“But the seduction is deceptive,” he went on, “it’ll drive you out of your mind if you don’t recognize killing for what it is- a sacrilege-a crime against life and life it’s...it’s a sacred thing, isn’t it?”
Silence had settled between them and in moments the waiter had returned with their refills.
“We thought if we found a
way to justify it-to tell ourselves we were ridding the world of
slime, it’d be easier. No.” His smile was a sad one. “I think Kray
gave up and finally did the only thing he could do- he ran from it.
Focused on his home, land, family. I don’t know if I could have
focused on any of that back then, except one part-family. My big,
corrupt family and destroying everything they’d schemed to put
together.”
~~~
Conversation tapered off, but only because the diners were once again absorbed with the view. Hill and Persephone finally got around to ordering entrees. Tender beef tips drizzled in a thick wine sauce along with creamy scalloped potatoes, spicy grilled asparagus and another batch of the scratch made pumpernickel medallions. The meal was a perfect enhancer to the nighttime scenery.
When the attentive waiter returned for coffee and dessert orders, Hill left Persephone to make the decisions. The waiter made a few suggestions, which Persephone shot down because she knew Hill wouldn’t like them.
“Bring me a coffee…” she said while browsing the menu. “Only one-he doesn’t like the stuff. Just bring him a water and club soda for now…”
Hill watched her with unwavering fascination. The rich violet of his stare could be detected then if one looked deep enough. Repeatedly, his eyes swept her exquisite face and her body encased in the fetching lilac. He gave a soft smile while noting the waiter and reminded himself to tip the guy extra for both doing his job well and for being so casual with his gawking. Persephone hadn’t noticed the affect she was having on either of them, so all was well.
She was still focused on the menu and apologizing to the waiter for her indecisiveness. Hill was again helplessly fixated on the scooping bodice of her dress, thinking of how very much he wanted to be nestled between her firm, full breasts when he realized she was calling to him.
“Is the soda okay?” She smiled up at the waiter when Hill offered no reply. “We’ll have a dessert order by the time you get back.”
“Persephone?”
She was shaking her head again over the menu. “I don’t think we’re gonna find anything here that you won’t gag over, Guy. It’s all extra chocolate this and caramel drenched that.”
“Persephone will you marry me?”
“Maybe we should wait ‘til we’re back at Bill’s. I saw this apple…” She looked up then, braced back against her chair. “Huh?”
He stood then and pulled his chair around the table closer to where she sat. From his jacket pocket, he took a small black metal box while he reclaimed his seat.
“I got this on the trip I took- the one I left on that last day I-I saw it, thought of us and I knew I’d wasted enough time. I couldn’t believe you were still on my arm after ten years of living together. I told myself if I made it back safe, I wasn't gonna risk losing you.”
“Hill,” she gushed then expelling a sigh and a sob at once.
“Hey, hey...no...no Sef, don’t cry,” slightly panicked, Hill tapped fingers to his brow while she swiped at tears with the side of her hand. “Honey please don’t cry-”
“I ruined us- all my stupid moves-”
“Stop. Sef? No.” He gave her hand a warning squeeze and brought it to his mouth.
Persephone was incessantly shaking her head. “I can only blame some of it on being overly curious. What you said about killing being seductive-it’s also deceptive. You believe…once you’ve done it, that you’re invincible, that you can walk into any situation and walk out of it without a scratch. Trouble is, you don’t think about who else gets scratched along the way. That’s no way to live.”
Hill squeezed his eyes shut, while he kissed the back of her hand. Her words broke his heart. “Do you realize that if things had gone any differently we may not have found our way back to each other? For better or worse, it all happened the way it was supposed to.”
Persephone blinked away tears while trying to focus on the ring he held before her. A thick silver band supported a strange stone carved into a crescent moon peeking out from behind a sun.
“One can’t survive without the other,” he watched her curious inspection of the jewelry.
“You don’t have to do this,” her hands came around the small jewelry box and tentatively she fingered the stone. “You don’t have to marry me to have the girls in your life.”
“But I need to marry you to have you in mine. Because see, I don’t want to just have an average night out with my girl. I want one with my wife. That’s you, Sef. That was always going to be you.”
She gave him a pitying look. “You’re a big sap, you know that?”
“I know,” he rolled his eyes, “I’m beyond pathetic.”
“And you forgive way too easy.” She swallowed visibly. “Have you, Hill? Forgiven me?”
“I already told you that’s what family does. Yes Sef. If you need to hear me say it, yes I forgive you.” He studied the ring then. “I forgave you from almost the moment I heard you say Leeya and Layah were mine. I wouldn’t tell you that because I was pissed that you didn’t trust me to take care of you and because I thought that if I…withheld my forgiveness, you might stay if the world came calling again…” He gave a singular shake of his head and cleared his throat. “I forgive you. I love you. Marry me.” He squeezed her hands and shifted the box into them. “I’ll just let you hold onto this, until you’re ready to say yes to me.”
“I was always ready to say yes to you. I still am.”
His exceptional features drew into a tense mask then. “You’re still afraid, aren’t you?”
“Afraid of screwing up again? You bet your gorgeous ass, I am.”
“Hell Goddess, don’t you think I am too?” He asked amidst their combined laughter. “But I need you to have my back in this. Maybe we’ll do better together and holding each other accountable.”
“But in all honesty, Hill, you weren’t the one who messed up.”
“That’s not entirely true. I let my own stubbornness, my own need to wallow in self-pity keep me from my family-keep me from making you my family. I’ve got blame to take on too and what we’re about to step into with Shannon… there could be all kinds of outcomes.
I don’t want us going into this having never told you I love you- still and always. That I’m crazy for you and that there is quite possibly nothing you could do that would ever change that. We have a life to live following this and two little perfections who are counting on us to do it together.”
Persephone tugged the cuff of his shirt peeking out from his jacket. “You’ve put a lot of time into thinking this out.”
“Damn right. I’m not walking away without you- without you being mine in every way that ever mattered.”
Love and playfulness fueled her smile. “Exactly how long is this spiel of yours anyway?”
