Chapter 38.
Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Elements in 37? There were none
Elements in 38?
Thanks to 18lzytwner for reviewing 36 and 37.
Milla curled under the covers, trying hard to disguise the tears running down her cheeks. Fenvu joined her several moments later, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. She sniffled as fresh tears gathered in her eyes.
"We're lucky we had Elphie with us as long as we did, Milla. Very lucky."
"I know." She whispered, reaching up to smooth the material of his pajama top. Moments passed, moments of complete silence. She swallowed. Anger welled in her throat, and she struggled to swallow it. But eventually, she broke down, unable to handle it anymore. Fenvu held her close, rubbing her back and whispering comforting words to her.
"Choose to remember the good memories you had with her, love, not the bad. Never remember the bad, they just make the memory of that person much more painful." After a moment, he pulled away and stared into her eyes. "Okay? You remember the good memories you had with Elphie. Only the good ones. She would want you to remember her the way she used to be- back when we were kids, or at Shiz. When she was raising her daughter, or spending time with Yero. Happy memories, love. Elphie would want you to think of her and recall happy memories. Okay?"
She nodded, mainly to appease him. He kissed her forehead and extinguished the lights, wrapping the blankets around them and holding her close. Against her heartbreak, Milla soon drifted off to sleep.
She awoke with a start, the sound of screaming echoing in her ears. Quickly, quietly, she climbed out of bed, and hurried to the door, checking to make sure she didn't wake her husband. She hadn't slept much- two hours at most. The door closed softly behind her, and she hurried through the house, making her way upstairs. Her bare feet followed the path they'd taken for years- years that seemed so far away now. When she shut the door, she was finally able to breathe.
Her eyes took in the covered furniture, the broken bay window. What she saw- that Pippa hadn't- as she stepped up to it, were the vines of ivy crawling through the broken glass. They'd worked their way into the wood of the nook and up along the walls, taking possession of the room. Dust covered every available space, and the wood of the bed and tables had become warped and worn. She trailed her fingers over the wood of the bedposts, noticing how the room had gone from that of a child's to that of a grown woman's.
Elphie had taken great pains to show how she'd grown- even before her death. She and Yero had stayed here when Fen and Milla married. She sat on the edge, sending dust into the air. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she choked out a sob before curling up on the edge. She closed her eyes, trying to do what Fen suggested.
"Oh Yero..."
Her eyes hurt, from the force of staying closed.
"Oh Oz, Yero..."
Images of her best friend making love with her husband in this bed flooded her mind- deep kisses and seductive touches; tangled sheets and sweaty skin, that moment when two became one, as their bodies joined and their souls shared one body. The cries of orgasm and the heavy breathing after the act had come to its climatic end- things she herself knew all too well.
Her eyes snapped open and she rolled onto her back, reaching out. Her hand hit nothing but air, and she struggled to keep her tears under control. She could picture Elphie laying beside her, wrapped in nothing but a sheet, her body slick with sweat and her thick raven hair riled into unruly curls. The heaving of her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. Milla herself also knew what it was like, the excitement in the air, the scent of sex that coated their skin, the desire to start all over again.
"Yero... Oh... Oh Yero..."
She sat up, climbing off the bed and going to the window. Ivy vines snagged her nightgown as she pressed herself to the wall, trying hard to block out the memories. Her curls fell into her face, obscuring her vision. She forced herself to breathe before turning back around. Flashes appeared before her, images of two little girls in white dresses...
"Help me finish the puzzle, Milla!"
... playing tea with their dolls, or reading stories in front of the fireplace...
"Would you like some more tea?"
"Yes, please?"
... making scrapbooks and sewing...
"Put the pansies there, they'll look pretty there."
"It looks like you're holding a wedding boquet, Elphie!"
"I don't want pansies. I want roses in my boquet. What about you, Milla?"
"I want lilies."
She pressed her back to the wall, taking ragged breaths to stop the fierce beating of her heart. She buried her face in her hands, pulling her knees to her chest. Her breathing became strained as she struggled to catch her breath through her sobs, and she wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth. Eventually, she curled up on the floor and proceeded to sob.
"Can you stay with me tonight, Milla? I don't want to be alone. I couldn't bear to be alone."
She opened her eyes and looked up through her tears. For a moment, she couldn't see what was before her for the tears in her eyes, but once she blinked the tears away, the image before her became clear.
"E... Elphie?"