Lonesome | Arthur Morgan

Chapter 14

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As I watch her, my heart ponders onto greater thoughts. How she would look beside me, on how she would look in my arms, beneath me. The more she is distant, the more beautiful she is. I long more for her from the lack of eye contact with those playful ones of hers.

Lilian's mood was beginning to stick at its stubborn self when it came to anything that associated with Arthur. If she was given the task to serve dinner then she would simply ignore Arthur's plate. A few days had passed since the lake incident and although Lilian was beginning to grow feelings of hate for Arthur, Arthur's distance only caused the opposite as his love for the girl remained and pestered.

"You know you can't continue to be like that." Abigail perked up as she looked up from clearing one of the work tables as Lilian throughly chopped the vegetables for the evening meal.

"What do you mean?" Lilian spoke with a little attitude in her voice as she didn't look up from the carrots.

"Getting angry at the veg won't solve the disruption of emotions between you and Arthur." Abigail rolled her eyes as she began to help Lilian with the vegetables, noticing how she peeled at the carrots, closed to slicing her finger from how careless she was being whilst built with this emotion. "I'm guessing you didn't do much cookin' back home."

"Aha no never." There was a silence between the two for a few moments as Lilian looked over to the group of men leaving camp again to do their "work". She remained curious at what they actually did; she obviously had her guesses. Lilian looked to Abigail, hesitating before speaking again. "Abigail. What work do the camp actually do? I get the robbing of stuff but there can't be that much robbing surely and maybe a little killing of innocent people...."

"You'd be surprised." Abigail chuckled as she rubbed her hands down her pinafore after finishing her share of chopping the vegetables. She looked to Lilian with an almost concerned look. "I wouldn't be asking those questions though. Be glad you asked me, if others caught you asking you'd get a little telling off by the not so nice members of camp. You're already in enough shit as it is."

Lilian understood and nodded continuing with her jobs, pushing through another day. The topic on her mind today was her family and how they were coping, whether her mother and father were safe? If she missed her brothers funeral? The thought crossed her mind that she'd even been forgotten by them which caused some anxiety, but she repeated to herself not think so irrationally. Arthur barely crossed her mind thankfully as she ended up with a heap of sewing from some of the men in camp.

The log at the edge of camp had become her comfort zone with the divine outlook of the lake. To keep her company she had Jack at some points to give Abigail some time to herself and to teach him how to read. Children always have a more soothing energy compared to adults, their ambition and soft nature is comforting. "The blue..bird flew swi...swi." Jack sat crossed legged in front of Lillian as she concentrated on a large hole in one of Hosea's shirt. He had been given a more mature book by Lilian to read as he had become bored of the same stories that his dad, John and brought for him.

"Swiftly?" Lilian replied, guessing what word Jack had been struggling with. Jack nodded and continued with the story, stopping for help when new unfamiliar words showed up in the book. Reading was an easy way to tire Jack out as his little brain focused intently.

Unbeknownst, Arthur had returned from his jobs for the day and had been watching Lilian and Jack for a short while, miserably chewing on a bread roll with a slight scowl as he wanted to just join the two of them. "What's that look for, Arthur?" Hosea comes wondering towards him with a bowl of soup in his hand. He connects to where Arthur's eyes are looking and he chuckles. "So you still ain't made any moves?"

Arthur coughed a little on his bread and looked away from Lilian. "I don't know what you're talking about." Arthur looked a little flustered as he began to walk towards his tent.

"Just know that when they're gone, they're gone." Hosea smugly remarked as he took a seat by the campfire. Hosea's words bugged Arthur as they remained engrained in his thoughts as well as Lilian's soft smile on those pretty pink lips and celestial complexion.

Lilian had said goodnight to Jack and finished up on some sewing before she spotted Kieran near the fire logs, doing his best to chop at a few. She was hesitant to say anything but couldn't help herself. "Kieran." She spoke causing him to jump slightly and turn his head hastily to look at who spoke. "I'm sorry about what happened." She looked away uncomfortably as she noticed his swollen black eye.

"Oh uh Miss Lillian don't worry about it. I knew I shouldn't of took up your offer, it brought us both harm." Kieran looked down at his boots as he felt ashamed and weakened by his place in camp.

"Nonsense, it'll hopefully be okay for you soon. I'll try not to cause you so much trouble, hopefully I can sneak you one more pastry some time." She smiled as she whispered the last part about stealing pastries.

Arthur was the only one who had noticed the two speaking which created more frustration as he looked at Lilian's expressions. The way her lips curved and her eyelashes batted smoothly, a warm expression sat on her face that showed care and compassion. He longed for her to look at him that way.

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Sorry is le short filler chapter, quite a wholesome one tho!