She's The Enemy (GxG)

(P4) Chapter 8- There Are No Words

She's shaking once we walk back up the stairs. Her hands are shaking, her brain rattling against her skull and her soul shuddering in the shadows of her mortality. She's not the only one. I can feel my guilt and worry rubbing against each other, fighting to overwhelm my body. I just can't get it out of my head; Archer's face as the vines squeezed their way between the soft tissue of his eyes...

"Emelia... could you help me with this?" Isla is stood in front of the mirror, back facing me, indicating the zipper of her dress. I  stroll carefully over to her, I can sense that she is in a fragile mood, and I don't want to tip the iceberg. I glance up at her in the mirror, our gazes catching for a slight second, before I situate my thumb and index finger around the head of the slider, moving it steadily downwards, my thumb grazing the soft skin on her back. I watch her muscles contract as I do so, lifting my hand slowly off her zip and moving to pull the fabric down from her shoulder. I hesitate for a second, running scenarios around in my head. But it seems, in the end, desire wins the battle.

Slowly, I lean to place my lips on her bare shoulder, feeling her stand up straighter as I do so. I move further up her skin, eventually biting and nipping at her neck, leaving small, light red marks on her skin. Eventually, she turns her neck slightly, interrupting me and locking our gazes. She stares at me for a moment, as if there was something in my eyes that she was looking for but couldn't quite find it.

"Emelia. She chokes out, her pupils dilating, "I... I love y- wait..." She pauses, her gaze flickering around the room, "No... I don't-"

"You don't love me?" I tilt my head, searching to align my eyes with hers.

"No...!" She shakes her head, reaching out to intertwine our hands, "I don't just love you. There are no words that I could ever use that properly express how I feel about you. And it's not just some dumb mating bond. Even if you were still completely human- I would feel this way regardless. Because I-. You are brilliant and amazing and beautiful but not just that- you're stubborn, always getting yourself into trouble, always looking for trouble and you are so... so brave. And I love it all. I love the way you smile, love the way the always stand up for yourself, even to me. Because I don't just love the bones in your body or your beautiful hair or stunning smile, I love your soul and the way it learns and develops, I love your mind- the way you think. Your determination. Love seems like such a weak word, to express how much I care about you. Cause I do- a lot, a hell of a lot and I don't even know what I can say to make you understand-"

I cut her off, resting my hand on her jaw and running my thumb across her lips.

"You don't have to make me understand, I know. I know cause I feel it too..." I trail off as I watch her eyes soften, water filling both her enchanting emerald eyes and my sky blue. We both collide at the same time, both of us yearning for the others touch. My lips press hard against hers, as if I had been starved of her my entire life. Which, during these recent weeks it really felt like.

It seemed that everytime we kissed, our worlds smashed together, trees being teared out of the earth, revealing the hidden network of roots underneath it. My father had once said to me that underneath a tree, the roots are just as big as the actual tree, maybe even bigger. Which means that when we look at a tree, we only see half of the appearance it represents, because another whole tree is hidden inside the dirt. But when we kiss- it's as if I can see every network of roots under every tree. Everything beautiful that was once hidden is revealed. Everything long dead and buried- every flower, every stone, every organism- all becoming clear. 

There's only one place in which the world becomes a little less ominous and it's in her embrace.

My left hand travels down her back, moving to brush away the fabric from her other shoulder, breaking our kiss to trail kisses down her upper arm. After I do this, she reaches under my arm to grab the zipper of my dress, hesitating slightly.

"You okay?" I murmur, raising my gaze.

"I just... I just want to hold you... Is that... is that okay?" Her voice wavers as she says this and  I once again, comfort her by caressing her cheek.

"Of course that's okay Isla..." I say softly, watching the corners of her mouth turn up.

"I love you..." She says, her voice soft and comforting.

"I love you."

And we both know that we mean so much more when we say those three words. More than anyone else would even be able to comprehend.

A/N

This is a little bit short, partly because the last chapter was really long and partly because I wanted this scene to just be in a single chapter- without any other interruptions. There's probably only two or three chapters left of this book which makes me incredibly sad but also so thankful to be able to get this far- which is especially thanks to your support!

By the way- there are a few references in this chapter which if you can figure them out... I mean you don't get a reward but I'd love you eternally. I really hope you enjoyed and thank you all so so much for reading.