Solacium

Ch 23: Vorian

Time seemed to stop as we stared at each other. Blake's face flushed with that endearing red hue I was beginning to adore, and her eyes grew heavy, flicking down to my parted lips.

I could feel the bond between us growing, pulling me closer to her with each hitch of her breath. Leaning in, I moved close enough so that our breaths mingled. Yet I couldn't close the gap, no matter how badly I wanted to.

I searched her face, desperately looking for any sign that she wanted this and knew what it meant to me. For a brief moment, I could see it. The longing and emotion lit up her green eyes. A flame of hope that made my chest swell and my breath hitch. Yet, it was gone as quickly as it came.

In a flash, she extinguished the flame, closing herself off to me. I could see the exact moment she shut me out. Her eyes had taken on a far-away look as she searched her mind for something until she found it. Whatever she pictured in her mind made her eyes flash, her expression turning steely as she leaned back and away from me.

My face fell, and I moved back too. In my mind, my thoughts raced with what I had done to discourage her.

Did I do something wrong? Is this not something that is done on Earth? Surely it must be.

"I can't," She admitted suddenly, and my eyes snapped to her.

"Why?" I countered, furrowing my brows. The words just rolled out of my mouth without thinking, surprising even myself.

Please, Blake, tell me what I did to make you pull away, I pleaded internally as I looked into her conflicted eyes.

Whatever reason she had, surely I could counter it. I could prove to her that I would be a worthy match.

"I just can't..." She sighed, her gaze trailing over my face, lingering on my skin.

She didn't even have to say it aloud.

I could read the word in her eyes by how they lingered over my skin, my eyes...

Alien.

Right. That's all I was to her. An alien. An outsider. A threat.

I was taken aback by how much the realization hurt. It wedged its way into my chest like a knife, a painful reminder that she would never look at me the way I looked at her.

Regardless of how I felt, I had to respect her choice. No matter how much it hurt.

Schooling my features, I gave her a small smile.

"I see. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable, it won't happen again," I said solemnly, slowly releasing her to stand up. Blake's eyes followed my movement, and I looked at her for a minute before turning to tend to the fire.

As soon as I had my back to her, I let my face fall, releasing a long breath. I busied myself by searching the small room for more items I could throw into the dying fire, breaking apart pieces of the room to create more things to burn to keep Blake warm.

All the while, Blake was silent. I heard her shift, moving back up on the bed carefully. It seemed that now that I had managed to bandage her leg, she was in less pain, for which I was entirely grateful. Eventually, I heard her return to rustling through her bag, searching for something.

"Are you hungry?" Blake asked quietly, and I paused just as I was about to throw another scavenged piece into the fire. Turning to look at her, I saw that she had thrown the blanket back over her legs and now held two silver cans of soup in her lap.

"I am alright, thank you..." I began, turning back to the fire when I heard her speak again.

"Please, Vorian...You should eat something," She reasoned, and I stilled.