The surface of Magnus's mind became still as he took in the information, his thoughts willfully placid. Somewhere along his journey, he'd taught himself to calm his mind in the face of information that could derail his plans. Well, not somewhere...he knew exactly what had started that training, who had shown him it was needed.
He could feel the honesty in her words. She...had loved him. She still loved him.
He took a breath. It wasn't a dramatic or overly telling breath, just one that bought him a fraction of a second of time before he responded.
Understanding and love were still written across his face. Nothing had changed. His hand gently cupped her jaw again, his touch gentle against the uncertainty she couldn't hide. [color=#7CD98A]"We are friends, Lara. We always have been."[/color] His thumb brushed the skin of her cheek and trailed down to pause briefly on her lower lip. [color=#7CD98A]"This doesn't need to be anything more than that."[/color]
Except it was. They both knew it.
Thinking about where that road went was borrowing trouble, and there wasn't room for that right now. If being able to hold her meant that they had to pretend that they were just friends seeking solace in each other's comfortable embrace, then that is what they would do. Lies don't become the truth just because you tell them to yourself.
She may not have known what she needed, but he did. She needed someone to hold her as she faced the dark night ahead. She needed someone to see her - not just the queen, or the mother, or the crow, or even the wife in mourning - all of her. She needed someone to see her and understand that some wounds were so deep that facing another day alone seemed impossible. She needed someone to see how empty she felt inside.
He did see it. He always had been able to see the things she hid from others. That's why he had fallen in love with her so many years ago. It's why he was willing to give only as much as she could handle now.
In truth, the thing she needed right now was him.
He could feel the honesty in her words. She...had loved him. She still loved him.
He took a breath. It wasn't a dramatic or overly telling breath, just one that bought him a fraction of a second of time before he responded.
Understanding and love were still written across his face. Nothing had changed. His hand gently cupped her jaw again, his touch gentle against the uncertainty she couldn't hide. [color=#7CD98A]"We are friends, Lara. We always have been."[/color] His thumb brushed the skin of her cheek and trailed down to pause briefly on her lower lip. [color=#7CD98A]"This doesn't need to be anything more than that."[/color]
Except it was. They both knew it.
Thinking about where that road went was borrowing trouble, and there wasn't room for that right now. If being able to hold her meant that they had to pretend that they were just friends seeking solace in each other's comfortable embrace, then that is what they would do. Lies don't become the truth just because you tell them to yourself.
She may not have known what she needed, but he did. She needed someone to hold her as she faced the dark night ahead. She needed someone to see her - not just the queen, or the mother, or the crow, or even the wife in mourning - all of her. She needed someone to see her and understand that some wounds were so deep that facing another day alone seemed impossible. She needed someone to see how empty she felt inside.
He did see it. He always had been able to see the things she hid from others. That's why he had fallen in love with her so many years ago. It's why he was willing to give only as much as she could handle now.
In truth, the thing she needed right now was him.
01-29-2023, 07:35 PM
