CHAPTER 11 — COME WITH ME

When she woke up, Dale wasn’t by her side. She assumed he was around the house somewhere, so she rested her head back.

"Dale?" She was trudging around the house, her feet causing the worn-out wood to creak. "Dale!"

She had woken up from the eerie silence in the house and had gone around it to find Dale was nowhere. Her sight was half gone now, and she was struggling to find her way.

"Dale!" Her voice resonated around the entire house and beyond, and she dropped on her knees, hitting her chest, tears streaming hot and emotional. She was foolish to believe he would stay with her after all of that. She had been naive. But she had waited so long. How could he just up and leave? Her eyes, swollen and red, she stood, dragging her tattered dress on the floor behind her. Her voice was hoarse from all the shrieking, but she kept walking, not minding her feet. She hit her large toe on a fallen wood in the house and tripped but landed in Dale's strong hands. She looked up to him, anger in her eyes, even though the tears stood dominant. "Where were you?" He had left earlier in the morning, his mind telling him to run far away from her and never look back, but the ripping pain in his chest had guided him back to her. Even as she stared up at him in anger, he felt like his chest would explode.

"I'm sorry." He pulled her to his chest, patting her hair. "I won't ever leave like that again, I promise Elsa. Never." Her eyes had softened a bit, and he cupped her face. "Let’s go to the city together. You'll live with me. My home is secure. No one will ever know. I'll take care of you. I Swear."

She swallowed. "I'm not...safe for society. I might—"

"You won't Elsa. You won't." She was holding his arm now, as he cupped her face, his eyes holding hers. "Please say yes." He watched emotions flick in her eyes, each struggling for dominance, but her uncertainty in itself was an emotion, and it was the most he saw in her eyes. He leaned closer, holding her gaze. Slowly, surely, he leaned in and grazed her lips a bit. She closed her eyes instinctively, her chest heaving. He watched her, and taking her silence as an approval, he leaned in again, this time a bit more sure and crashed his lips on hers.

She held on to the dark gray shirt he was wearing as he kissed her, his tongue seeking entrance. Gradually, he increased the pace, his hand in her hair, his tongue invading her mouth, his other hand caressing her waist. He broke the kiss, both of them breathless and he watched her, the desire in her eyes mirroring his. It had been painful leaving her, and sometimes, he wondered if any of this would have happened if he hadn't run late for the assessment test. If he hadn't realized how much his peace mattered, and how much...she took his lips this time, her hands holding on to his waist, slipping under his shirt. "Don't leave me."

He didn't say anything in response, but broke the kiss and went to her earlobe, caressing it with his tongue. She gasped, closing her eyes, as he sucked a little before trailing down her neck, leaving love bites everywhere.

"Please, Dale..." Her voice was low, and he released her for a bit.

"Tell me. Will you come with me?"

She gasped. "We'll see." Her voice was breathy, and he kissed her again, their tongues readily merging. Before he knew it, they were in his tent, and she was on him, her eyes closed, her hand in his hair. He rolled her over, so she was down, and she let him dominate her mouth. She had waited for more than she thought was possible, she had endured the loneliness for longer than she knew she deserved. She pulled his shirt up, and he helped her take it off. He was gloriously shirtless in front of her, and she ran her hands on his body. Her nails began to grow and when she noticed he was looking at them, she smiled.

"Don't be scared. I won't hurt you."

He nodded. "I know."

Intertwining their fingers, he held out her arm as he bent to kiss her again. He wasn’t sure why. He didn’t know what he was doing, but it seemed right. It seemed perfect. His free hand reached for her back and unzipped the dress she was wearing. Her breath hitched and he caressed the little opening, and she let out a little purr. The dress fell off her shoulders and she caught it, so it was just covering her chest down and he smiled at her.

"It’s fine, Elsa." He pulled the dress, so it uncovered her shoulders and unzipped it from the back. She looked surprised.

"Dale..."

He shushed her. "Elsa, please come home with me. I found you and I don't want to stay here anymore. I don’t want you to stay here anymore. Come with me. Let me show you the world. Let me show you my world."

Her eyes dropped and she shook her head. "What if I cause trouble for you?"

"Elsa...you're not a threat. I promise. I promise."

"Dale. I have lived all my life here. I don’t know how to survive anywhere else.” He cupped her face, and she couldn’t help the little moan that escaped her lips.

He fought the urge to smile. "I will teach you. Every single thing you need to know. No girl out there in the city would be better." He patted her hair. "You're beautiful, perfect. I swear, I’ll make you better. Please, please, Elsa."

“But...”

He stifled her objection with another toe-curling kiss and looked in her eyes. "You say you love me. You say you've waited." she sighed. "I'll come. With you. To the city."