This Is Love

29

"Stop them!" yelled the fabric merchant from somewhere far behind them.

The stranger pulled Oriana down a side street, away from the market. He kicked open a door and she followed him in just as the merchant tore around the corner.

"That way!" yelled the merchant. He had amassed an angry mob.

Oriana struggled to keep pace as the stranger dashed up a flight of stairs two at a time. They burst through another door onto the roof of the building. He dropped her hand and jumped across a gap to another roof.

Her feet skidded to a stop.

"You have to jump!" he called to her.

She heard the merchant's voice again. He seemed even closer. Oh bother. She grabbed the hem of her skirt and lifted it to her knees. With a deep breath, she took a step back and then ran as fast as she could. She leapt across the small divide. Her momentum made her stumble to her knees as she landed.

The stranger pulled her to her feet before she had a chance to recover. They burst through another door and ran down the stairs. The thick sheets over the windows rendered the room almost completely dark.

"This'll do." He caught her arm and pulled her into the corner of the room.

Oriana started to protest, but the stranger pressed his finger against her lips. "Shh," he whispered into her ear.

She swallowed hard as she looked up at him. Her heart seemed to skip a beat. Yes, a face worthy of a prince indeed. Although, no prince she had ever imagined would dare find himself in such a situation.

His finger fell from her lips but his body stayed pressed against hers.

"I should probably..." she tried to duck away from his arms.

"Just one moment," he whispered. The warmth of his breath against her ear sent a shiver down her spine.

Suddenly it sounded like a herd of rhinos was stampeding across the roof. She threw her arms around his neck and didn't protest at all when he held her firmly against his chest. She didn't want to imagine what the fabric merchant would do if he caught her. What had she gotten herself into?

"Shh," he whispered again. The words and warmth comforted her slightly.

As the silence settled around them once again, the stranger took a step back from her. "Are you alright, m'lady?"

"Yes. I'm fine." A little bruised and scraped, but nothing lasting. "And you?"

He laughed. "I've been through worse."

Her eyes slowly began to focus in the dark. She couldn't seem to stop staring at his disarming features.

A smile spread across his face as he watched her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Bastian." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He placed a gentle kiss on her hand.

The gesture sent a chill down her spine.

A squeaking noise made them both turn their heads. The same squirrel from the market scampered down the stairs toward them. Oriana squealed and took a step back, slipping on an uneven patch of floor.

Bastian easily caught her with one arm.

She momentarily lost her breath as her hands wrapped around his biceps.

Bastian laughed as he held her body against his. "It's quite alright. It's just Nut."

It only took Oriana a moment to realize that she was clinging to a man she didn't even know. She immediately took a step back. "Nut? It has a name?"

"Of course he has a name." Bastian squatted down and held his hand out toward the squirrel. "Don't you, boy?" The squirrel jumped up onto his shoulder.

"That...that animal almost got me killed!"

Bastian patted the squirrel's head as he stood up. "He also saved you." Bastian pulled a grape out of his pocket and handed it to the squirrel. Nut grabbed it with his greedy little paws and nibbled away at the outside of the grape.

"I wouldn't have needed saving if...wait a second. You made that rodent attack."

Nut stopped nibbling mid-bite.

"Rodent?" Bastian said. "That's a little harsh. Although he is in desperate need of a good bath."

Nut threw the remaining piece of grape at Bastian's cheek.

Bastian laughed. "You know I'm just kidding with you," he said and patted the squirrel's head again. "Besides, Nut's distraction also allowed me to get you this." He pulled out the golden fabric that the merchant had been trying to sell her.

"But I...I didn't pay for that."

Bastian winked. "It can be our little secret." He pushed the fabric into her hands. "It really does match your hair perfectly."

The dark room suddenly felt stifling. Their eyes locked. No one had ever looked at Oriana the way Bastian was staring at her. It made her heart race. And her palms felt sweaty. This was how she desired for Rixin to look at her.

"I should probably get back," Oriana said. She pressed her lips together, wondering why she had broken the spell. Bastian was making her incredibly nervous.

He took a step back from her, pushed a tattered curtain to the side, and looked out the window.

Oriana smoothed out her skirt while his eyes weren't trained on her.

"It appears everything has settled down. You should be safe to go." He turned back toward her and gave her another charming smile.

"I don't know how to thank you." She looked down at the cloth in her hands, unsure whether a thank you truly was in order. He was a thief. A thief who had saved her life. With a smile that could light up this dark room.

"No need to thank me. It was my pleasure, my lady." He winked again and jumped onto the window sill.

"But..." began Oriana. But before she could say another word, he was gone.

The push and pull in Scarlett’s favorite story reminded me of my relationship with Penny. In our case though, it truly felt like she had saved me. Not the other way around. I smiled as I watched the two of them. The two women in my life that had saved me from the hell I had been living.