JillxSkye: To Catch A Thief 27

Chapter 27 – Always There

"Why did you leave me?" I cried out, closing my eyes.

Silence followed, but then Skye whispered, "What?"

"You heard me!" I nearly shouted, looking up at him. I had shifted out of his grip and was leaning against my headboard, hugging my knees to my chest. I was immediately met by the chilly air, but I didn't care. "Why did you leave me for all that time? Why? That's what I don't understand! If you really cared… why didn't you come back to me?" My voice grew weaker at the end, and I immediately bit back a quiet sob.

"Why?" he laughed out resentfully. He moved so he was standing on his knees in front me, and pressed his hands against the headboard. "Jill, you told me to leave! I wasn't going to stick around a place where I wasn't wanted." I shrunk back into the headboard, slightly frightened by Skye's outburst. He immediately noticed my discomfort, and sat back on his heels in response. His fingers slipped through his silver hair as he quietly continued, "You said go, so I went. It hurt me more than I can begin to express to hear you say that, but I couldn't deny your wishes. All I want is for you to be happy, Jill. If me leaving is what you wanted, if that is what would make you happy, then that's what I was going to do." His voice grew quieter, ending in a near-silent whisper.

"But, Skye," I interjected, leaning towards him this time, "I do want you here! I was just so… so confused and scared at the time and I wasn't sure how you felt or I felt and I just kept… I don't know! But when I realized how stupid I had been and I knew how I felt about you, I looked for you. Every night I searched for you but you never came back. Then I realized you had left me for good. But now you're back and saying that you care and I… I'm afraid again." My voice tapered off and I dropped my head, fighting back tears.

More silence. I was afraid that I had pushed him away again; afraid that he would get up and leave me again. I'm so stupid! I should have just shut up and enjoyed the fact that Skye had come back, not question it! What was I thinking?

"I never left you," Skye said suddenly.

I blinked in surprise and confusion, looking back up at him. "What? But, you…"

"I know that you never saw me for weeks, but that doesn't mean I left you. Just because you don't see me doesn't mean I'm not there. You should know that by now, Jill." He slowly brushed a lock of my hair back behind my ear, smiling a little at me. "I was always there," he said softly.

"You were… you never…" I mumbled stupidly, "If you were always there, then why didn't you come back when you saw me searching for you?"

"Jill," he began, "That night when you told me to go, I realized how much trouble I had caused for you. I knew that throughout our, uh," Skye stopped, struggling to find the right word. Finding it, he continued, "Throughout our relationship you were struggling to understand your feelings about me. You stubbornly pushed me away most of the time, but occasionally I would get to chip away at that heart of stone of yours and reveal a little more of your beauty." He paused and smiled sadly before continuing, "I never saw the emotional battle I had caused in you until that night. I hated that I had caused such turmoil and confusion in you, and I thought that the only way you could ever recover was if I left you alone. That's exactly what I did, but my feelings for you wouldn't let me truly stay away from you. So I kept my distance and watched you, just to make sure that you were okay. I wanted to see you get better. I wanted to see you happy, to move on to someone better than a no-good thief like me, and then I myself could try to move on." His voice grew quiet again as he told me, and he had dropped his gaze to his own hands. His silky hair was shielding most of his face from me, but I could still see a sad glint in his emerald eyes.

"NO!" I exclaimed, causing Skye to jump. "No, Skye, I'm not going to move on. I can't. And it's not because I'm confused about you. I don't care that you're a thief. You're not no-good; I know that! I can see the good in you! I was just so afraid that what I had been feeling was all a trick because of that stupid race we made. But that night, when you told me that you were… you were falling for me… I guess I just got scared of the possibility that it could be real. I didn't know what to do. I panicked and I pushed you away when I should have said… I should have told you… I… I…" I bit my lip; my heart was racing and my breath was coming out quickly.

Skye looked at me, happiness blooming on his features. "Jill," he whispered, "I love you."

I smiled brightly at him, feeling pure bliss flooding through my mind and heart. "I love you, too, Skye!" I cried out, throwing myself into his arms. He caught me eagerly, kissing the top of my head again and again and stroking my hair. "I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out," I mumbled into his warm chest.

He laughed and shook his head, pulling back so he could look into my eyes. I continued to smile at him, and he smiled back, pressing his lips softly against my forehead. "My beautiful Jill… you're one of a kind," he said, staring into my eyes intensely. His smile fadded and was replaced by a slight, thoughtful frown.

"What is it, Skye?" I asked, worried. I shifted nervously on my bed.

He didn't say anything as he moved closer until he was kneeling over me. I shivered as he reached up to push back my chocolaty brown waves. His hands then came down, shaking slightly, until they were holding my face. He leaned in and I inhaled sharply, leaning back against my headboard.

Skye paused, eyes flickering once between my eyes and my lips. He pressed his forehead to mine and sighed softly, his sweet breath making me dizzy. Then he turned his head and removed his hands from my cheeks, pulling away slightly. "No!" quietly escaped my lips, and I reached my hands out to his bare chest. Blushing, I slowly retracted my hands. "S-sorry…" I muttered, dropping my gaze.

His hand trapped mine deftly, and I caught a gasp in my throat. Skye leaned back in so that our faces were less than an inch apart. "Are you afraid?" he asked, somewhat sadly.

"I'm not afraid of you, Skye!" I said quickly. "I-I… it's that… I'm just… nervous." I whispered the last word. He opened his mouth to say something, but I promptly continued, "I mean, I don't really have that much experience, and I don't know if I'm a good kiss-"

"Shhh," Skye whispered, running his fingers across my face. I immediately shut my mouth, staring into his beautiful eyes. He leaned in again, and I couldn't help but tense up a little. He let out a small chuckle, whispering, "Oh, Jill." I smiled as his hands paused to hold my cheeks again. His emerald gaze held mine. Once again, I just stared back into his eyes. Except this time, instead of fear and nervousness, I was full of excitement and anticipation.