Then Their Lips Touch (5)

“Why did you not tell me?” Emeravwe maintained her glare as Aslan approached.

He placed the lantern he held on the ground as he sank to the bench, touching the yellow cloth around his head with his free hand as he said, “I thought you might have guessed.”

“How could I have guessed?” she burst. “Is it so common for Eunuchs of the Inner Palace to have freedom to move between the Inner and Outer Palaces as they please, especially at night? Of course, I assumed you worked in the Outer Palace!”

Aslan studied her, his bearing shifting somberly.

“Did you think I would insist you help me into the Inner Palace to meet the Orodje if I knew you worked there? You think so little of me?” Emeravwe's voice trembled, her eyes stinging. Her temperature had risen, and a slight headache pounded at her temple. She did not mean to get so worked up, but emotions bombarded her, and she knew it was not just because of Aslan.

His face was drawn in concern as he stood to lightly touch her arm. “Eme, what is the matter?”

She forcefully pulled her arm away, annoyed because he did not seem to be asking about the issue at hand. “The matter is that you have deceived me! You have disappointed my faith in you!”

Aslan flinched, dismay washing over him so instantly that Emeravwe felt a pang of guilt. He moved to touch her again, but hesitated, the look in his eyes pained and melancholic. That mournful look he had often given her over the years. Emeravwe’s heart twisted, “Why do you always look at me that way!” and she finally broke in tears.

Without a word, Aslan wrapped her in his arms, holding her close. A moment later, he whispered in a stifled voice, “It has never been my intention to deceive you. Forgive me, Eme.”

Emeravwe cried in exasperation. She had wanted to surprise him, but instead took her frustration out on him.

It is not because of you, she thought. It is all because of this headache and seeing Mudiaga’s family and those damned visions that will not go away! Ugh! Now I am even swearing like Mudiaga!

When her tears subsided, Aslan sat her down on the bench, producing a handkerchief from his sleeve, which he used to gently wipe her face. “Has something happen to you, Eme?”

She shook her head. A lot had happened, and many questions raced through her mind that she had no answers to and doubted Aslan had solutions for. She replied in a muted tone, “I have been a bit stressed with my duties at the bureau. I am sorry for my behavior.”

His own tone was dour, “It is all right. You have every right to be angry with me.” He asked, “How did you learn that I work in the Inner Palace?”

“I went to the departments of the Royal Secretariat to look for you.”

The handkerchief paused, and a small smile touched his lips. “You were searching for me?”

Emeravwe nodded, the warm way Aslan looked at her making her a bit shy. She reached into her skirt pocket. “I went to Esiri Market with Akpokene and Mudiaga today,” she looked up briefly at her slip, but Aslan did not look bothered, “and purchased something for you at Oga Mudiaga’s family shop.” She pulled out the ornament packaged in a small brown paper box.

“Eme, you are free to call Oga Mudiaga as you are comfortable. Do not mind me.”

Her face warmed with guilt as she recalled her interaction with Mudiaga in the market earlier that afternoon. She wondered what Aslan thought of her relationship with him. She presented the box, saying timidly, “It reminded me of you.”

Receiving it, Aslan pulled out the small mahogany ornament. His face lit on seeing the representation of the sun flanked by crescent moons. “The Heavenly Bodies, Keepers of Xxene.” He turned an affectionate smile to her. “Dou*.”

“You like it?”

“Of course.” He looked fondly at the ornament. “It suits me well.”

“It cannot compare to a pearl necklace,” she said abashedly.

Aslan faced her. “Indeed, it cannot compare.” He held the carving aloft. “This is the proof that you were thinking of me. You cannot imagine how much it means to me.” He watched her tenderly and Emeravwe’s stomach twisted with nerves. Replacing the ornament in the box, he set it to one side of the bench and drew closer to her, his solemn airs returning. She lowered her gaze bashfully, her heart beginning to palpitate. “Eme, do you recall what I said to you the night you became an Agaenaye?”

“That you would always be on my side?”

“Yes. Eme, look at me,” he said lightly, and she lifted her eyes to his. “Regardless of what you learn or what you think of me, I want to make this clear. Emeravwe, my heart yearns only for you.”

Emeravwe’s breath caught at his declaration, her stomach dipping queasily as his deep gaze drew her in, taking on a heavier intensity. One that completely captured her and sent her heart racing.

All her thoughts were vanquished as she looked into the amber eyes, their mesmerizing depts seeping into every corner of her mind. She did not see Aslan lift his hand, but suddenly his fingers caressed her cheek, warm and gentle, the sudden touch sending shivers through her. Then his lips brushed her brow. Light, soft. He looked at her and she could not breathe. He began leaning forward again and the thundering of her heart in her ears was like a blaring distress signal, yet she was frozen where she sat. The compelling golden eyes remained locked on hers, pinning her.

The erratic racing of her heart threatened to drive her mad as Aslan gently brushed his lips against hers, her stomach fluttering violently when he pressed even closer. In what seemed like aching slow motion, he cupped her cheek in a grasp ever so tender, molding his mouth more firmly to hers. Then he pressed his tongue softly against the seam of her lips, and Emeravwe sucked in a shocked breath. At her reaction, he gave a small, titillating laugh.

She panicked.

She tore her lips from his and leapt to her feet, dashing from the garden.

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Until she could not remember when her heart began pounding or when her breath first caught in her throat.

That laugh. She felt as if he had seen right through her! Emeravwe covered her face in shame, stumbling as she ran. She had been caught up in the moment—she had not even been able to make a sound!

She had always told herself that Aslan would be nothing more than a friend to her, but she thought of him as more than that. He was her bosom friend, her confidant, her shelter, her solace. He meant so much to her—she could no longer deny it. She had even come to think of him as her only family.

Yet, how could her heart race for a Eunuch! She was a nameless Maiden with no background, no place in the world to call home. She could not give her heart to a Eunuch and be forever lost in the Outer Palace. She had a feeling it would not matter who she was in Aslan’s arms, but this scared her even more. She might disappear forever in the embrace of a forbidden love that could never be revealed, and when she died it would be as if she had never even been there.

A Maiden with no past or future, an empty existence that had simply passed through the palace. She could never accept that!