The young lady heard the bike and knew someone was there. The pot was abandoned for the moment, and she walked toward the front of the house to open the door. She was dressed in a red sundress with silver embroidered flowers all over it, her feet were bare, and her hair was curly and left down. She gave a half smile as she leaned her hip against the door, and she called out to him, “Hey you…” Her voice seemed to waver a little.

Once she had him inside and situated in the kitchen where there was a sturdy and beautiful oak table, she slid in across from him and bit her lip, trying to collect her thoughts as to how this would go. After a sigh, she leaned back and decided to open right up and just… Be up front. “I am sorry we haven’t seen each other much, I have a lot of work.” Said in all honesty…

“I… Need to talk to you, Jupiter.” Her eyes met his, and she took another deep breath, and let it out. “I almost kissed someone I barely even knew. And I feel really awful. I mean, I just found you again and I… Don’t even KNOW what we are, and… I know you still care for me, but I didn’t know if you wanted to be with me or anything. But I didn’t kiss him, I stopped myself because I couldn’t let it happen. I love you and you’re the only one I want to be with, and…” She hit the table with her palm and then stood up, pacing. “It felt too wrong to even think about that man like that, because I felt like it was a huge betrayal. And what would have happened if I did kiss him? You would hate me, wouldn’t you? I wouldn’t get to grow old with you and I couldn’t handle that. I love you, damn it.”

Jupiter smiled lightly, the woman framed in the door in the light, red and silver sundress was surely worth the wait. ‘Hello.’ Was his wistful reply. She had that effect on him, she could calm the beast within. The way she stood, the way her curves met the solid lines of the frame, simply spectacular.

He was absorbed with the way she looked taking in every bit of her as if his eyes had been thirsty and she was the cold drink of water he’d been searching for. Their eyes met and there was something there that he wasn’t sure he recognized or cared to, it was pain, sadness, perhaps confusion? He was at a loss, He was looking forward to a nice quiet night.

The kitchen however told a different tale, the smell rolling out was enough to make him hope, that the look in her eyes was something he could help her work through. And then she dropped the five worst words you want to hear from a women. ‘I need to talk to you.’ It was even worse than we need to talk, because in this version you didn’t get much of a say.

He sat at the table looking at her expression carefully controlled, this wasn’t a problem he would be able to smash and walk away from, though someone was likely to feel the wraith of whatever he was about to be talked to about. He listened carefully as she spoke. His thumbnail stabbing the palm of his hand to allow him to remain composed as he did so. Almost, the key word was almost in that first sentence. The initial pain and anger was quickly soothed by so many other truths he needed to hear.

Then she smacked the table and started to pace he watched her with a modicum of surprise on his face.
Jupiter looked down at the table hurt more by the fact she thought he could hate her then the temptation she felt guilty about.

“You didn’t Kiss him, you felt bad about it, you are telling me the truth, and you love me. How could I be mad about that?” he shook his head as he looked up at her. “I could never hate you though, if you thought you could be happier with someone else, then that is what you feel, tell me and I wouldn’t stand in the way. But as it stands…that’s not how you feel.” He stood up, out of his chair and closed the distance between them. I’m not good at this, and that first night I was overwhelmed to have you back, since then there hasn’t been much of a chance to establish anything else. I can’t say I would be happy about the kiss, but if it got you to realize all of this then I can’t even bring myself to be to upset about it.”

He looked into her caramel eyes and felt a little overwhelmed. “ you really want to grow old with me? Good, I love you too Xavia.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips, a smile on his own. She was so wound up and fiery, it was a relief to find the talk wasn’t always a harbinger of doom.

She kissed him back, and didn’t hold back this time. Her mouth melded with his with a hunger she hadn’t let him know since they reunited. Her fingers moved to cup his cheeks and she kind of sobbed into the kiss, but not the kind that meant she was crying. Then her arms curled around him, well, as best as they could anyway, and she tilted her head to deepen the kiss. She didn’t break it until she needed air, and even then it was brief, because she kissed him again, pressing herself against him without reservation.

