Chapter 16
Distractions Part 2
A/N: This chapter is the continuation of the last one. It starts out with a dream.
RECAP:
I stared in shock, for I don't know how long. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days and I would not have noticed the passing of time. Holly. Trouble. Holly and Trouble. Those words played in an endless song in my mind. I don't love Holly. I can't. We're best friends and nothing more.
Artemis' POV:
Somewhere in these thoughts I must have dozed off. I know this because what I was seeing could be nothing, but a dream.
(Note: Dream is in italics)
I was standing on the porch of Fowl manor. Out in front of me was the wide expanse of the now wild grounds. Standing near our wooded area, was an elf. Se had long, auburn hair that I would have recognized anywhere. Holly. Maybe from behind it could have been someone else. Plenty of women have hair that color, but something inside of me told me that it was her.
I walked up behind her. She didn' turn or acknowledge my prescenve in any way. Not until I was right behind her. She didn't turn. "Holly." I breathed quietly resisting the urge to reach out and stroke her hair.
"Artemis." she breathed my name in a way that made me shudder. Not in fear or cold, but rather in awareness of atraction. "What do you want?"
"You are on my property." I shrugged.
"Regardless, you want something. What is it?" Ahh, she knew me so well. Sometimes, better than I know myself.
"Hmm, the same thing that I always want. The most important thing to me." I said looking at Holly. Resisting the urge to stroke her hair or touch her lips.
"What more gold?" As she asked, her eyes flashed with some powerful emotion. Anger perhaps.
"No, not gold. Gold is the last thing on my mind at the moment." I was struck by the honesty of my statements. Out of all the thoughts rolling around in my mind, gold wasn't even there. I looked at Holly. At this moment, I couldn't resist touching her. My index finger was twirling a stray lock of her hair. I'd half expected her to knock my hand away, but instead she looked at me with some poorly disguised emotion. It looked like passion, but what do I know of such things.
"Arty, can I tell you something?" she asked, cradling her hands to the sides of my face. Her hands felt so warm and good. I tried to pull my mind out of the mire and back to the conversation at hand.
"You can tell me anything." I said honestly. I must admit, that it made me feel good to have her trust me. To want to tell me everything that's going on in her life.
Holly fidgeted a bit. By fidgeting, I mean a bit of wiggling, especially in her hips. She was so... beautiful. How had I never noticed before? She was perfect. She was also nervous. Even more nervous than when she asked me to visit her. "Trouble stopped by my house today and... and he told me that he loved me." she whispered. I froze. Sure, I had always known that he was attracted to her. Who wasn't? On the logical side, him loving her didn't mean a thing. The question was: did she love him?
"Oh id he?" I asked trying to keep the raging jealousy ,that even logic could not keep out of my voice, under control. "And what did you tell him?"
Holly smiled a bit as she looked into my eyes. "I told him that I didn't love him, and it's the truth." she said stroking my face with an even softer motion. At this moment, her hands felt like a feather. "And then, he asked me: did I love you?"
I tried to act casual. Even though my heart skipped a beat. My breath caught. This was a question that I had unconsciously wondered about for a while. But I had been too afraid to ask. And now, I was too afraid to hear the answer. Stop it! I mentally slapped myself. Fowls do not fear the unknown. "So how did you reply?" my voice came out smooth and casual, though I doubt it fooled her. I'm sure my vital interest was leaking out of my pores.
"I told him, I didn't love you." I felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest. The pain was unbearable, sweeping me away. I looked away because I couldn't stand what I may have seen in her eyes. My feelings were not reciprocated. The best thing I could do was repress the pain and move on. "But I think I was lying."
I lifted my eyes unconsciously. I felt hope flare up in my belly. I tried to smother it down. This hope could be destroyed in an instant. "You think you were lying?"
"No, I know that I was lying. I love you, Artemis Fowl." And then, she she said it again. Not as though she was unsure and testing how it would be received. Bat as if she wanted it to be forever imprinted into my mind. "I love you."
I felt myself release a breath, I hadn't realized I was holding. "As I love you, Holly. As I always have and always will." I was struck by the absolute truth of my words. I've loved Holly for a while. SInce the arctic incident. And I know that I will always feel this way for her. Now that my feelings are out there, I feel a bit vulnerable. I'm not used to sharing, but I trust Holly and know that she won't abuse my trust. Besides, I'll do anything for her.
"And what about Minerva? Or Shry?" Neither are worth my notice. But how does she know Shry. File away for future reference.
"Neither mean anything to me. They are nothing to me. They are nothing compared to you. Insignificant." I said looking into her mismatched eyes. "As of this moment, I do not remember who they are."
I flet the urge that I had been resisting since I first touched her. The urge to kiss her. Until this point, I had struggled valiantly. But then I just gave in to my whim. I kissed her. Her lips were warm and sweet. We moved in a syncranization that seemed rehearsed. Our first kiss was nothing compared to this. Sparks jumped as our hands and lips met.
My hands moved in her hair, and hers were in mine. Our bodies melded until we could get no closer. This kiss was like nothing I've ever experienced. I felt all of my walls and all of the reasons why I shouldn't do this dropped out of me. For the first time I felt whole and right. In this moment we both needed each other in a physical, tangible way.
Our kiss continued until neither of us had any breath left. My legsfelt rather unsteady (probably from lack of oxygen) so I slid to the ground, pulling Holly with me. She giggled slightly. I lay on my back with her facing away from me. I wasn't having that. I picked her up (she was very light) and laid her on my chest. She didn't objuect as she nuzzled my neck and curled into my chest. "Artemis" she said, intending it to be a remonstration, but at this point everything seemed like a caress.
"Holly?" I asked my voice slightly hoarse.
"You know, you never told me what was more important than gold to you." she said staring deeply into my eyes. "What is the most important thing to you?"
"Almost the cop." I laughed. "Always so suspicious."
"That does not answer my question." she said louder.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "You are, Holly Short. You are more important to me than gold or anything else. You are my sun, my moon, and my stars. In fact, you are the very air that I breathe. As it is without air, without you I am nothing."
"Nothing, but full of it." Holly huffed.
"Why can't you just accept the facts? I. Love. You."
"I'm a cop, remember? Always suspicious."
"How can I make you believe me?" I asked more to myself than to her.
"Prove it." She challenged.
"Oh, I intend to."
A/N:
Whoo-hoo! Another chapter down. Anyway, the next chapter will be one about Arty. So far, this is the only chapter that is divided into three parts. He's getting closer and closer to Haven. Anyway, I hope to update this soon. Keep reading and I'll keep writing. Remember to review.
Remember: Reviews= happy camper. Happy camper= quicker updates. Quicker updates= you reading more. It's a cycle keep it going!
Yours truly, madly, and deeply
Einstinette