BRIAR
Stretching, I open my eyes, confused as it takes me a minute to figure out where I am. My eyes seek out BuK, only to find him standing before the viewer. Both of us seem to spend quite a bit of time staring out at the changed landscape all around us now.
“Good morning.”
He turns, granting me one of those smiles. “Good rising. Did you rest well?”
“I must have because I don’t remember you moving us to this new bed.”
“You needed the rest as both your mind and body were tired. Good news … the temperatures seem to be rising gradually and the snow has stopped. Hopefully, that means the mass is almost past us.”
“Is it still a frozen winter wonderland outside?”
“Yes, it is a very brisk negative thirty right now. From here, I cannot tell exactly how deep the snow is, but it looks significant. The drifts caused by the wind look like they might even beover my head. You can really see how intense the sheer cliffs of the mountain ranges are with the snow packed so heavily on them. You are probably going to think this is crazy, but everything looks clean and sleeping. Depending on how quickly the temperatures change, we may have quite a bit of digging out when the mass leaves this sector.”
“I don’t think that’s crazy at all. Back home, I always enjoyed the snow, as long as I didn’t have to travel in it. There was nothing like getting cozy with a cup of hot chocolate, a warm blanket, and a good book with the snow flying outside.” Before I realize it, the question that has been in the back of my mind for days flies out of my mouth. “What are you going to do after all this?”
“I do not understand this question, Briar.”
“Well, before your brother the snowman showed up … never mind.” I crawl out of the bed, heading to the bathroom, only for BuK to step in front of me.
“Please do not shut me out. We should be past that.”
“I’m not, it’s just that I know we were caught up in a life-and-death situation. I was naked, you were naked, and things were happening. So, if you want to forget all of that, I understand.” BuK grasps my arms when I try to turn away again and leans down so that his face is closer to mine. His bright yellow eyes flash, and I swear I see the runes on his neck move.
“I am not forgetting anything and I was not caught up in the moment, as you put it. I meant every word I said to you, Briar.”
“So, you’re … not going to leave me?”
“Not willingly, no.”
I look away because I feel like his piercing yellow eyes see more than I’m willing to share. “I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone I have ever loved has been taken from me. When I was little I had a cat, and even though I knew she was getting older, I cried for days when she passed. Lost my grandmother when I was twelve and that felt like a piece of me was put in the ground with her. But when my father physically picked me up and placed me in that pod, while my mother sank to her knees on the ground, crying as I begged them to please let me stay, I thought that was the worst thing that had ever happened to me.
Then the moment that pod launched into space, I watched as everything I had ever loved or dreamed of exploded. It was so big and bright that it didn’t look real, almost like something you would have seen on TV or in a movie. My eyes finally closed after fighting the meds in the cryo pod and I saw that explosion repeatedly in my mind. However, none of that was as terrifying as seeing you turn away in that snowstorm. I knew when I walked out there that the odds of both of us surviving were slim, but the very thought of losing you was … is more than my heart can handle. I would rather have died trying to save you than survived without you. Having lost enough in my life, a person can only take so much.”
BuK pulls me into his arms as I fight back the tears trying to escape. My arms wrap around him tightly, seeking out the only thing keeping my mind from spiraling out of control.
“There are things in this universe I doubt Briar, but my feelings and love for you are not one of them. I was just as scared as you when I stepped out there, but you were dying in my arms. Itappears we both feel the same as I would have easily sacrificed myself to save you. In this life and the next, I will always choose you over myself.”
I lean back, my mind replaying those words. “You love me?”
“I thought that part was obvious. There are times I feel like a baby Suet, following you around, begging for any scrap of attention you might give me. You are my first thought when I open my eyes and the last when they close, only for you to haunt my dreams when I sleep.”
“You’ve had a lot of time to think about this, haven’t you?”
“The darkness is long when you are planetside with only your thoughts to occupy you. Because of the quiet time I have spent here alone, I have had the opportunity to analyze my true feelings for you and the things you have experienced just in order to arrive here in one piece. I was not the one who suddenly woke up in another world, trying to figure out what was next. You were not looking for me, but the Lord of Light made sure I saw you. Briar, we do not need to be in a hurry for anything. I am not going anywhere.”
“BuK, I love that you are so open with your feelings and emotions, which is a rare thing where I come from. We all tend to hide behind our feelings, especially the more intense ones, because we’re terrified of being turned down or of them not being reciprocated.”
“Briar, I will admit being this open was not easy, but knowing you might never understand how I feel was worse. I swore to myself that if the Lord of Light let us live through this, I would not hold back my feelings for you another moment. You aremine,and I will keep reminding you of that until you never doubt me or us again.”
Before I can say another word, my belly growls, and BuK laughs. “Come, we need to feed the monster residing inside you. She will get … what is the word? Oh yes,… fussy … that’s it … if not fed. I have also prepared your early rising beverage, and it is waiting for you in the replicator.”
“Is it working?”
