Chapter One: Memories
"Zan? Darling?"
Ava sighed in resignation and strode over to her new husband. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he
flinched, turning to face her. He
smiled slightly. "You startled me. How long have you been here?" Ava moved to sit on his lap and wrapped her
arms around him. "Not long. You were daydreaming again, darling. What of?"
He sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder. "My mind is full of confusing thoughts, memories almost, though I
know they've never happened." "What
kind of memories?" his wife asked, stroking his hair away from his
forehead.
Zan
closed his eyes, leaning into her touch.
There was a look of peace on his face.
"I imagined mountains and rocky terrains, a pair of peaks reaching
towards the sky. I'm seated nearby, on
a blanket, my eyes searching the stars.
But I'm not alone. Someone is
next to me, her head on my shoulder, our hands are clasped in my lap. But I can't see her. I don't know the plains of her face or the
sound of her voice, but I know that I love her, that I cannot live without
her." He stopped, hugging Ava
closer. "Well, she's obviously you," he
stated matter-of-factly, "who else could she be?"
"But
Zan," Ava protested, "there are no mountains on Antar. No peaks or rocky terrains." Zan grimaced. "I know," he replied, "that's what has me confused. It could not have happened, though it
feels as though it did." Ava
shrugged. "You and your dreams,
darling." She pecked his cheek,
stealing a glance at the clock. "I'm
meeting with Vilandra," she explained, removing herself from his lap. Zan nodded.
"Return to me soon," he beseeched.
She stared at him a moment, her face clouded. Dipping her head forward, she placed a quick kiss upon his lips. "Always," she promised.
**
"I
didn't think you would come." Ava
strode across the room, stopping just before him. "I couldn't stay away."
He reached down, cradling her cheek in his palm. "Rath," she whispered, "take me to your
bed." He smiled, lifting her into his
arms and placing her gently upon the soft mattress. He removed his boots and lay beside her. "Do you love me?" he asked softly,
refraining from touching her. She
pulled him closer, her hands resting on his back. "How can you ask me that?
You know the answer." She closed
the space between them and brought her lips to his.
**
"You
brought me to the desert?" Liz laughed, as Max laid a blanket on the cold
ground. He shrugged, tugging her down
beside him. "This is our last night together,
Liz," he reminded her softly, "I just … want to spend it in a peaceful
place. Where it's just the two of
us." Liz rested her head on his
shoulder, their hands twined together in his lap. "It's not the last," she said, "you'll be back soon." Max didn't respond. He was afraid. Afraid that it would be the last time he would hold her in his
arms.
"Max?" "Hmmm?"
He turned, startled, not for the first time, by her beauty. So he told her. Liz lowered her head, blush painting her cheeks. "Well," she countered, "if boys can be
beautiful, then … you top the list." He
smiled, moving his hand through her hair.
They sat there for a while, just staring at the sky and revelling at the
feeling of each other's embrace.
Finally, Max turned to face her.
"Liz?" "Yeah?" "I, um, I really want to kiss you." She giggled. "How can I say no?"
As
their lips touched, Liz wasn't inundated with flashes as she usually was when
they kissed. Instead, she was able to
simply enjoy the kiss; to concentrate on the warm, plush wetness of his
lips. She felt his familiar tongue
sweep into her mouth and mingle with her own.
"Liz …" he breathed, his lips moving along her jaw and down her
neck. "Mmmm?" was her only response, as
she held his head in her hands. "Why are
we waiting? I need … I need to be with
you."
Liz
pulled away from him, her eyes searching his.
One hand stroked his smooth cheek.
"Because if we make love now," she began, "it would be a goodbye." He opened his mouth to speak, but she
silenced him with a kiss. "Think of how
much better it will be as a hello." Max
smiled, resting his forehead against hers.
"I don't want to say goodbye to you," he whispered. "Then don't," she whispered back, "you'll be
back soon."
**
Zan
shot upright in his bed. "Liz," he
whispered, the foreign name fresh on his lips and in his mind. He swallowed hard and leaned back into his
pillow, turning on his side.
"Ava?" Her side of the bed was
empty and cold. Zan wasn't worried,
only disappointed. Often, his wife and
sister stayed out well into the morning hours, his two rebellious girls.
He
thought about his dream, it was already fading fast. Reaching for a nearby pen and paper, he began to scribble
furiously: Liz, beauty, a desert, a
goodbye …Sighing, his eyes drifted shut, sleeping overriding his
confusion. When next he awoke, Ava
would be sleeping next to him where she belonged.