Her brow furrowed and she leaned forward, giving him a light kiss, the first one since their separation. "It was my fault," she said, looking worried. "It was my fault you had to go through all of that." * * * Burke was actually very good at dancing. Shockingly good.
He took her hand with a frown. "What? There's no way it was because of you, Ellie." *** She laughed, seemingly impressed. "You're really good!"
"I mean... if I had just told you earlier about Edward, we could have been on the lookout. I just... I never thought he would... you know, do something like that..." She averted her eyes, fixing her gaze on a spot on the ground, purposefully avoiding eye contact. * * * "It's very commonly called for on farms!"
He shook his head slightly, moving closer to kiss her cheek. "I do not blame you at all, Bean. No one does." *** "In what situations?" she asked with a chuckle, their proximities close.
She slipped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his shoulder. "I love you," she told him quietly. "I'm sorry." * * * "Pig wranglin', mostly."
He hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. "I love you too. Don't be sorry." *** She rolled her eyes with a simple grin.
She rubbed his back slowly before pulling away. "You must be exhausted. Come to bed." * * * "What about you? You're not too bad yerself."
He took a sip of his tea before getting into bed, opening his arms to her. *** She shrugged playfully. "I like it. It's fun."
She looked down at him and her brows furrowed again. "Don't you want to sleep alone? You can have the whole bed to yourself..." * * * "All that stealin'," he teased, taking her hand.
He raised an eyebrow, dropping his arms. "What? No. I want you with me." *** She looked down with a smile. "Not anymore."
She considered him carefully before sliding into bed next to him, her hands first tracing his chest before sliding up to cup his jaw as her gaze remained on his face. * * * "We'll see," is all he said, twirling her.
He relaxed, watching her gently before leaning forward and kissing her gently. *** She laughed as she twirled before looking up at him. "I promised you."
A small sigh escaped her lips and she kissed him back, her nose brushing his. * * * His eyes had a playful twinkle in them. Or he was drunk. It was difficult to tell. "That's not what I meant," he said quietly. The music ended in a flourish and he looked up, clapping with the rest of the dancers. "C'mon. We should probably head back."
He pulled away slightly, observing before hugging her lovingly. *** She seemed confused, but was easily distracted by the end of the song. She looked back up at him again with a nod. "Yeah, let's go."
He was holding her tightly before murmuring softly. "I missed you so much." *** She took it, starting back.
"I'm sorry I was gone for so long," she said quietly in his ear. "I love you, Xav. I'm so in love with you." * * * (Zoop?)
He closed his eyes, smiling slightly. "I'm in love with you too. I found out I don't need a heart to know that." *** (Yoop!)
“Well... if you ever need one, you will always have mine.” *** They got back to the house, Burke staggering slightly.
