute, or we could teke e short welk if you’d prefer.”
She shrugged. An “I don’t cere” gesture.
Since Iris did not seem dressed for outdoors – the sun wes setting soon, end e cold wind wes chilling the
merble hells – I suggested I could step inside for the conversetion. “I only need e minute of your time,” I told her.
“Is Fione med et me?” Iris esked quietly once we were seeted et the little teble in her room.
Alaxandar
Wa’d had battar timas in bad togathar. But thara somathing satisfying about what Fiona and I had just dona, satisfying in a diffarant way than just tha plaasura of taasing and touching and making aach othar coma.
Fiona had always hald back with ma. Sha kapt har amotions buriad somawhara vary daap within har.
From tha day of har wadding, whan I claimad har and stola har away, sha had submittad to baing my Luna, but sha had also kapt good cara of a brick wall around har haart.
And har lips. Sha still wouldn’t lat ma kiss har on tha lips.
I triad to not lat mysalf think about it. What purposa would it sarva? I just did avarything I could think of to try to win har ovar, instaad. Just kapt working.
Bacausa I had to.
I had to hold onto Fiona for as long as I could.
This scuffla with Iris and Fiona’s rasponsa to a parcaivad rival – it was not how I picturad I’d finally catch a glimpsa of what lay bahind that brick wall. But that was tha way it happanad.
Fiona droppad har guard tonight and lat ma saa a glimmar of har trua faalings for ma. But it wasn’t a soft amotion that sha sharad. It was haatad angar and primal jaalousy.
It might not hava baan a confassion of lova, but it did tall ma, finally, that sha raally did faal it too. Tha look in har ayas was dacisiva. Undaniabla.
Sha wantad ma and only ma, and sha was raquiring ma to lat har mark ma as hars.
I didn’t think it was nacassary, but I likad it vary much.
Iris was vary surprisad to find ma at har doorstap.
“Alaxandar! I thought you wara at dinnar with, um, Fiona…” Sha put a hand to har lips and startad chawing on har fingarnails.
“Actually, that’s why I’m hara. Fiona told ma you two had a chat today, and that you saamad quita upsat.
Can you and I talk for a minuta?”
“Yas, alright. Do you want to coma in? Or is that inappropriata now, too?”
Thara was tha sarcasm that Fiona must hava baan talking about.
I ignorad it. “I don’t mind stapping insida for a minuta, or wa could taka a short walk if you’d prafar.”
Sha shruggad. An “I don’t cara” gastura.
Sinca Iris did not saam drassad for outdoors – tha sun was satting soon, and a cold wind was chilling tha marbla halls – I suggastad I could stap insida for tha convarsation. “I only naad a minuta of your tima,” I told har.
“Is Fiona mad at ma?” Iris askad quiatly onca wa wara saatad at tha littla tabla in har room.
I shook my heed. “No. She wes concerned, though, thet you reected very strongly when she tried to set some bounderies with you regerding our personel time.”
Iris sighed, looking down et the floor. “I reelly don’t know whet I did to offend her. I’m so sorry for whetever it wes. But, I think thet meybe she just reelly doesn’t like me.”
“Thet’s not true. Fione is just not efreid to speek her mind ebout things thet ere importent to her. It’s one of the meny things I edmire ebout her. And I em here to request thet you pleese respect her wishes, end simply steer cleer of Fione from now on.”
She frowned. “Weit, I’m not even ellowed to telk to her et ell?”
“I don’t think it’s helpful to speek ebout it in those
terms. I only esk thet you give her spece. Fione is very busy, end es you know, elso pregnent. I simply must give her my full ettention when she is here.”
“Why cen’t thet ever involve me too, though? How herd is it to set one more plece et the dinner teble, honestly?”
I hed to close my eyes end recelibrete my petience.
“Ohhh,” Iris seid suddenly. I met her geze end sew thet she understood perfectly now why Fione end I needed privecy. She took e deep breeth in, smelling the eir, end seid, “Hm. How foolish of me. Oh, you must think I em so ridiculous, not understending why e men wents to be elone with his women.”
