The Unraveling - By Rose Hustle
She finally fell asleep. Her hair lay against his bare chest. He could feel the pulse of her heart beating against his own. Her silken skin caressed his with a naturalness that he had missed. His eyes were left open, staring at the ceiling. He knew things had gone too far. He wasn't trying for something like this to happen.
At first, his fascination was only centered on discovering if she was his mystery woman. When she lost her memory his interests in her gradually changed. He knew that if he came to find her first, promised her a way to regain her thoughts, that she would unknowingly reveal her true origins. Thus, he would finally know the truth about his ex-best friend. However, once she moved in with him his calculating moves started to falter.
She looked at him the way he always wanted a woman to look at him. There was no doubt or resentment resting within her big eyes. Her smile was always of genuine warmth as was her laugh. She was direct in expressing her feelings. She was amazingly innocent but not immature. In fact, her knowledge on many subjects was quite extensive and cultured. He knew she could follow his rather obscure mythological references and even stump him with some he had never heard of. There were times when he felt that there was no way she could be related to his ex-best friend. She seemed too wise, understanding of the gray shadows of life, and introspective to be Clark's cousin. It was not to say that she wasn't very youthful and light-hearted. She was just so much more interesting and surprising than most young women her age were.
He knew he should have stayed more on course with his goals. He needed to focus on getting her memories and not on teaching her how to play the piano. He really should have stopped taking her on day trips to Metropolis for lunch. He also knew that he should have stopped reading her Pablo Neruda poems as she curled up near the fire. He knew he shouldn't have given her that glass of wine. He definitely knew he shouldn't have drunk three glasses himself, but he did it all. The seduction seemed in his control but she was holding every card. She had kissed him. She whispered in his ear that she loved him, and it was the first time he knew that it was true. There was no other guy she loved or felt connected to. There were no obstacles. She loved him. A man that so many hated. A man so many had left. She loved him, and he knew that he would do whatever it took to keep that love.
She shifted against him. His eyes left the ceiling and placed their aim on her. A soft smile crept across his face. It wasn't supposed to go this far, but he was glad that it had.