He pulled away instinctively, his heart pounding in his head. The last thing he wanted was to offend her, but he was sensing that this picture was wrong. "Miss Sophia, I-" She put one finger over his lips to cut him off, while picking her other hand up to stroke his face with her fingertips. She gazed into his eyes, the saddest smile upon her parted lips. Her actions had thrown him. No longer did anything he knew about social behavior make sense in this situation.
It was not that he didn't care for Sophia Forrester. She was a beautiful, well-respected woman with a lot of power to her name. She had always been 'Vice Captain' to him. He'd never known her age, but normally he would guess 32. But now- now with her hair undone, and her glasses off? She truly looked 19.
But all that aside, she was still a nineteen year old woman acting like a fifteen year old girl. "Heck I know even Lavie wouldn't act like this" , He thought to himself. At the thought of Lavie, a strange pang of guilt washed through him. Guilty because Sophia had kissed him. It was such a new, foreign, feeling to have associated with Lavie. She was his life- wasn't she? Hadn't she always been there? Hadn't she always been the one that kept him moving forward?
Why was he here? With Sophia? Now?
The confusion is his head tripled, as Sophia leaned in again. Her sweet lips pressed against his, burning with a passion he knew wasn't really there. Wasn't really meant for him.
He tried to bury all of the thoughts that were swirling in his now-aching head. Feeling his pulse race, and a sheen of sweat break on his forehead, he emptied his mind of everything that plagued his conscience. Deciding to quit thinking, he gave in.
After a moment, breaking their contact, Sophia murmured something he didn't catch. But he had a feeling it was a name. And not his, either.
Looking into her eyes, he saw that they now welled with tears that had yet to fall.
"Please don't cry."
The tears fell onto her cheeks as she sat back onto the bench.
"He's-he's a good man." She cleared her throat, and gazed up at the night sky, focusing on the sliver of a moon for distraction. "The Captain, I mean."
"Alex."
Bringing her eyes back down to his face, she stared intently into his dark pupils. "Claus, don't ever throw your life away pining for someone who can never love you. I won't say that it isn't worth it, but you'll never really be happy." She brought her legs up onto the bench, kneeling towards him, her dark hair swirling around her face.
"Hold onto Lavie. I know how much she means to you, and I know how much she really cares for you. Maybe 'care' is too weak of a word...but I've seen her look at you. She's just waiting for you to say something- anything. I think you love her. Somewhere, deep inside " Seeing the look of consternation on his face, she sat back down and folded her hands. "And...it's none of my buisness, really."
His eyes widened, thrown off by her comments. "Lavie- I- I don't think so. Um..." He trailed off, averting her stare.
The guilt he had tried so hard to avoid came rushing back, in a new form. Was it true? Somewhere inside himself?
Did he love Lavie?
His eyes went wide at the thought, and he stood up quickly from where he was sitting. "I'm, sorry, Miss Sophia. I have to be somewhere." He turned to run back, but she caught his sleeve, imploring him with her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Claus," she said. "I really- it's no one's buisness but yours. I just thought you should know how it looks to someone looking into your life."
"Thanks." Looking at her another moment, he pulled his sleeve back and left her in silence.
"I suppose that I'll leave now.", She sadly whispered to no one.