My Long Lost Mate

The morning sun bestowed the room with its light early through the day, waking me up from my slumber. The window curtain was left open, allowing the orange glow from the sun to seep through the transparent glass.

For a moment, the brightness of the room blinded me. My eyes were still hazy with sleep, not yet prepared to greet the sun. I let out a sigh, already feeling tired that I will soon have to prepare for the new day despite only waking just a minute ago. 

I realized I was still in the same position as when I fell asleep last night, in the arms of the man who had become my greatest strength and comfort. The man was still fast asleep, his mouth slightly apart as he breathes in and out in a steady motion. His hands wrapped around my waist loosely, his head resting on my pillow instead of his own.

I took this time to marvel at his features, wondering how one could be born with such a handsome face. I waved my hand in front of his face, wanting to make sure that the man was indeed asleep. As there was no response, I was convinced that he was yet to awake, so my fingers turned a little venturous. 

I let my fingers raked through his hair, wanting to feel how soft and lush it was. There was absolutely no difference between his hair and the fur on his wolf's. They were both as dark as the night, thick and unruly. The man didn't seem to care about his hair, always letting them down to the depth of his forehead but kept it short for it to end just under his ears. 

I brushed his front hair aside, touching the skin hidden underneath. The skin was smooth with close to no blemishes, another blessing given by the creator of this very man. His eyebrows were thick and as dark as his hair, though most of the time always hidden behind his hair.

With his eyes closed, I could see the length of his lashes. They were neither short nor long. Under his right eye, there I found a small mole. It was so small that people wouldn't even notice it was there if they were not thorough and close enough to see it.

His nose was tall and sharp, his cheeks more defined than that of a statue. His jaw was chiseled and strong, his chin cleanly shaved. I couldn't help but be awed as I followed all the lines on his face, every and each of them showing just how perfect the man was. What a greedy man, taking all the best things for himself. 

When my fingers made their way to his lips, a smile appeared on his face.

"Isn't this a little too early to admire my handsomeness?" he asked with his eyes still closed, his voice low and hoarse. 

Surprised that he was awake, I let out a little gasp and quickly retreated my fingers. A chuckle escaped his lips when his red eyes meet my dilated ones, clearly amused at what I was doing. 

"W-when did you wake up?" 

"Since I feel your touch," he answered before touching his hair, then all the places that my fingers previously touched in the same exact order. I could feel my cheeks getting hotter by the minute as I watched him repeating what I've just done with a smirk on his face. 

"You should have said something if you are awake," I coughed. Looking at the man who didn't stop teasing me, I held his hand for him to stop his teasing. 

"But I'm curious to know what you are doing when I'm asleep," he held my hand, placing it back on his face before offering, "You can touch me more." 

Hearing his outrageous offer, the hot sensation in my cheeks further spread to my ears. "W-why should I do that?" I struggled to pull my hand back but his grip was strong as if he was enjoying the fact that he was making me blush. 

"Why else?" he shrugged, "It's because I love your touch."

With our current position that was still cuddling each other, there was no way for me to hide the redness of my cheeks so I tried to sit up, wanting to move away from the man. But Luke didn't seem to have the same thing in mind when he stopped me from moving by holding my waist. 

"I told you to touch me," he said as he pulled me closer, so close that our ċhėst touched each other, "Not to run from me."

My body turned tense and rigid, my eyes not daring to look at the man. I didn't know how flushed I would be if I look at him in the eyes right now. "I'm not running. I was just trying to go to the bathroom," I reasoned, "Can I?"

"Is it urgent?"

"Very," I nodded hastily. I was in great need of an escape for the safety of my heart. It was thumping so loudly in my ċhėst that I was afraid his great hearing would catch the sound of it. Well, actually, the look on his face told me that he already heard it. 

"I see it's very urgent that it made your heart beats like this," he released his hold on my waist, finally allowing me to escape his arms. "Is it normal for a human heart to beat this fast? Are you okay?"

In a blink of an eye, I was no longer lying on the bed but running towards the restroom. I quickly closed the door, ignoring the laugh that was coming from the man. I placed my hand over my ċhėst, patting it so that it would ease down its beatings. Heavens, I thought my heart would burst out of my ċhėst!

I looked over to the mirror, and there was the reflection of a woman with cheeks as red as a tomato. I didn't realize how nerve-wracking it was to be so close and touchy with Luke until now. I should have become used to his touches now that it was not the first time I felt him on me, but strangely, these past few days, they felt as hot as a burning iron in my skin. 

It felt like all the places that he touched would melt at any moment, and my heart would pace faster whenever he got closer to me. Was it normal for me to feel like this? 

Why did it feel like I was the only one who felt nervous about being so close to each other? It looked almost natural for him to touch me, but why am I always so shy to do the same? Like today, I could only have the courage to touch him first when he was not aware of my touch—or so I thought. I wonder if there happens a day where I could turn as bold as he was now, would he be as nervous as I was today? 

I opened the tap, rinsing my face with the cold water in an attempt to chase the redness of my cheeks away. I waited until my face was no longer flushed before finally stepping out of the bathroom. 

When I was out of my hiding, Luke was sitting on the sofa with his back facing me. From behind, I could see that he was reading a parchment on his hands. I walked over to the sofa, sitting beside him but kept a certain distance away. The parchment that he was reading turns out to be a map of his own land. 

"Why are you reading a map?"

He was so focused on reading the map that he didn't realize I was already out of the bathroom. When he noticed me beside him, he placed the map on the table, opening it to its full-size for me to see. 

"I'm thinking of making a stop on our way back to Wonsvile," he replied, pointing at his destination which was shown on the map. He was pointing at the very right side of the map, right before the woods started. It was a village far from the heart of Wonsvile, but close to the mountain where none resides. "Actually, two stops," he added, moving his finger to another village not far from the first one. 

"Is it for your job?" 

"No, I need to search for something—I mean, someone. Hopefully, she is in either of these two places," he sighed, "You don't mind taking a little trip to these two places, right?"

"No, I'm fine with it," I said, shaking my head. To be honest, I was a little excited to visit these two places. I wanted to know more about the world. I wonder how different each place would be with the ones that I have visited. 

Curious, I asked the man, "Who are you looking for?" 

When he heard my question, his face darkened. It sure didn't look like he was searching for a friend. A few seconds went by before he uttered his answer, "A witch."