My head was jarring that morning as I tried
to sit up. The pounding at the door echoed the pounding in my head, the events
from the previous night still foggy in my mind.
Tap, tap, tap went the noise at the door
though in my head it sounded more like bang, Bang, BANG!
“Oh, easy there,” I call out, grimacing
even at the sound of my voice.
I stumble to the door, clenching my head,
and almost fall backwards as the door cracks open before I can reach out to
open it.
“Morning, miss,” the young lady at the door
whispers. There is worry on her face and a sense of urgency as she enters the
room. Slowly she shuts the door behind her.
The sound of the latch clicks loudly in my
mind.
“Water,” I say more as a realization than a
command. But only moments later, the young girl hands me a glass. Rachel.
Rachel is her name, I recall, taking a slow sip.
“Thank you,” I mutter before downing the
rest.
My head is still pounding as I take a seat
on the bed.
“Miss?” Rachel whispers, but I ignore her,
trying instead to keep my stomach from wrenching, I take a deep breath followed
by another.
“Please miss,” Rachel pleads urgently. I
look up at her as she continues. “There is a man downstairs, asking for you.”
I look down at my state of undress. There
is no possible way I can meet anyone looking like this.
“Tell him to come back later today,” I
inform her, holding out the glass for more water.
She looks at the glass, unsure.
“He was dressed mighty fine,” Rachel
explains. “Very important like.”
She had more to say, but hesitated, taking
the glass instead to fill it again.
“Well,” I urge still waiting for further
information, “out with it then.”
“He seemed very insistent that he must see
you now.”
There was not a soul I knew that would be
so well dressed. Nor was I expecting anyone today, especially not today. Who ever
had decided he needed to see me would just have to wait. I ran an inn, after
all, my business was on my schedule.
“And did he say who he was?” I ask.
Rachel is not able to answer, as there is a
knock at the door.
“Alex?”
My heart drops at the sound of the deep
voice that calls out my name.
“Alex.”
I can feel my hands become sweaty as I
recognize the voice behind the door. I look to Rachel and her panicked eyes
meet mine.
“Alex, please open the door.”
I swallow, unable to reply, but nod to
Rachel, motioning for her to go to the door.
“Please, sir,” she politely asks through
the cracked door, “Ms. Morgan would ask that you come back later.”
“Not later,” he states, pushing the door
open in answer. “Now.”
Our eyes lock for a moment. My heart is
racing. It is a good thing I am sitting down or I may have fainted.
He breaks the spell and finally looks away.
The man motions to the door.
“You may go, miss.”
Rachel looks to me for approval and I give
a slight nod. Then she leaves in a hurry, almost relieved by her release.
The tension stretches across the room and
the door clicks behind him. The sound of the latch once again clicks loudly in
my mind.
“I did not expect to see you again.”
The words slip slowly from my mouth.
“Nor I.”
In a few strides, he crosses the room to my
bed as I stand to greet him.
“You are alive,” I state, reaching up to
touch his face. My body needing to confirm what my eyes were seeing. So often I
had spotted him in a crowd or mistook a guest and seen his face instead. But it
was him.
His hand reached up to cover mine.
“Every inch of me,” he answered.
He embraced me and I began to sob. Not
tears of sadness, but those of utter joy.
He had returned to me.
He was mine.
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