Artemis's slender finger traced the rim of his teacup which was steaming with half-finished earl grey. His eyes did a subtle to and fro between the small cafe table and his companion sitting directly in front of him. It was a strange thing being in such a public place with her without a disguise or need to be on edge. She looked content with her feet tucked underneath her, curled up in the manner which felines most prefer. She was nursing her own cup of herbal tea close to her chest. She wore casual attire. Just a loose fitting cardigan over a tank-top and some worn jeans. It was a warm day in Haven City and she seemed to be soaking up the sun in a most pleasant way. She looked out into the distance with a pensive expression of ease; as if quietly contemplating the universe. Her long auburn hair was pinned up in a messy bun. Loose strands fell around her pointed ears and floated carefree in the air. There was a comfortable silence that had settled between them after a brief conversation when they had first arrived.
She seemed to be in no hurry to fill the air between them with idle words. Artemis too felt no inclination to do this. So they sat, lost in their own thoughts, she, a million miles away, while Artemis's pursue only extending to a couple of feet in front of him. And there was much to contemplate of this beautiful creature before him. What she meant to him he could hardly put into words. While it had only been a couple of years now since their last adventure, if one could venture to call it that, it seemed like this feeling had taken root ever since they first met. A couple of years ago was when the possibility of such a relationship blossoming between them had first been deemed conceivable in his mind. It also seemed, for the first time, that this had occurred to her as well. There was an easy transition. Nothing rushed, nothing confessed boldly. Just passive acceptance of this revelation.
Artemis mused that the outcome of a bold proclamation on his part would have been most disastrous and amusing, in retrospect of course. He was not a romantic nor cared for such useless frivolous decorations of the truth. He found such elaborate demonstrations only useful for deceit. He preferred to be tactfully upfront about his emotions nowadays and take whatever outcome came of them upfront as well. When he made his intentions with her clear there was an initial shock of course, due to the circumstances they found themselves in. Maybe he was a having post-traumatic stress disorder symptom by developing these feelings for her. Maybe he subconsciously transferred his gratitude to a much deeper emotion and fancied himself to have feelings that weren't genuine. At any rate, to be so frank, she rejected him. But not without giving him a ray of hope. For she had long felt that there was something much deeper behind his regard for him. She wanted his feelings to be genuine as much as he wanted her. She, however thought she was doing a noble thing by making him wait.
So they played this waiting game for two years now and Artemis could almost bare it no longer. She had brought him here and she seemed so far removed now that they were together. It had seemed over the video call that she was eager to see him because she had some important message to covey. When the time had come though, she only danced around the subject and maintained the topic of conversation on painfully superficial topics as though they were strangers. Artemis frowned, was this the message she wanted to give him? That maybe that's all they were ever going to be? Despite everything? Was she distancing herself from him? His brow furrowed further. What is she playing at? he thought as she glanced over and gave him a toothy smile. Her eyes were gleaming with seduction and their aura was enchanting.
Artemis felt played. She was dangling herself just close enough to almost touch then withdrawing herself. This had been going on long enough. If this was a test he had to know if he had passed or failed. He could wait no longer lest he might go insane.
"Holly," he breathed, almost afraid to break the silence, "why are you doing this?" he seemed almost grieved, his brow furrowed further still. "I can't take this anymore."
"Artemis," she smiled knowingly. "we don't need to discuss this right now, let's just enjoy this moment, this place. This feeling. Why rush?"
"I wish I had all the time in the world to go on every limb of thought that every instance gave me, but you know, you know time is indispensable to me; I'd rather spend it wisely."
"And what, good sir," she said mockingly, "do you consider wisely? Studying me like a rare element? Or making money that will wither sooner than you do? No, I think a better employment is to spend it in the now."
"I'd like to spend it in the now, I'd love to enjoy this time we have and prolong it as much as I am capable, but you waste it all away by making me wait. It's torture, Holly, if you don't tell me now what you know I need to hear I'm afraid when you do it will be too late to enjoy anything." pleaded Artemis. Holly looked stern for a minute. She shifted her position and looked for the first time since they arrived deep into Artemis's blue eyes. She looked puzzled, she bit her lip and frowned.
"Am I tormenting you or are you tormenting me?" she asked more to herself than anyone else. "For you two years may seem like a long time, but to me it is hardly enough time to determine one's true intentions."
"Is that what you've been doing this whole time? Evaluating the depth of my love for you?!" Artemis's countenance took a gravely ill form. "Do you really distrust my judgement that much? Do you still think me some love-struck child with no discernment between infatuation and true deep-rooted love? Is that what I am to you? A child? I see know, the depth of your indifference. You test the waters to see if you should even meddle in them, as if you were only going to take a slight dip and would not do so if they were going to trouble you so much. Am I too much trouble for what I'm worth?"
Holly could not form words fast enough to amend her false step. She opened her lips and let them close; there was a lump in her throat that would have prevented any defense her brain could come up with from being said anyway. She felt the undeniable urge to throw up and cry. The more his indignation arose the more she felt like she was drowning.
"Thank you, madam for being so clear. I apologize for taking so much of your time." he said with a facade of cool indifference. With that, he took the blazer he had been wearing from the back of his chair as he stood up and made to leave. He did this quickly, throwing some money, not even bothering to check how much, on the table and strided to the door, not bothering to take a second glance at her. Holly was left shell-shocked. What had just happened?