Jim's Folly
Holy cow. Almost forty chapters. *tilts her glass* Here, here! Drink up, me hearties! Yo ho!
This will be a short chapter. Why? I left my notes upstairs, and this is a song chapter…focused solely on Jim and Raven. It's the night you've all been waiting for. RATING GOES UP FOR THIS CHAPTER! ;P Just kidding. What did I say before? I do not believe in lemon stories.
There will be nothing explicit in this chapter. I promise. If you feel I've stepped over the non-explicit boundaries, let me know, please.
Chapter Thirty Eight
Jim said nothing but crossed his arms and slouched on his bed, but not before pulling the covers up over him.
Raven opened the door and poked her head out. "Is it safe to come out now?" she asked quietly, making Jim smile faintly.
"Come on out. The monster's fled by now."
Raven turned the bathroom light off and crawled into bed next to her husband. Looking at him once she could tell he was troubled. "What did he say?"
He shrugged. "Too much. Forget it, it's past."
"Then why are you still dwelling on it?" she asked quietly, tipping his chin up with her index finger. She sat next to him, but she faced him. Her expression was concerned, yet knowing. Jim smiled. He was going to get no where in this position.
She kissed him softly and smiled in return. "Sticks and stones, Jim. He can't do anything to you."
He stared into her eyes and frowned faintly. "I don't know how I let him bug me so much…but it's good when he does because you're never far behind to cheer me up."
"Isn't that handy?" she said, crossing her legs. He sighed. "I need to let this go."
"Forget about it, Jimmy." She rarely called him Jimmy. He looked at her funny and she giggled. "Forget it. Think about…" She blinked. "Me!"
He laughed. "Come to think of it, you do have a way of making flannel pajamas really, really attractive."
She giggled and sighed. "What do you mean it's my pajamas? It's just me!"
He smirked and nodded. "Yeah. It is just you." He took her by the wrist and pulled her to him, kissing her.
Once, as my heart remembers
All the stars were fallen embers
Once, when night seemed forever
I was with you
After they parted, he smiled faintly, his eyes still closed. "You are really good at making me forget my troubles, you know…"
She didn't smile. He'd opened his eyes and the two were having a conversation through their eye contact. She began to tremble. His eyes were calm, yet in them, she could tell.
He was ready.
Once, in the care of morning
In the air was all belonging
Once, when that day was dawning
I was with you
She bit her lip and blinked several times, trying to sigh out her trembling. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't be afraid, Ray…" he whispered, kissing her forehead softly.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. She was terrified. What if…what if? No. He loved her. Nothing else mattered.
She looked up at him and searched his eyes for any hesitation. The only hesitation as in her own eyes. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She was ready, she just didn't feel it. He loved her. He wouldn't hurt her like Simon had so long ago.
This would be special.
How far we are from morning?
How far we are?
The stars shining through the darkness?
Falling in the air?
He held her against him. He was lying back down again, his eyes half closed as he held his forehead against hers, his arms encircling her waist. "I love you, Ray. I won't hurt you like he did. I promise."
His words, so sincere, brought tears to her eyes. He did love her. He loved her more than his own life and she knew that.
So what was holding her back? He wiped away the tear that fell and kissed her cheek lightly.
"Just say the word," he whispered into her hair. She thought for a moment.
This wasn't Simon. This was her husband. She had nothing to fear. Jim loved her.
Once, as the night was leaving
Into us, our dreams were weaving
Once, all dreams were worth keeping
I was with you
Making up her mind, she looked into his eyes. "I love you too, Jim. I trust you."
With that, she kissed him in return, ignoring the other tears that had decided to fall along with the other. Jim did not care. She felt him smile beneath her kiss, and that amused her.
His promise was sincere; he did not hurt her. He was everything a man should be to his wife. Gentle, delicate. He treated her like the princess she was. Over and over, he told her he loved her, quietly into her ear, yet her heart heard it like it was amplified by tens of thousands of speakers. This man loved her, and he would never stop.
Once, when our hearts were singing
I was with you
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Author's Note: I can't tell you HOW hard it was to write this chapter. I kept it going by listening to Yanni. He is SUCH an inspiration for writing love scenes. Holy cow. Anyway, I had to resort to consulting another writer because I'm all "How the heck do I start a scene like that?!" She didn't know either.
I hope this was to your satisfaction. If you were looking forward to lemon, look somewhere else, I'm afraid. I don't go for that sort of thing. I consider it immoral, you see.
Isn't marriage beautiful?
Anyway, the song was "Fallen Embers" by Enya. Lyrics, of course, at Letssingit.com.