Last Kiss
Chapter Fourteen
“Kris!” I called out, practically running just to catch up with his long strides. He had burst out of the front door of the café, walking purposefully down the concrete sidewalk. Presumably, he was headed to the Consol Energy Center; it was the right direction, after all.
It had begun to snow once again while we were inside, and the flakes fluttered down gently from the sky. They danced and swirled around and around in mini-tornados of white fluff. Although it wasn’t anywhere close to dusk yet, the clouds that now covered the once-clear sky were casting long shadows across the ground. A light fog has settled in, making it seem as through Kris and I were in our own little bubble of the world, unable to see more than 20 feet from where we stood.
I knew that Kris had heard me call his name, but he didn’t slow down, let alone reply. Biting my lip in frustration, I sprinted the short distance between us and lightly grabbed his arm. “Kris,” I exclaimed again, gently trying to pull him to a halt.
This time, he did reply, but not exactly in the way I expected. Whipping around in anger, his eyes glittered darkly as they focused on my face. “What?” he spit out, yanking his arm from my grasp.
I blinked blankly in shock, staring openmouthed at him. I took one single step back from him, instinctively recoiling from the hatred radiating off of him. “Wh-what are you…” I said before breaking off, unable to finish my question.
“What am I doing?” Kris growled. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m going after that bastard, Max!”
At his words, my shock gradually turned to annoyance. Who the hell did Kris think he was? Sure, he was angry at Max. Still, he had absolutely no right to be treating me the way he was, and I instantly was filled with resentment.
“It’s pretty hypocritical of you to call him a bastard, when you’re acting just a bad as him!” I snapped at him, before I quite realized what I was saying.
I usually consider myself to be a non-confrontational person. While I do get angry easily, I tend to harbor my feelings deep within to avoid making others upset. To say that I was shocked over my outburst was definitely an understatement, yet I felt absolutely no regret. Kris needed to know exactly how much of an asshole he was being; of that, I had no doubt.
It truly seemed that my words hit home. A full spectrum of emotions passed behind Kris’s eyes before finally settling on pure guilt. I could instantly tell that he regretted how he had acted, and his shoulders lifted as he took a long, deep breath. Then, they slowly sank as he exhaled. “Audrey…” he began softly.
I paused for a minute, marveling at exactly how easy he was to read. Suddenly, Max’s words came back to haunt me…”Kris hasn’t talked to any of us in weeks.” How could this man, who wore his emotions on his sleeve, be so distanced from his teammates? Something clearly wasn’t adding up, but I couldn’t take the time to ponder it quite yet.
Crossing my arms in defiance, I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze. I knew I was being stubborn, but he had absolutely no excuse for the way he had just treated me. I wasn’t going to roll over like a dog just because he regretted being angry. That’s not to say I wouldn’t forgive him eventually…but I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him just yet.
“Audrey, can I talk to you? Please?” came his now familiar voice. With a sigh, I looked up at him. With hesitation, I simply raised one eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.
His face was contorted a little in an unidentifiable emotion as he took a step closer to me, narrowing the gap between us. Unexpectedly, I felt his arms wrap around my back, pulling me into a hug, and suddenly everything changed.
Being in his arms just felt…right. As suddenly as my frustration and anger had begun, it dissipated, like a long forgotten memory. It was inexplicable and simple, as though a switch had been flipped from ON to OFF. Something about having him hold me made me feel as though everything in the world was okay—like nothing bad would ever happen again.
My arms uncrossed slowly, and reached around to return his embrace. I unconsciously rested the side of my head against his large chest, gently nuzzling into the warmth that it provided. Exhaling slowly, I felt the tension I had been harboring in my shoulders fade instantly, and I relaxed. Without warning, I felt Kris’s hand tangle carefully in my hair, then gently tug through it like a comb. He repeated the motion several times before allowing his hand to rest on the small of my back, a gesture that sent shivers through the very core of my being.
“Audrey,” Kris began very slowly, “I’m really am very sorry I got so angry.” He hesitated, taking a deep breath. “Well, I’m not sorry I got angry. But I am sorry I took it out on you,” he amended.
I shook my head a little. “Kris, I’m not going to say it’s okay, because it’s not. But I think you know that already,” I said quietly.
“I do know,” he replied. “It wasn’t okay. And I don’t expect to be forgiven, but I want you to know that I promise that it won’t happen again. Je ne veux pas te blesser. Je tiens à vous protéger.”
“Je ne comprends pas, ” I said very softly, turning my face into his chest. My mind, irrational as ever, vowed to buy a French dictionary in the near future.
“I know,” he practically whispered, slowly pulling away from me. I whined a little in protest, missing the heat and comfort of his body, until he gently placed one finger to my lips, silencing me. “Audrey, do you want to know the real reason that I was so angry?”
Looking deep into his eyes, I nodded slowly, my breath catching in my throat. My heart began pounding a thousand miles an hour, like a runaway train that had no chance of stopping or coming back.
He paused before gently placing one hand on my cheek. “Audrey, you mean too much to me. Do you know how much it kills me to know that he kissed you? Or that his tainted hands touched your skin? And…what if Amanda hadn’t come in? What if he…” Kris broke off, shaking his head. “Vous n'êtes pas le sien …” he said in a voice rough with emotion.
He faltered, searching my eyes for something. I saw uncertainly deep in the depths of his. A moment later, before I realized exactly what I was doing, I carefully connected our lips. For a millisecond, Kris hesitated. Then, his lips were moving against mine, and we vanished in an eruption of fire and lava and passion.
