The day that never was [M]

[Sara]

She blinked as he stood up but there was a soft smile on her face and she turned it up to look at him. She cleared her throat and then sighed deeply in contentment as he brushed his hands over her waist, her ribs, her hips. And then she let out a hum of pleasure as he kissed her forehead. She listened to him, staring up into his dark eyes - so like her own. She flushed. 

She knew exactly what he was referring to. Last time they had met they had gone so far, only to fall at the final hurdle because she had panicked and couldn't cope. She kept her hand stroking the high arch of his cheek, a soft smile on her face. "I...want..." What did she want? "I want things to be normal. I want to eat lunch with the man that I...love." It was still hard, odd to say, "And I want to sit close to you, not glancing over my shoulder." So simple. So chaste. But so important to her. She craved him - even in the chaste intimacy she was proposing. "Can we sit together?" She asked. "And...just be...slow?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"We can" he nodded. He was content, being in her presence, sharing a moment that did not need to be hurried. And he was happy she trusted him with that. He sat down, making space for her on the couch. He refilled their cups too; the wine was well watered and tasted like honey. "This is already a better lunch than any I have attended at home." he added with a grin.

@Sara

[Sara]

She smiled and relaxed into his touch, moving to curl up next to him on the couch, stretching her legs out again in front of her and taking the cup of wine from him with a contented little sigh. 

"Good." She chuckled and settled into the crook of his arm. "How is your home, by the way? I'm not sure I've had the pleasure of meeting your adopted siblings yet, or your father?" She turned her face up, tilting it to look at him. "Or are you largely at your barracks, squirrelled away?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"I'm not squirreled. It's called working." he quirked an eyebrow at her, wrapping an around around her shoulder as she leaned against him. "But no, I don't think you have met them. They have a jewelry business, among other things... they mostly accepted me as a business arrangement. Except for Mania. It took some time to make her.... not hate me. But I think I'm making progress."

[Sara]

"Working?" She glanced at him, amused. "I've never heard of such a thing before. I don't think it sounds like something I'd enjoy." Chuckling, she took another sip of the wine. It really was very good, he'd cleared not spared any expense. 

Her interest...and her...jealousy was piqued though. She quirked an eyebrow as she stared up at him. "Mania. That's a lovely name. For a lovely woman? How old is she?" She asked, feigning innocence. "And why would she hate you, my sweet?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Ovinia" he gave her a mock-serious look. "She's my sister." She seemed a bit too curious about Mania. "She's about your age. And honestly, she has a very similar temperament. I can't tell if you two would be best friends, or mortal enemies" he grinned. He was clearly fond of his newfound sister, even if the feeling was not quite mutual.

@Sara

[Sara]

"Not by blood." She murmured. "And even then, history teaches us great men don't mind that." She wrinkled her nose and chuckled, curling a little closer to him and crossing her ankles on the table. Sh made a mental note to seek out this Mania. Similar age. Jewellery business. Mania. That was enough to go on to find her. Then she'd judge for herself whether the comparison was awfully cruel, or kind.

 "But answer me this, my sweet Lucius..." She gave him a sly look, "If your family own a jewellery business...why have I not received any of their wares as a gift?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Ew." He shook his head at the idea. Sure, he found Ovinia both frustrating and alluring when she was angry at him, but he did not feel anything similar for Mania. She was firmly in the annoying little sister category.

"But answer me this, my sweet Lucius... If your family own a jewellery business...why have I not received any of their wares as a gift?" 

"You know, sometimes I feel like you are just keeping me around for the riches" he smirked at her, shaking his head. "A house, a cithara, now jewelry... Who am I to dare to guess what you'd like to wear?"

@Sara

[Sara]

She laughed, genuinely, her shoulders shaking a little in amusement. "Yes yes, I kept a vigiles recruit around for the riches." She rolled her eyes. He was so precocious. She chose to swallow the thought that once, a long time ago now, had he chosen a different path he could have given her riches. And a marriage. And a proper domus, not just one he had borrowed from a vacant owner. She took a sip of wine and tried her best to shove the thought out of mind. It was not for now. 

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "You're saying you don't know me at all? Or are you just too lazy to figure it out, hm?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius sighed; he knew he was not going to win this conversation. Strangely, he didn't mind.

