New Orleans LA, August 22, 2003
Five weeks and three days had gone by since Questa felt strong and well enough to rejoin the world he lived in. As each day went by, he became more and more like his real self. He found it easier to concentrate on just being himself now that the threat of being captured and abused was finally gone from his mind. He still had nightmares, and knew he probably always would to some extent, but they were happening less often, and it was becoming easier for him to deal with them and move on as the weeks passed.
Early on the morning of August 22, Questa got out of bed and left his room, going down the hall to the room where Shelby spent most of her nights now. She had almost completely given up trying to spend more time with her brother; Stephen had a new girlfriend and a job and didn't complain so much about his little sister ignoring him anymore. So Shelby stayed at the safehouse almost all the time, and was comfortable there again, the way she had been for a year before she left.
Questa quietly opened Shelby's bedroom door and slipped inside. He stood in the early-morning shadows in her room, just watching her sleep. Shelby looked so peaceful, content and beautiful in sleep and Questa treasured these brief stolen moments. He didn't do it often, for fear she might get mad at him for it, but every once in awhile, he slipped in and just watched her sleep. It helped him feel better about himself, but if asked, he couldn't have explained why or how.
As he stood there that morning, Shelby opened her eyes. She hadn't been fully asleep and had heard him open the door. After pretending to be asleep for a few minutes, she decided to shock him and 'wake up'.
"Good morning." Shelby said, a sly smile gracing her pretty face.
Questa took a step back in surprise, his eyes wide. "Uhm...er..."
Shelby laughed and shook her head. "It's okay, Questa. I've know about your little visits for quite some time now. I don't mind." She moved over on the bed and patted the space beside her. "Care to join me?"
Questa blinked twice and then smiled. "You mind?"
"Would I offer if I minded?"
"Non..."
"Well then. Get your butt over here and keep me company."
Questa needed no further invitation or request. With a somewhat shy smile, he joined her, snuggling down under her red and white comforter with her. Shelby moved closer to him, wrapping one arm around his body. She was very careful not to touch or approach him in a way that might bring back some painful memory. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him in any way, and she took great pains to ensure nothing she did harmed him, either emotionally or physically. As it was still very early, they both fell asleep quickly, feeling safe and secure with each other.
Shelby woke up nearly four hours later. She felt stiff and realized that neither of them had moved in the entire time. 'That's funny...I'm stiff from not moving for so long, but yet I feel so comfortable just laying here with him...' She took the opportunity to watch Questa sleep, the way he had done with her earlier. He looked younger than thirty-five when he was asleep, she realized, and it made her smile. He was also very good looking, in her candid opinion as his girlfriend, and was more than a little sexy, in a dangerous, mysterious kind of way. As these and similar other thoughts floated through her mind, Shelby's eyes widened.
'Good lord, just thinking about him with him being so close to me is turning me on! This is crazy! It's too soon for that! Isn't it...?' She thought in a kind of startled amazement. As the summer weeks had drifted by, Shelby had found herself more and more deeply attracted to Questa, especially as the intimacy level of their relationship deepened. But what she was feeling just then wasn't like what she'd felt before. Plain and simple, she wanted him. Badly.
She tried to wrap her mind around whether or not it was too soon. 'Okay...this is crazy. I mean all things considered, it is too soon, because I've only been back since the end of May and most of that time has been spent trying to help him heal...' 'Technically, Shelby, it's not too soon t'ough.' Shelby blinked in surprise. She kept forgetting that Bella Donna was a telepath and had very close links to everyone in the house, especially the assassins. It only made sense that the Guild viceroy had a telepathic link with Shelby as well.
'What are you talking about, Bel?' Shelby asked in thought, connecting the link on her end. It couldn't hurt to see what Bel's opinion was.
