Forrest sat up and pulled me close. “Do you think you did that?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “But when it was done, I was so relieved that they had been taken care of and that you weren’t being hurt anymore. Then the darkness receded, and I saw how everyone looked. Blood running out of their noses and ears. It was terrifying. I don’t think it was me, though. I don’t have magical abilities like that. It had to be something in the Nightwood—something or someone looking out for us.”
“Well, I guess we should be thankful that whoever or whatever that was, it was on our side,” he said, brushing a small piece of my hair behind my ear.
“Yeah,” I mumbled in agreement, unable to make eye contact.
My thoughts drifted back to the stream. I couldn’t shake the realization that things were about to change for us, if it happened to be true.
His fingers brushed down my cheek, lifting my chin up. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?”
“I guess I’m just a bit overwhelmed by the situation.” The statement was not a complete lie.
It felt like something had come loose, and all the words I had been holding back made their way out in a free fall.
“I don’t know where to go from here. Literally from this spot. Where do we go?” I picked at the hem of my tunic, steadying myself for what I was about to say next. “I have no idea where we are, but I have a feeling it has something to do with you.” I met Forrest’s concerned gaze.
Forrest put his hand on his chest. “You think this place has something to do with me?”
“I feel magic here. It’s slightly off, from what it felt like back home, but it’s here. Stronger too. And the portal we came through to get here. You were lying right in front of it the night I found you.” I bit my lip before continuing. “I think this is where you came from, Forrest.”
The statement hung in the air, neither of us eager to acknowledge it.
Forrest broke the silence with only a few words. “It makes sense.”
My mind started to unravel at the never-ending list of things that could go wrong here. I had blindly walked into a situation with no inkling as to how it could possibly unfold. Why hadn’t it occurred to me sooner that this was possibly where the portal led. If I had figured that out, maybe I could have asked Magda about it. She might not have been able to give me a direct answer, but something would have been better than nothing. Was that what she meant about “back to the start”? Where I met Forrest and our relationship started? I felt so stupid and naive.
Then another awful thought happened upon me. “What happens to us, Forrest? What if you get your memories back and you remember that you have someone you care about deeply, or even afamily? I know I’m being stupid and selfish, but I just can’t imagine going through everything we have tonight to come out the other side and lose what little I have left.”
Forrest stared intensely at me as I tried to regain my composure.
“I don’t think I’d survive losing you,” I whispered, finally done unloading every vulnerability and insecurity I had been holding on to.
Forrest pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. His mouth was on my neck, his warm breath causing shivers to break out all over my body. “What did I tell you before, Aurelia? I will always be yours, for as long as you’ll have me.”
His gentle kisses slowly made their way up my neck, ending at my lips. “I would gladly ruin the lives of those around me just so I could make you happy.” His rough hands slowly fell down my back to caress my backside. “Wherever we go from here, we shall do so hand in hand. We will face this entire realm together.”
My heart began to ache, like it knew where this was heading.
Before I could protest, Forrest whispered, “I love you, Aurelia,” then took my breath away with a kiss that melted my heart and worries into oblivion.
The kiss was fierce, achy, and messy. Our mouths moved with longing and desperation, like those of two people who had nothing left in this realm but each other.
Our lips parted for mere moments, enough for me to get out the breathy words I had so anxiously avoided. “I love you too, Forrest.”
His hands slid greedily up my back and into my hair. My hands slid down his chest, finding their home over his heart. Our breaths, mouths, and hearts combined beneath the stars and foreign ancient trees, allowing ourselves this intimate moment when we weren’t running or hiding from anyone, when we could simply be just Forrest and Aurelia.
We untangled ourselves to lie on our sides facing one another,bathing in the warmth and glow of our small fire. We lay in comfortable silence, breathing in one another, relishing the peace we now had.
“Does this place feel like anything to you?” My question came seemingly out of nowhere.
Forrest looked at me thoughtfully while he contemplated it. “Yeah, it kind of does, actually. I couldn’t quite place the feeling before, but now that you’ve brought it up, it feels… familiar. It’s like I know what this place is but have no memory of it. It’s weird. Do you feel anything?”
“Everything around here feels alive. It’s like the air talks, and the trees are breathing, and the water sings. It doesn’t feel real. It’s like I’m in a dream, and I’m going to be woken up from it at any moment.”
Forrest leaned into me, a smile tugging on his lips. “If this is a dream. I hope we never wake up.”
Forrest pulled me in closer, and I rested my face on his chest, finding comfort in the sounds of a heart that beat for me.