"I'm not going to answer that" he shook his head, amused. "But a man needs to be able to plan, no? A bunny one day, a domus another... if I piled all the gifts on you at once, you'd call me a tryhard, and you would have no reason to meet me again." He smirked. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

@Sara

[Sara]

She grinned. "I don't know which I prefer though, Hop or the domus." She chuckled and curled closer, stretching an arm over his chest, fingers stroking his side as he kissed her cheek. But that was not entirely enough. She tilted her face so she could study him intently - lips quirking, eyes narrowed in challenge. She loved the games. They sent a thrill through her. "I'm sure I could think of a reason or two to meet you again." She leant in softly, brushing her lips against his in the briefest, gentlest, most chaste of kisses. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius felt content, sitting next to her and holding her close. For once, he did not have to keep looking over his shoulder. She seemed to feel the same, because she leaned in for a soft kiss.

"I'm sure I could think of a reason or two to meet you again."

He smiled against her lips, kissing her softly. "Oh?... And what would those reasons be?" he murmured, running his tongue over her bottom lip.

@Sara

[Sara]

She shuddered. Gods dammit she shuddered. She let out a little breath and moved her fingers to brush stray hair from his forehead, tilting her face to the side, but her nose brushed his and her dark eyes bored into his own. So similar. So heated. So much for going slow. But it always ended this way - it had since Saturnalia. She wasn't sure what Lucius did to her but he sent her wits scattering to the winds, blowing everything else out of her mind but him. 

She brushed her thumb over his bottom lip, watching it rather than his eyes. Her voice was low. "You're teasing me." She murmured. She was still watching his lips. She exhaled and glanced up at him. "Would you believe me if I said those reasons were the excellent lunch you put on, and nothing else?" She arched a brow, a sly smile on her lips, but she didn't pull away. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

He felt her shudder and his heart skipped, like it did every time she gave a sign of what effect he had on her. He smiled softly, watching her. So beautiful.

"You're teasing me."

"Maybe." he whispered. She teased him for a lot of things, so it was only fair if he did too. Playfully.

"Would you believe me if I said those reasons were the excellent lunch you put on, and nothing else?"

"I'd take it." he smiled, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, thumb caressing her cheek. "As long as we're alone together. I told you. Whatever you want."

@Sara

[Sara]

She smiled at him, her dark eyes finally moving up from his lips to his eyes. They were full of something unquantifiable to her. She shuddered again. The hand brushing her long, dark hair behind her ear didn't help. Nor did the thumb that swept the high arch of her cheekbone. 

They were alone. Properly alone. Nobody was going to disturb them here but it wasn't some sort of hovel, nor did it risk her reputation like a hospitia or another sort of rented room would. This was luxury in a way that she couldn't comprehend and the...silence of the rest of the house, the knowledge that they had (virtually) all the time in the world, alone, together, was utterly thrilling. And slightly terrifying. She chose to  project, rather than offer any of her own real opinions. 

"I think that's unfair." She murmured and laid a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. The briefest of brushes, before she pulled back. "I told you last time we met what I thought of. You have not reciprocated." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius' brow furrowed as he looked at her, confused. "Reciprocated what?" He remembered a whole lot about their last encounter, at Floralia in the gardens. He also remembered, very clearly, what she had told him... he doubted he would ever forget. The soft kiss was playful, but he was not sure where he had been unfair in this game.

@Sara

[Sara]

She gave him a slightly bemused look at his confusion, still a hairs breadth away from him. She ducked in to leave another soft kiss against his lips. The playful nature of it and his response set another unwilling shudder up her skin.

“You have not told me what you want.” She murmured, explaining, against his lips, fingers moving up to sweep the arch of his cheek. “Why is it my responsibility to say what I want but you don’t reciprocate with views of your own?”

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius sighed, smiling a little against her lips. This woman. Ovinia had indeed told him what she wanted... what she thought about. And now she was asking him the same question. It was only fair that she did... but in this game, she had a whole lot more to lose than him. And he did not want to ask for things she might not want to give. Or do something that scares her, like he had last time. He rested his forehead against her.

"I think you know" he murmured "I want to kiss you, and I want to touch you... I want to give you pleasure." He felt almost a little shy about it, as if she would pull away any moment. "More importantly... I want you to feel safe. With me." It was too rare a moment to ruin.