Lost in the moment, neither one of us noticed Maxime Talbot slinking away in the fog, the falling snow covering any trace that he had ever been there.
It had begun to snow once again while we were inside, and the flakes fluttered down gently from the sky. They danced and swirled around and around in mini-tornados of white fluff. Although it wasn’t anywhere close to dusk yet, the clouds that now covered the once-clear sky were casting long shadows across the ground. A light fog has settled in, making it seem as through Kris and I were in our own little bubble of the world, unable to see more than 20 feet from where we stood.
I knew that Kris had heard me call his name, but he didn’t slow down, let alone reply. Biting my lip in frustration, I sprinted the short distance between us and lightly grabbed his arm. “Kris,” I exclaimed again, gently trying to pull him to a halt.
This time, he did reply, but not exactly in the way I expected. Whipping around in anger, his eyes glittered darkly as they focused on my face. “What?” he spit out, yanking his arm from my grasp.
I blinked blankly in shock, staring openmouthed at him. I took one single step back from him, instinctively recoiling from the hatred radiating off of him. “Wh-what are you…” I said before breaking off, unable to finish my question.
“What am I doing?” Kris growled. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m going after that bastard, Max!”
At his words, my shock gradually turned to annoyance. Who the hell did Kris think he was? Sure, he was angry at Max. Still, he had absolutely no right to be treating me the way he was, and I instantly was filled with resentment.
“It’s pretty hypocritical of you to call him a bastard, when you’re acting just a bad as him!” I snapped at him, before I quite realized what I was saying.
I usually consider myself to be a non-confrontational person. While I do get angry easily, I tend to harbor my feelings deep within to avoid making others upset. To say that I was shocked over my outburst was definitely an understatement, yet I felt absolutely no regret. Kris needed to know exactly how much of an asshole he was being; of that, I had no doubt.
It truly seemed that my words hit home. A full spectrum of emotions passed behind Kris’s eyes before finally settling on pure guilt. I could instantly tell that he regretted how he had acted, and his shoulders lifted as he took a long, deep breath. Then, they slowly sank as he exhaled. “Audrey…” he began softly.
I paused for a minute, marveling at exactly how easy he was to read. Suddenly, Max’s words came back to haunt me…”Kris hasn’t talked to any of us in weeks.” How could this man, who wore his emotions on his sleeve, be so distanced from his teammates? Something clearly wasn’t adding up, but I couldn’t take the time to ponder it quite yet.
Crossing my arms in defiance, I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze. I knew I was being stubborn, but he had absolutely no excuse for the way he had just treated me. I wasn’t going to roll over like a dog just because he regretted being angry. That’s not to say I wouldn’t forgive him eventually…but I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him just yet.
“Audrey, can I talk to you? Please?” came his now familiar voice. With a sigh, I looked up at him. With hesitation, I simply raised one eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.
His face was contorted a little in an unidentifiable emotion as he took a step closer to me, narrowing the gap between us. Unexpectedly, I felt his arms wrap around my back, pulling me into a hug, and suddenly everything changed.
Being in his arms just felt…right. As suddenly as my frustration and anger had begun, it dissipated, like a long forgotten memory. It was inexplicable and simple, as though a switch had been flipped from ON to OFF. Something about having him hold me made me feel as though everything in the world was okay—like nothing bad would ever happen again.
My arms uncrossed slowly, and reached around to return his embrace. I unconsciously rested the side of my head against his large chest, gently nuzzling into the warmth that it provided. Exhaling slowly, I felt the tension I had been harboring in my shoulders fade instantly, and I relaxed. Without warning, I felt Kris’s hand tangle carefully in my hair, then gently tug through it like a comb. He repeated the motion several times before allowing his hand to rest on the small of my back, a gesture that sent shivers through the very core of my being.
“Audrey,” Kris began very slowly, “I’m really am very sorry I got so angry.” He hesitated, taking a deep breath. “Well, I’m not sorry I got angry. But I am sorry I took it out on you,” he amended.
I shook my head a little. “Kris, I’m not going to say it’s okay, because it’s not. But I think you know that already,” I said quietly.
“I do know,” he replied. “It wasn’t okay. And I don’t expect to be forgiven, but I want you to know that I promise that it won’t happen again. Je ne veux pas te blesser. Je tiens à vous protéger.”
“Je ne comprends pas, ” I said very softly, turning my face into his chest. My mind, irrational as ever, vowed to buy a French dictionary in the near future.
“I know,” he practically whispered, slowly pulling away from me. I whined a little in protest, missing the heat and comfort of his body, until he gently placed one finger to my lips, silencing me. “Audrey, do you want to know the real reason that I was so angry?”
Looking deep into his eyes, I nodded slowly, my breath catching in my throat. My heart began pounding a thousand miles an hour, like a runaway train that had no chance of stopping or coming back.
He paused before gently placing one hand on my cheek. “Audrey, you mean too much to me. Do you know how much it kills me to know that he kissed you? Or that his tainted hands touched your skin? And…what if Amanda hadn’t come in? What if he…” Kris broke off, shaking his head. “Vous n'êtes pas le sien …” he said in a voice rough with emotion.
He faltered, searching my eyes for something. I saw uncertainly deep in the depths of his. A moment later, before I realized exactly what I was doing, I carefully connected our lips. For a millisecond, Kris hesitated. Then, his lips were moving against mine, and we vanished in an eruption of fire and lava and passion.
Lost in the moment, neither one of us noticed Maxime Talbot slinking away in the fog, the falling snow covering any trace that he had ever been there.