THE LAMB AND THE DOVE

TWO

"Why'd ya' bring me here?" you asked as nice as possible, "of all places?"

Arvin paused for a moment, swallowing softly as he looked on at you. "I guess you could say this is... Or was our spot," he started, looking down at the carved wood where your hand still lay, "you came back to town for a reason, an' I'd like ta' think part of that reason was because'a me" he answered honestly and quietly. Deep down inside Arvin wanted to be the reason for your return to badly/ It had been so long since he'd seen laid eyes on you, and seeing you that morning set off a fire in him that had been damp for so long.

He started on at you for a moment as you took your time to answer, and before he got one, you were moving back to your feet, standing up straight and wondering over to the river bank. Arvin followed you closely, stopping about a foot away from you, watching as you looked out over the river, coated with a thin layer of mist that was drawing closer as the day moved along.

"I never meant to shoot im'" you said, facing away from the young man standing behind you. Arvin furrowed his brow, confused at your statement before the penny dropped and his brows softened once again, "I told the sheriff it was self-defence, but ain't no man gon' believe a little lady with a loaded gun pointed at her daddy's corpse" your hands clenched together into a fist, an action that Arvin caught glimpse of and moved in towards you. Placing a hand on your shoulder, he watched as you flinched a little, looking back at him.

"I believed you" he whispered, trailing his hand down your arm towards your clenched fist, "I believed every word you told me about that night" he nodded, truth in his eyes. You smiled softly, only to be broken a few seconds later. You felt him cradle your fist, weaning it open slowly, breaking apart your fingers so he could slide his hand into your own.

"Were you scared?" you asked cautiously, knowing there must have been some damage done to him that night.

"Nah," he shook his head, "the night they took you away I couldn't sleep..." he mumbled rubbing the skin above your thumb gently, "I sat out on the porch for hours wishin' you'd come runnin' back down that drive with your lil' suitcase and that stupid blue dress you always used to wear" he chuckled, hearing you join in with a soft giggle.

"I really did love that dress," you nodded, remembering the softness of that small blue dress you always used to wear, so often no one could get you out of it, not even to bathe most nights. But the joy and the laughter soon faded away when you both came to realise that you never did come back.

"I'm so sorry, Arvy" you whispered, resting your forehead against his when you felt him squeeze your hand reassuringly.

"It ain't nothin' worth apologising about" he gripped your hand tightly, a small smile forming on his thin lips, "I'm just real glad I get to see ya' again" he chuckled softly, making you smile once again. A subtle breeze silenced the both of you suddenly as you felt the warmth of his hand contrast with the cold of the wind on your cheek, his sot thumb brushing the skin under your eye and pushing any worries away. Your breath hitched lightly when you felt his other hand departure from your own, lacing itself around the comfort of your waist and pulling you in close. It felt as though an army of butterflies were pouring out of your stomach and flying around your stomach like maniacs as he nudged your nose with his own softly, feeling the heat of his breath against your lips.

Your eyes were hooded, a nervous jitter spreading throughout your bones as he gripped you comfortingly, lacing the hand from your cheek around the curve of your neck. "Can I kiss you?" he whispered softly, stroking the bare skin of the back of your neck so softly it gave you goosebumps. You broke out a soft giggle, nodding as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close, finally pressing his soft lips against your own. The kiss wasn't too strong, but it still knocked you off your feet.

It was in that moment that you felt Arvin in a whole different way, he was so soft and gentle with you, holding you close like his life depended on it. The fingers that traced the nape of your neck stilled, pressed into your skin like tattoos as your lips moved together in a rhythm. It was as if all this time you had been subliminally waiting for one another, like each of you were the missing piece to each other's lives and this was what feeling complete was all about. This was freedom.

Eventually, you pulled away for air, but you were too indulged to let go completely that your fingers laced themselves in his curls, body rocking up against his own. Arvin smiled bashfully, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "You have no idea how long I've waited ta' do that"

You smiled shyly at his comment, lifting your arm from his neck to flatten your palm against his cheek. You watched as he nuzzled into your touch softly, looking at you with big doe eyes, filled with stories that could last you a lifetime. "I'd like to think I'd come back 'ere for you, Arvy" you said honestly, although you knew the truth behind your troubles, "but the truth is, I ain't been that much of a saint these last few years" your smile faded away suddenly like a leaf caught in the winter breeze.

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying I got a lot of making up ta' do. I came back to town because I'm sick of runnin' away from ma' sins. I killed my daddy, Arvin. Ain't nobody gonna let that slide" the tone in your voice seemed honest as it was in truth, but Arvin could hear the pain behind each syllable. He pulled away from you quietly as you loosened your grip, gaze dropping down to your feet, "like you said, we ain't kids no more."

Before Arvin could detest against your words, the quiet of the woods was disturbed by the sound of a gunshot. You flinched, equally as hard as Arvin, falling into his arms for protection as you looked in the direction of the dreaded sound. Birds fluttered up above the treetops and branches cracked and craned outwards as the wind blew strong.

"What in God's name was that?" you asked wearily, narrowing your grip around Arvin's wrist that was bound over your shoulder.

"Probably just some hun'ers" he swallowed nervously, looking back at the car, "maybe we should get back into town"

"Agreed" you nodded, holding onto Arvin as you walked back to the car sitting up higher on the bank. The drive home was a little less quiet than it had been on the way to the riverbank, a little conversation begging to flow between the two of you. Arvin had asked where you were staying and drove you home to your old house just outside of town, away from the village folk. It was peaceful but brought back a lot of dreaded memories.

"You sure you don't want me to come stay with you fo' a while?" Arvin asked kindly as you parked on the mud driveway to your home. You shook your head, "I'll be alright". Arvin was reluctant to leave you, he'd missed you dearly and saying goodbye again stung fear into his chest that this might be another prolonged goodbye for the future. But he knew deep down inside it wasn't.

You waited on the porch as you watched Arvin leave, waving him off once again. You felt relieved that you had seen the boy you were looking for, the one who sure owned the key to your heart. It was cliche, but you didn't care, a town like this needed a little love from two childhood best friends to lift the deathly mood that was bleached into the stone walls of every store and house.

But coming back to town to repair your sins wasn't the only reason.

After Arvin's car had disappeared far into the distance, you found yourself jogging back down the white wood steps of the porch and around to the open back yard of the house. Behind the house, there was a small forest, much like the one at Arvin's home, that held so many dark secrets. With power in your stride, you marched your way deep into the woods down towards an old willow tree. There you kneeled down, fresh hands clawing at the soft soil beneath the roots of the large tree until your nails grazed along a hard coating of metal and wood.

You weren't surprised that what you had buried had rotted over time, covered in weeds and vines, thick with wet mud and a few bugs. You tugged for a moment, snapping the weeds away and sitting back as you held your fathers shotgun tight in your hand. The metal was slightly rusty and the wood sure needed repairing, but it would do for what was to come.

They'd never see it coming.