'If you t'ink 'bout it, yes you've only been back since de end of May. Dat's true. But when you left in March, you'd been here for one year. You an' Questa might not have done anythin' even remotely intimate in dat year, but you were still together. Add dat year to de almost three months you've been back since your absence, an' you get fifteen months. Mos' people don' wait half dat time b'fore dey move t'ings to de next level.' Bella Donna explained. 'It makes perfect sense dat you're feelin' dis way. But remember, you put your own past behind you awhile ago. He didn'. Move t'ings forward when he's ready. Jus' b'cause you're ready now, doesn' necessarily mean he is too.'
Shelby thought about this for a few minutes before replying to Bel. 'Well we certainly aren't like everyone else in the world, that's for sure. But...I mean...should I tell him how I feel? I mean...'
'Definitely. Communication is de key here, Shel, I don' have to tell you dat. I know you love each other, an' I t'ink it's great, but you need to make sure de lines of communication stay open an' above all else you can' keep secrets from each other.' Bel answered.
'Thanks, Bel. You're a lifesaver.'
A chuckle echoed in Shelby's mind and she smiled. 'First time any of us assassins have been called a lifesaver, Shelby. Kinda ironic, non? Anyway, I'll leave you alone now. Good luck.'
Shelby looked at Questa again as Bella Donna cut the link, leaving her in peace with her own thoughts. She suddenly wanted very badly for Questa to wake up, so she woke him up. But rather than shaking him or saying his name, she did something different. She maneuvered around and propped herself up and then leaned over him, kissing his lips softly and then moving back so she wouldn't be right at his face when he awakened.
Questa opened his eyes after only one kiss, which told her he hadn't been too far from waking up on his own. Still she pretended to be disappointed. "Aww...darn it. And here I was hoping I'd get to do that a few more times before you took the hint and woke up." She pouted playfully.
"Sorry to disappoint you, chere, but jus' b'cause I'm awake don' mean you can' still do dat. Felt real nice to wake up to, I must say." Questa said, reaching up and running a hand through her brown hair. Then he moved his hand and rested it on the back of her head, gently pulling her towards him again. He caught her lips in a deep kiss that quickly grew deeper and more intense. Questa moaned softly, his entire body tingling in a way he had never experienced before. But before anything else could come from the kiss, Shelby broke it and looked at him, concern in her gray eyes.
"Questa...that was...that was pretty intense..." She stammered. "Are you sure...I mean..."
Questa raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. "Shel, I'm a little on de crazy side, but I'm not immune to feelin's an' stuff. I'm not sure 'bout exactly how far I want to take anythin' jus' yet, but to quote a now famous cartoon donkey, 'Wake up and smell the pheromones!' I'm not blind. I know de intensity of how you're feelin' has been changin'. It's been changin' for me too, an' it scares me, but..."
"My feelings have been changing...I didn't realize it was that obvious..." Shelby blushed. "To be perfectly honest, I want you so bad I can hardly think straight, but at the same time I'm scared too. I don't want to hurt you...and if you're not ready for it...I don't want you to end up resenting me..."
"Well we ain' gon' know what I'm ready for if we don' at least try. Dat's all I'm askin' for right now, Shelby. I love you. I've b'come more an' more comfortable bein' close to you, an' I guess I'm tryin' to find my limits right now."
Shelby thought for a few moments before speaking again. "I love you too. But will you promise me something?"
"Of course."
"If we get someplace where you feel uncomfortable or scared or something...I need you to tell me so we can stop." Shelby said firmly.
"Shelby trust me. If we do somethin' dat makes me uncomfortable or freaked out...you'll know it an' I prob'ly won' have to say a single word. Jus' trust me on dis. I want to do dis. I want to test de boundaries of how far I've come since you returned."
Shelby nodded and leaned back down, initiating a slow, soft kiss. As the kiss deepened it became more passionate and they melted into each other's embrace, allowing themselves to feel what they were feeling slowly and completely. It was mind-blowing and amazing, especially for Questa, who had never in his life experienced anything that felt as good as kissing and holding Shelby felt.
A hazy thought drifted through his mind as they were locked in the never-ending embrace. 'I can honestly say dis is de first time I ever wanted somethin' dis bad b'fore...it feels so good...feel like I'm gon' explode it's so good. An' we jus' got started...'