After what seemed like forever, she finally pulled away enough to rest her head against his broad chest, dropping her heels. Heavy breaths wafted against him, ruffling his shirt (if he was wearing one anyway.) “I do love you. More than you know…” She shuddered a little and lifted her head, looking into his beloved eyes, her own shifting from side to side a little as she searched his gaze. “If I believed in the woman proposing, I would do it, because yes, I want to grow old with you.”

Xav smiled at him, then, and parted from him to pad over to the stove, grabbing a potholder and lifting the lid to set aside. She grabbed the ladle that was resting in the spoon rest, and she started scooping some out of the pot for him and not herself since there was meat in it. The bowl was also pretty large because he was large. It wasn’t a mixing bowl by any means, it was just double the size of a cereal bowl. She set that in front of him with a spoon, and then got a salad out of the fridge for herself and sat down across from him.

“I hope you like dinner. It’s goulash. I would eat it with you, but it would probably make me ill if I did. So I don’t know how it tastes… It smells good, at least.” She waited for him to sit and start eating before touching her plate of food. When he did eat some, it would be a wonderful thing, she had followed the exact recipe her mother had taught her years ago, especially the love with which it was made.

Later after they had both finished and the dishes were cleared away, and the leftovers were put into storage bowls, she moved in behind him and asked him to close his eyes, after which she would lead him to her room. “Don’t open them yet,” she said a couple of times on the way up, and also when she pushed him to lay on the bed. She moved in next to him and then whispered in his ear, “You can open them now…” And when he did (assuming he did), candles were lit, and she was in her night gown, gazing down at his face. And then she was kissing him again.

Jupiter opened his mouth to reply in turn but he no longer had access to or wanted his mouth for talking. He was relieved, he got her back and it seemed as though she was really his. He swallowed hard as she good as told him that she would marry him, he wanted that. He wanted to marry her, but not here and now he wanted to do it right, her in something dazzling, him in a fine suit on one knee, with some ridiculous rock, worthy of her petite ring finger. Engagement was a good idea, She had avoided a kiss and told him everything, but he wanted to give her time, o make her sure, this is what she wanted.

The food and conversation was amazing, she was delightfully intelligent, Whimsical and funny, for a moment he thought of hurting the man that tried to get in the way of Xavia and himself, but he could think of nothing so effective as stealing her away.

He closed his eyes with a mischievous smirk on his face, He rarely let himself be playful but for her, he would act the part of the fool. His hind being pulled by hers, he trusted her enough to not even bother exploring out things that might have made him trip. He followed her without peeking, not once, even when he heard the shuffle of clothing. When he was allowed to open his eyes, the sight he took in was exquisite and he was rewarded with more kisses. The candles were a nice touch, had he been a woman he might have noticed them and not only focused on the soft fabric on softer skin.

One by one the candles blew out and the light faded to black.

Moonbeams filtered in through the bay windows, dust particles twinkling as they floated in the silvery light. She was content against the love of her life, just curled up there, fingers gently caressing skin she had forgotten the feel of. A whisper of a smile touched her lips as she rested her head against his chest.

She listened to the sound of his breathing, felt it wafting into her hair. The petite one rolled over to face him, and she craned her head back and looked at his face. Seeing that he was awake, she reached up to touch his face and whispered, “I am sorry for being so insecure…” Her arm curled around him, well, as much as it could, and she sighed softly. “It was just a shock to see you again after so long, and… I should have trusted you. Every time I needed you, you somehow found a way to be there… I mean… Before things happened.”

Xavia pulled away after a minute and left the warmth of the bed, pulling a silk robe around herself and cinching it, she padded downstairs and was gone for a few minutes before returning with a box. She then lit a candle so he could see what was inside, and returned to his side. When she slid in next to him again, she handed the box over to him. It was not wrapped, though it was held closed with satin ribbon of black. When he would open the box, there would be another inside, smaller, also with black ribbon. There were a total of four inside the original, and the last one was velvet and a little bit bigger than a ring box. Inside that box were two keys, one that looked to be a house key, and the other was a smaller key that looked to be a skeleton key.

“You have the key to my house now…” she said after he discovered the keys inside. If he asked her what the other was, she replied with, “That is the key to my heart.” If not, she wouldn’t say anything. No matter his reaction, she would snuggle against him again and whisper in his ear, “There will be no more running, Jupiter. I want to be with you and only you…”