Maea
The worst of all blessings
The weight of his gaze upon her was a tangible thing, near physical as though a hand pressed lightly to the small of her back as she moved about the kitchen. It could have been unnerving if it didn't feel so comforting; the pale haired little woman suppressed a smile as she returned, melted into the connection of their knees and hummed contentedly as the first spoonful of ice cream and pie melted on her tongue. "It's a miracle," she agreed around the crumble of crust, fruit and sugar. "Maybe I should stick to baking?" They did say that while cooking was art, baking was a science. It would track, made a lot of sense.
Sobering only slightly as Liam mentioned his family's graves, she gave him a considering look. Did he really worry that she might deny him that? She hoped not; they had never felt like a threat to her, no rivals for his affections and loyalty. If the wife had been alive still, then maybe - but how could she resent the dead for the life they once lived, long before she even knew their names? "Can I come with you, sometime?" she asked quietly. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to know them..." Fix their names into her memory, befriend their ghosts until they felt as much like her family as his. It wasn't sharing, the way she couldn't tolerate - at least she didn't think so. It wasn't as though Liam would ever forget them though, so... she simply had to make peace with that and remember not to compare herself to someone else.
When he returned the question, her head cocked aside in a thoughtful gesture, leaning aside against his upper arm in a totally casually but maybe not manner. "Hmm, probably traveling. I think I'd get claustrophobic if I stayed too long in the same place. This place does feel like home, and it's wonderful to have somewhere to come back to... I just like feeling that sense of freedom. You know what I mean?" Another thought came to mind, but for the first time she hesitated before bringing it up. "Also... mh. This is probably way early and getting ahead of things, and I don't know if it's even relevant to anything, but..." Her face began to heat up, a splotchy red color that consumed the pallor of her skin. "I don't... think I'll ever want to become a parent." And she worried about that, given that the man she wanted to be with had been a father of three. Clearly he liked children, which meant... she was probably closing a door that could mean a great deal to him.
Sobering only slightly as Liam mentioned his family's graves, she gave him a considering look. Did he really worry that she might deny him that? She hoped not; they had never felt like a threat to her, no rivals for his affections and loyalty. If the wife had been alive still, then maybe - but how could she resent the dead for the life they once lived, long before she even knew their names? "Can I come with you, sometime?" she asked quietly. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to know them..." Fix their names into her memory, befriend their ghosts until they felt as much like her family as his. It wasn't sharing, the way she couldn't tolerate - at least she didn't think so. It wasn't as though Liam would ever forget them though, so... she simply had to make peace with that and remember not to compare herself to someone else.
When he returned the question, her head cocked aside in a thoughtful gesture, leaning aside against his upper arm in a totally casually but maybe not manner. "Hmm, probably traveling. I think I'd get claustrophobic if I stayed too long in the same place. This place does feel like home, and it's wonderful to have somewhere to come back to... I just like feeling that sense of freedom. You know what I mean?" Another thought came to mind, but for the first time she hesitated before bringing it up. "Also... mh. This is probably way early and getting ahead of things, and I don't know if it's even relevant to anything, but..." Her face began to heat up, a splotchy red color that consumed the pallor of her skin. "I don't... think I'll ever want to become a parent." And she worried about that, given that the man she wanted to be with had been a father of three. Clearly he liked children, which meant... she was probably closing a door that could mean a great deal to him.
The most beautiful of curses
Base by Skylark
