Counting Stars
Hal waved off the laugh with simple ease and smiled gently. The idea of trading a woman for a goat, was preposterous to the modern day ideals. But it had been quite common when he was growing up. Indeed women were sold for a lot less than a goat and he had gotten lucky when he bought a virgin. Or at least he would have considered himself lucky during those times.
He sighed. In all fairness, Alex had every right to be more mad at him for having slept with more women. Hal wasn’t particularly pleased by it either and had he known he would have this remarkable young woman beside him now, 500 years ago? He wouldn’t have dreamed of touching another soul.
He glanced at her, wondering what she was keeping from him. Wondering what she was thinking for a brief moment wished he was a vampire again. As a being of the undead, you were more akin to what another person was feeling in order to attune yourself to their needs. This became a tool used for hunting and had actually come into much use over time for different reasons.
She nuzzled against him and Hal closed his eyes sighing with a thought that perhaps this was just another one he had picked up and would later discard of. He so did not want that to be the case, after all, before they had even gotten the chance at being human again, Alex had made Hal feel more alive than he did for the last 500 years.
"No…" He moaned, keeping her in his arms. "No. Please. I don’t mind.. I don’t mind you being undressed." His eyes shot open as he realized what he just said and he made a nervous face glancing over at her. Was it too early for jokes or had the reconciled? Years of doing this you’d think he’d be an expert but he was probably worse than most.
Alex could sense that Hal was nervous before he looked at her. He'd tensed up, she could feel it in the way he held her. She thought it was adorable, how he wanted her to stay with him, and even more adorable the way he'd worded it.
"Don't worry," she said, hoping it would calm him. She was much more comfortable when he was relaxed. Alex brought a smile to her face. "Besides, it's not like I'm undressed undressed. I am wearing pajamas, you know. I just meant get dressed for the day."
She made no effort to move. Now that they weren't fighting, the air in the room was calm. With her head rested on his chest, Alex could hear his heart beating. It brought a smile to her face. She felt silly smiling over something as small as a heartbeat. The fact that she hadn't had one herself for a period of time had made all the difference to her. The feeling of skin on skin, and the rhythm of beating hearts meant so much more to her now than they used to.
Alex gnawed on her bottom lip as her curiosities about Hal's past lovers crept up on her once more. She quietly cursed their silence for letting her think too much into the past. Her gaze slowly turned upward to his face, staring at him until he looked back.
Her question was asked as soon as his eyes met hers. "How many women have you loved?" she questioned. She continued before he could answer. "I mean really, truly loved. And..." she paused before she finished, trying to find the right way to word what it was she wanted to ask. "Did any of them mean to you what I mean to you? Or more so? And don't lie to me, I'll know if you're lying. You'll pay greatly for lying."










