Chapter nine. - Questions and answers.
"How could you?" Rick asked, diving straight in at the deep end.
Evelyn flinched inwardly; now she realised she had heard him ask that before.
"How could you?" Rick repeated. "How could you even think of keeping this from me?"
"What?" Evie blurted out before she could help herself. She had been all but tensing up, expecting to feel Rick's hand.
"Evie," Rick began softly as he leant forward. "You never have to hide anything from me; I love you and nothing's ever going to change that."
Evie lent back against her wooden headboard, her head spinning. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Where was Rick's anger? Where was his hand? Why hadn't he walked out yet?
"No, no, no..." She shook her head; this wasn't right. "You...you can't love me," she tried to explain. "I've done something bad."
"You're wrong," Rick told her immediately, outraged by her words. "Yes, something bad was done to you, but that's not your fault."
"But... but," Evie began to mumble, confused by what he was saying. "I wore that black dress, and he said-"
"He said," Rick repeated, cutting her off abruptly, his anger rising at the thought that Imhotep still had power over his beloved. "Nothing he said," he continued, "is true!"
The declaration hit a nerve in Evie.
"He told me that if you knew, you'd walk away from me," she whispered calmly, "and you did."
Rick's heart sank.
"I did," he admitted ashamedly, "and there is nothing in my entire life that I am more ashamed of, but it wasn't because of you. I'm back now however, and that is because of you."
"But why?" Evelyn couldn't help but ask. "Why are you back? Is it because you're angry?" Leaning against the headboard she still couldn't drive the image of his fury from her mind, even though she felt a little steadier within her-self.
"Angry?" Rick was confused, but as he watched her face he saw a look of fright cross it that made him understand the question; she was afraid of him. "God," Rick exclaimed before he could stop himself- he really did not like that concept. "Of course I'm angry, Evie," he continued calmly. "I'm angry at Imhotep for what he did, and I'm angry at myself for not stopping him, but not at you- never," he swore.
Evie looked up cautiously.
"But I can't give you anything," she continued.
"You can," Rick replied without hesitation. Leaning forward, he cupped her chin so he could look deep into her eyes. "You can give me the most precious thing in the world- you."
Looking away sharply, Evie felt sick.
"I can't," she almost whimpered. "And why would you even want me to, when I've... when I'm somebody else's?"
"Evie," Rick sighed with sadness, "you're not his, you're you." Rick paused, but as he saw her go to disagree he pre-empted her. "No matter what he said," leaning back to give her some space, Rick paused again. "And, as to why I want you," he continued, "well, I think I might have said before, but I'm in love with you."
Evie raised her head once again slowly. Her heart ached to believe what he was saying, and she desperately wanted to trust in the words, but it was hard.
"But I'm not special anymore," she argued sharing one of greatest fears with him.
Smiling, Rick reached out to touch her.
"Of course you're special," he said, mistaking her words for lack of self-confidence.
"No," Evie gasped, as she flinched away and turned her eyes down.
Rick took the movement like a kick in the stomach; he had obviously misread the situation. Beating himself up silently, he waited for her to speak again.
"I mean I'm not... I can't..." she paused, embarrassed, unable to believe what she was about to say. "I can't be special how you would want me to be, like a wife should be for her husband."
"Oh," Rick exclaimed, embarrassed himself as he realised what she meant. "Oh, that's not important."
Evelyn's eyes went wide and she choked on her breath; she couldn't believe he would have such a cavalier attitude.
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Rick hurriedly apologised, regretting his words as he witnessed Evie's reaction. "I just meant, what he did- it doesn't take anything away from you. I mean..." Rick paused to take a breath, and work out the best way to express himself. "You are special, something like... well like that, it can't be taken away. After all, what makes it special is when it is given."
As she listened to Rick struggle to explain, Evie's eyes began to swell with tears; she thought she knew what he was trying to say, no matter how hard it was to accept.
"Look," Rick continued as he saw the uncertainty in Evie's eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you- I'm not exactly a saint in that area. But when it comes to my- no scratch that- our wedding night, nothing and no one else is going to matter. What will matter will be our love for each other; I promise you that's what it will be Evie. Love how it's supposed to be; mutual and consensual, and not some warped mummy's idea of it."
Evie's face crumpled as she saw the sincerity in Rick's eyes, his words repairing unknown damage.
"Oh Rick," she whispered and fell into his open arms. "I'm sorry," she began to whisper once there. "I'm so sorry."
"Evie!" Rick snapped angrily, quickly recovering from the delight of feeling her in his arms. Holding her reluctantly away from him, he continued. "Haven't you listened to a word I've said? This was not your fault- you've nothing to be sorry for."
"I know," she whispered back unconvincingly, not quite meeting his eyes. "I'm just sorry that I didn't trust in you."
Pulling her back into his arms, Rick felt himself losing his own self control. "Oh Evie," he whispered.
"It's just that..." Evie felt a compulsion to continue. "He said all these things and..." she began to cry gently "and... and...I kept calling for you, and when you didn't... didn't come I began to believe him."
"I'm sorry," Rick whispered as the first of his own tears slid down his face, and he cradled her deep into his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, I'm sorry I didn't stop him, I'm sorry..."
"Ssshh," Evie soothed, and snuggled deeper in his embrace.
Evie and Rick both sat on the bed holding on to each other in silence, her tears wetting his chest as his fell into her dark hair, both of their apologies healing each other wounds.
"Evie," Rick began after some minutes had passed. "You know if I could turn back the clock and change things, I would."
After thinking for a moment Evelyn realised the past really wasn't something she wanted to revisit.
"I don't want to go back," Evelyn said, telling Rick her thoughts. "I don't want to think about it, I don't want to remember. I just want to go forward, and to get on with my life. I want to think about us." She pulled herself out of Rick's arms just a little and stared deeply into his eyes, voluntarily, for the first time all day. "Because I think I might have said before, but I'm in love with you," she mimicked his words.
A large grin spread across Rick's face, his tears long forgotten.
"You haven't actually," he admitted, "but I do like it, so feel free to repeat yourself."
Evie smiled at little herself. Licking her lips she lent forward and began, "I, Evelyn Carnahan, am in love with you, Rick O'Connell."
Rick leant forward himself, and watched as Evelyn closed her eyes, expecting a kiss.
"Does, that mean you'll marry me?" He asked gently, just moments before her lips met his.
"No," she whispered, not opening her eyes, "but I will think about it."
Although dismayed by her refusal, Rick leant in, eager to taste her sweet lips.
"Well!" a loud voice boomed around the room, causing the couple to jump apart before their lips met. Glancing around they both saw Jonathan standing in the doorway to the bedroom.
"Well," he repeated, and although he was smiling, Evie could see the telltale red rings around his eyes that they all now wore. "That's more like it. Maybe now..." Jonathan continued, as he waved the bottle he had retrieved from where it had been discarded earlier, "we can open this."