Chapter 135: [135] Sweet, Scary, and Sitting in My Lap
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Then Ashley’s composure shattered.
She lunged forward with a force that almost pitched them both off the tower. Xavier grunted as she collided with him, landing in his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck so tightly he could barely breathe. The crossbow clattered forgotten against the wooden planks.
Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, hot against the frozen air. Her whole body shook with tremors that had nothing to do with the wind. Xavier felt them run through her—violent waves of relief, like a dam finally giving way after holding back an ocean.
"I thought I was losing my mind," she whispered against his shoulder, the words muffled and broken. "That I was just another ghost in someone else’s life."
Xavier’s arms came up around her automatically, one hand settling between her shoulder blades, the other cradling the back of her head.
"You’re not insane," he said quietly. "You’re exactly who you’ve always been."
Ashley pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes red-rimmed but blazing with something between fury and gratitude. "Do you have any idea what it’s been like? Living with memories that aren’t mine, speaking to people who think they know me, pretending to be someone I’m not every single day?"
"Actually, yes." Xavier reached up to brush a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "I’ve been Xavien for two weeks now. Trust me, I understand."
"Xavien." She tested the name, her voice still shaky. "That’s what they call you here."
"And you’re Efler. Though I have to say, it suits you better than I expected."
That earned him a watery laugh. "Don’t. Just... don’t be charming right now. I can’t handle it."
But even as she said it, Ashley was studying his face with the same focused intensity she’d always had. Her fingers traced the line of his jaw, as if confirming he was real. "Your eyes are different. Blue instead of purple. And your hair..."