Obsidian embers chocked against what remained of the scolded fire wood suppressed with a charcoal laminate. The timber remained densely disfigured, its hazel complexion heavily hindered with blisters and lacerations thrown within the upmost rage of calefaction from the sultry blaze that had once clawed callously with its smouldering fingers at anything in sight. A colony of raven cinders lingered to be the only remnant, disseminated in an unsteady line of grey soot. I blew out a soft breath, tickling the ash beneath me as it coiled in a retracting motion. My fingers toyed among each other restlessly, reflecting the thoughts hurling throughout my mind at a relentless rate. I trained my eyes onto the fire's remnants, choosing to focus on the cadaverous timber as opposed to my nebulous mind, which hadn't been far off.
After eventually scampering from the back house, I had soon found myself huddled in the snug; once again smothered by numerous blankets, only this time it was as if they were compensating for his lack of presence though I couldn't find myself content with his substitute.
Trying to comprehend what had happened was almost as difficult as attempting to think about anything else, with my mind unsettled in a puzzle of indefinable feelings.
Tugging the material closer to my chest, I let my head fall heavily against my palms, coiling my body closer together in a desperate attempt to gain some warmth despite the fact that my mind had been fully aware that my search for was for an internal sense of compassion instead. Merely seconds later, a soft knock padded throughout the room, before a stream of light seeped throughout the dimmed room, an edgeless silhouette falling along the floor. The door set shut, restoring the room into obscurity once more.
"Can I come in?" I hadn't even needed to hear their voice to know who it was, their presence carrying enough for my mind to detect the smallest or simplistic of things with ease.
I meekly nodded my head in response as I heard his footsteps pad gently across the room. I kept my eyes locked forward, only shifting them slightly once Luke had stilled upon reaching the settee that I had reeled into. His actions were hesitant as he took a seat next to me.
He remained silent for a moment or two, his eyes burning holes into my cheeks as he searched to meet my gaze, then cautiously reaching his hands out toward my body. His fingertips grasped my waist, delicacy drumming along his skin as he leaned backward, shifting my frame in front of his. I let my head fall back against his chest before he moved his palms once more to cradle my body, letting one hand rest gently along my skull, toiling at my hair.
"I just need to be holding you right now," he mumbled tenderly before snuggling his face into my neck.
We lay in silence for several minutes, my mind at complete ease with simply being in his arms. "Adelaide?" He spoke quietly; the reticent atmosphere needing no more than a hushed tone. Tilting my head slightly, I indicate for him to proceed. "I need to be honest with you about something," he warily requests.
"I'm guessing that it's to do with what happened earlier?" I query, my voice almost inaudible as my fingers traced lines along Luke's skin.
"I'm, I- I lied to you about Bennett," he admitted apprehensively, stumbling through his words. I stilled at his revelation before raising my body upwards and twisting it to face him and for the first time since his entrance, I take a look at him.
His eyes are relentlessly flickering between mine, glazing's of water trickling along his dilated pupils. His hair was a dishevelled mess, his frustration having been taken out by repeatedly shoving his hand through his locks in a desperate attempt to ease his upset. With his forehead creasing as his eye browns strung together, he awaited my response.
"What do you mean exactly?"
"I lied about not knowing him, we all did," his voice was strained and weak as a side of Luke that I hadn't seen before came through.
