He said...

“So...you’ll have to remain here in the city.  Or, travel elsewhere because your Conclave directs you to do this.”

It didn’t sound like he’d asked her a question, but his questionable inflection didn’t deter her from making her point crystal clear.

“I must follow any Conclave ruling, as long as I am unwed; even if I submit a project proposal, requesting to remain in the city.  If my proposal is rejected, I’m left to choose one of two choices; follow my parents, or go where the Conclave places me.”

That was it.  That was the sticky point; marriage.  Lucien’s mind stirred with all manner of possibilities and he didn’t savor the thoughts.  He supposed there was a time and a place for nonsense but this time most certainly wasn’t one of them.

His jaw clinched when he said...

“What about me?”

Her brow arched, clearly showing her confusion.  When she didn’t respond, he felt his body and his thoughts lurching forward.

“I don’t know what your future holds for you--but I hope that I’m in it because frankly, since meeting you, my future has been set.  I already know that I can’t live without you and I need to know if you can live without me.”

Her mind conjured up a picture in which she and Lucien were miles apart, or she was engaged in a project with some other member from her Sect; she didn’t like the image.

Words broke free without a second consideration.

“No.”

She said, and it didn’t dawn on her that her response had been vague and he didn’t know which of his remarks had been shot down.  They could have played this game several ways, tiptoeing around the crux of the matter.  Well, he wouldn’t do that.

Lucien’s question hit her like a bull barreling head first to hit its target.

“Ona--I have to ask...is there some form of an arrangement that involves you marrying Geff?”

There--he’d said it; and this time his hope was to bury the topic for good.

Ona’s eyes popped wide when she blurted out

“No!  I would never.”

She didn’t hesitate in her answer, and neither did he when he said...

“Then that puts us back at square one.  I respect your religious beliefs, and I understand if you can’t tell me where your project will place you at the beginning of the New Year but you’ve got to tell me something because the uncertainty is killing me.”

They were standing toe to toe now, and lines streaked across his forehead.  This was a serious moment, yet her emotions didn’t fit the situation.  Lucien had an all consuming presence, and when he crossed the threshold of personal space, she’d been sucked in.  She couldn’t see or think straight.  His overpowering magnetism nuzzled her up and if she could sleeve herself in his warmth, she would have.  She mentally prayed, asking God for strength to withstand this temptation, and when Lucien spoke, her imaginary fortress shattered, then crumbled at her feet.

Lucien couldn’t refrain his passion any longer but he spoke low when he said...

“Ona.”

She sensed a tangible comfort in his voice and the sensation swelled when he continued to talk.

“I may not be a Samaritan but I am a Christian and I believe that the God we serve is a God of love.  I will not accept that God would stand in the way, preventing two people from being together.”

Her chest tightened and she agreed, but she couldn’t find the words to say it.  Lucien said...

“I know that your faith practices something that prohibits marriages to people outside of your faith--and I’m not debating that.  However, I want you to understand what I believe.  If two people love each other, and they agree to keep their vows; in that instance, I believe that God would honor that union.  And in our case; since I am not a member of your faith; I don’t believe that God would frown on the idea of us pondering the possibilities of a lifelong future, being together...and I suspect that you share my opinion.”

He’d told her what she believed, and she should have recited one of the creeds, negating his opinion but she didn’t.  Ona couldn’t summon the words because her heart wouldn’t let her.  In the Creed, every verse that spoke about separation, was followed by a reason and she knew them all, but her faith had never been tested in this way; not until she’d met Lucien.  Nothing in all her learning had ever prepared her to face the pain of loving and knowing that her love for a person was considered wrong in the eyes of her Sect.

Ona’s eyes had lowered to the floor because she wasn’t strong enough to face looking at him.  She watched his feet as he took one step, closing off the distance that had separated them.  On the top of her head, she could feel the warmth of his even deep breaths and her body screamed for more of him.  Like a period that ends a sentence; Lucien found a way to put a perfect ending on this confusing and difficult problem.  She felt large hands enveloping her shoulders, and she rocked forward, drawn by an invisible force.  His arms slid lower, resting across the smooth curve of her back.  She searched her brain, looking for a set of directions; anything that would tell her what to do or say in a situation such as this.  He was so close, and when their bodies touched, she could feel and sense his excitement.  She couldn’t help herself, and she began counting the beats of his drumming heart.  All reason seeped away because his lubdub was racing just as fast as her beating heart.  When she inhaled; within that breath clarity consumed her.  Ona faced the honest truth.  She’d fallen in love months ago, but she hadn’t known the signs and if she had, she pondered if she would have done anything to avert catastrophe.  But truth be told, she doubted it, because she didn’t regret anything that had happened.

Lucien filled his lungs, then he drew her closer.  What the fuck had he done?!  He was clueless but the web had been spun and he didn’t have much time to weave the outcome that he wanted.

He said...

“Ona--do you trust me?”

She didn’t know what action of hers had summoned the thought but she didn’t let a second pass to consider it.  Her voice was low but the tone carried a sense of strength when she said...

“Yes.  I trust you.

“I need you to do something and this request will require a great deal of trust on your end.  So, I’ll ask you one more time--do you trust me.”

Her face was sideways, laying on his chest.  She wanted to angle her head to see his expression but if she did that, then she would lose her position; and if it were within her power, she would remain this way until the end of days.

Ona said...

“I trust you”

“I don’t want you to count me out of the running--and I know what I’m about to say won’t be easy; but I believe we can manage it.”

Lucien loosened his hold, and the distance made is easier for her to see his face.  When she looked at him, she had to will her heart to beat.  Every fiber of her being screamed with a renewed excitement.

Lucien fixed his gaze with hers when he said...

“Date me--exclusively.”

When her lips parted but the sound remained caught somewhere in the well of her throat; Lucien said...

“Ona--hear me out.  Your mom and dad are in Africa.  And your brother Caleb is with them.  Noah is building a bridge and he isn’t even in this state.  Now...I know that you said that the people in your commune are like an extended family, but they aren’t watching you like your actual family would.”

Lucien knew this firsthand, because he’d done the sneaking to prove it.  When she didn’t answer, he said...

“Ona...this thing between you and I; it just feels so right--and I think that we’re worth the risk.  We have to see where these feelings will take us.”

He waited and he couldn’t discern the expression on her face.  He said...

“Do you feel it Ona--or am I wrong.”