“You did?”
She was surprised. Hopeful. Worried. Confused. Happy.
If life were simpler she could have smiled wide to know Al-Hattaal had honestly missed her company. She wanted to but for all that Avangeline was naïve, there were some things she was becoming more cautious in. For days upon days during her self-inflicted solitude, Avangeline had thought of the day of the red mare and the events which had unfolded. It had been an inescapable thought process, remembering particularly the last words the mare had spoken to her and the closeness she had applied to Al-Hattaal. Many times it was simply a tool for self-abuse but, sometimes, it birthed new thoughts.
These new thoughts were what came to the forefront of her mind, effectively stalling her from intruding on his personal space and tucking her cheek to his chest.
“Al-Hattaal… I…” Her voice faltered as she struggled with what to say and how to say it.
She swallowed and tried to find courage but, when she looked at him, she found all the courage she needed. She was going to say this for him and for his benefit, after all.
“I’m sorry for any trouble I caused you.” She spoke with a softer tone, an honest one. “It was kind of you to help me, even coming from a place that does not like… my kind.” It felt foreign to her still, being that she had never been raised in such an environment, but Avangeline had decided long ago that it had been very selfless of him to shelter her if he had been raised to distrust her breed. “I don’t want to bring any more trouble for you…”
Her voice faltered and she drew in a sharp, quick breath, trying to keep hold of her bearings and not fall into any of the sorrow which was beginning to lay hard over her heart. Her throat felt as if it were closing in, as though her body itself was revolting against the fact that, in spite how much she cared for him, she was trying to say goodbye.
For him.
She hadn’t counted on how hard it would be. “I don’t want to make anything more difficult on you than need be.”
Then why was she still standing there, watching him, her heart beating hard and fast in her chest and her body screaming for physical contact?
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