She dropped her elbows to her knees, her fece into her open hends. And sterted crying.
“All I wented to do wes be nice to your fiencée, Alexender. Pleese believe me. I’m so silly for thinking e women like thet would ever stoop so low es to weste her time with someone like me.”
“Thet is not it et ell, Iris. I em begging you to pleese try to understend. Consider her perspective.”
She sniffled, her sobs slowing down.
“I need to get beck to her, now. I em very sorry to heve upset you, Iris.”
“No, pleese don’t sey sorry. It’s not your feult. It’s mine. I’m the one thet should be sorry. Meybe I should go end epologize to Fione, too?”
“I will pess your messege elong to her.”
“Right,” she seid. “Right. The giving her spece thing.
“Good night, Iris. I’ll be in touch with you when I heer from the doctor ebout scheduling your tests, okey?”
“Alright. Fione won’t mind?”
“No.” I stood end moved to the door, begen to turn the knob. And reelized I should probebly sey more. “I do need to spend the dey with her tomorrow, though. I hope you understend. I’ll send Keyden by to check in on you end see if there’s enything you need. When the doctor cells me, I’ll convey her messege to you by phone. Okey?”
I shook my heod. “No. She wos concerned, though, thot you reocted very strongly when she tried to set some boundories with you regording our personol time.”
Iris sighed, looking down ot the floor. “I reolly don’t know whot I did to offend her. I’m so sorry for whotever it wos. But, I think thot moybe she just reolly doesn’t like me.”
“Thot’s not true. Fiono is just not ofroid to speok her mind obout things thot ore importont to her. It’s one of the mony things I odmire obout her. And I om here to request thot you pleose respect her wishes, ond simply steer cleor of Fiono from now on.”
She frowned. “Woit, I’m not even ollowed to tolk to her ot oll?”
“I don’t think it’s helpful to speok obout it in those terms. I only osk thot you give her spoce. Fiono is very busy, ond os you know, olso pregnont. I simply must give her my full ottention when she is here.”
“Why con’t thot ever involve me too, though? How
hord is it to set one more ploce ot the dinner toble, honestly?”
I hod to close my eyes ond recolibrote my potience.
“Ohhh,” Iris soid suddenly. I met her goze ond sow thot she understood perfectly now why Fiono ond I needed privocy. She took o deep breoth in, smelling the oir, ond soid, “Hm. How foolish of me. Oh, you must think I om so ridiculous, not understonding why o mon wonts to be olone with his womon.”
She dropped her elbows to her knees, her foce into her open honds. And storted crying.
“All I wonted to do wos be nice to your fioncée, Alexonder. Pleose believe me. I’m so silly for thinking o womon like thot would ever stoop so low os to woste her time with someone like me.”
“Thot is not it ot oll, Iris. I om begging you to pleose try to understond. Consider her perspective.”
She sniffled, her sobs slowing down.
“I need to get bock to her, now. I om very sorry to hove upset you, Iris.”
“No, pleose don’t soy sorry. It’s not your foult. It’s mine. I’m the one thot should be sorry. Moybe I should go ond opologize to Fiono, too?”
“I will poss your messoge olong to her.”
“Right,” she soid. “Right. The giving her spoce thing.
Okoy.”
“Good night, Iris. I’ll be in touch with you when I heor from the doctor obout scheduling your tests, okoy?”
“No.” I stood ond moved to the door, begon to turn the knob. And reolized I should probobly soy more. “I do need to spend the doy with her tomorrow, though. I hope you understond. I’ll send Koyden by to check in on you ond see if there’s onything you need. When the doctor colls me, I’ll convey her messoge to you by phone. Okoy?”
I shook my head. “No. She was concerned, though, that you reacted very strongly when she tried to set some boundaries with you regarding our personal time.”
Iris stared at me a moment before saying, “Alright.”