@Sara

[Sara]

She sighed in contentment as he moved to rest his forehead against hers. She felt calm. Calmer than she did in the gardens when the heat of the moment had caught and swept her up in a passion she hadn't experienced before. This was different; they were talking, they were taking their time. She loved it just as much, and it thrilled her just as much. She kept on stroking his cheek, her fingers moving softly. 

She felt something deep in her core as he spoke. Kissing. Touching. Pleasure. All things she'd dreamt about since she'd figured out what she should be dreaming about but...all things that she shouldn't have even countenanced. She felt his breath against her lips as he murmured his reassurance quietly. She smiled softly, gently probing. "Would you still love me, or wish to spend time with me if I said all I wanted to do was sit with you and drink wine and talk about our days?" She needed to know, she didn't believe for a second he was using her just to satiate his lust, but she still needed to know. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius could tell she was hesitating. She had every reason to. Last time, they had been caught up in the moment. This time was different. He smiled, pulling back to look at her. He loved her. These questions were easy to answer.

"Yes, and yes." he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, that's that. And of course I want to spend time with you. Would you like to tell me about your day?"

@Sara

[Sara]

She smiled and gave him a look of amusement as he pulled back to ask about her day. So sweet. And sincere, that she could tell. He had never seemed the sort to be duplicitous, he was honest to a fault, and she believed him now. That was enough for her. 

"No." She said as she pushed to stand up, finally breaking the intimacy of them on the couch. She glanced around the silent, deserted domus. "Do all the rooms have furniture?" She asked with a quirked brow and a slightly sly, but nervous, smile on her lips.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Lucius blinked as she stood, wondering what she'd decided. Whatever it was, it had to be her decision; but he really hoped she was not leaving yet.

"Do all the rooms have furniture?"

Lucius swallowed, nodding. "Yes. Pretty much." It had been kept in good condition, covered against dust - likely in hopes of someone buying it soon.

@Sara

[Sara]

She watched him closely, dark eyes assessing but lips slightly parted as she exhaled. She shouldn’t be doing this, even contemplating it, but she was. She’d decided. She knew what she wanted and she knew what she was risking for it. She also knew it was some inevitable husbands right, not the man sat in front of her. But that husband was drawing closer and the idea that she would never get to do…anything with the man that plagued her dreams hurt her. Deeply. So here she was.

She offered him a hand outstretched to take to pull himself up from the couch. Her voice was light and the corners of her mouth twitching up. “Will you give me a tour, Lucius?”

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

He could see that she'd made up her mind. Her lips curled into a smile, and Lucius smiled too, accepting her hand and standing up from the couch, wine forgotten. She was beautiful in that moment. And precious. She wanted to give her everything that would make her happy.

"Of course." he led her by the hand back out into the small peristyle garden. "From what I can tell, that's the tablinum... this way." He led her though the hallways to the atrium, decorated with a small pond in the middle. "They have some rooms this way, and on the other side... Stairs that way. They have more rooms upstairs... they have windows to the garden. They are nice." Lucius did not want to make the same mistake as last time, taking Ovinia into some dark room with a locked door.

@Sara

[Sara]

She followed him with a youthful giggle, and moved an arm to wind around his waist, fingers gripping his hip as they drew to a stop in the atrium. "It's nice." She said, glancing at him with an amused look. "Quaint." Her father was one of the wealthiest men in the city, and had a domus to match. Anything was a step down from that. She glanced at the stairs as he referenced the rooms upstairs and she didn't need to consider any longer.

She released her grip on him and moved slowly towards the stairs. Everything was still in a perfectly serviceable, fine condition even if it wasn't exactly to her tastes - a point she made clear to Lucius as she ascended the stairs unprompted; "Why did they think yellow was a good colour for an atrium?" But then she drew to the landing on the second floor and pushed open a door. Light streamed in through narrow slats of shutters, casting the room in a dim glow. Of course most of the furniture was under sheets but she drew to the window, unlatching the shutters and pushing them to the side. Bright light streamed in and she sighed, happy. She breathed in the scent of the flowers, still blossoming despite their owners absence. "It's beautiful." She said, still glancing down into the gardens, back to him. 

 

TAG: @Chevi