Twenty-Two

Marigold

The atmosphere around us had seemed to gain mass as the afternoon dragged on, taking a turn down darker avenues as Rias shared the awful story of his own traumatic past with his family.

It had answered the question I’d had about his father, and about Annie’s reaction to the mention of him previously, but I didn’t feel any better knowing the circumstances of his demise.

My heart went out to Rias, and I was crawling into his lap before I realized what my body was doing. Yet, it felt right being in his capable arms, and I sensed how my presence helped to calm some of the hurt that would no doubt endure for a very long time.

Relaxing into his embrace felt natural, and I didn’t register when Ash had migrated closer at first, casually resting his palm on my thigh without any carnal intention behind the action.

For a while, no one broke the tense silence as it continued to encompass the last of our respite from reality befor