forum “I can’t love you...” Reposting this here (O/O|Romance|Closed|)

Started August 10, 2019 by @Toxic_Persephone group

tune

"They're jealous." He replied. "Also because they'll be curious about you. Why I married you. How you "seduced me"." He chuckled softly. That was one of the popular rumors floating around; that Arabella had seduced him.

“Jealous?” Arabella wasn’t following. No man was allowed to even favor her. Her father had hidden her from the world for that specific reason. Thus why she was so pale and sickly. “But I didn’t ‘seduce’ you in any way.” She murmured back, concern written over her face. “I’m not like that.”

He chuckled. "They don't know you didn't." He leaned over to her. "They think it was a whirlwind romance, remember?" He whispered. He kissed her cheek. "Remind me to show you some of the theories people have come up with about how we got together." He said.

She nodded softly, blushing As he leaned nearer to her. “O-oh good!” A soft giggle left her throat. “Why am I so seductive to the world? I’m pretty plain.” She reminded him, kissing his cheek in return

Asher laughed. "That's exactly why you're so seductive to them. They can't imagine a rich businessman falling for someone plain if she wasn't very seductive." He grinned.

She blushed lightly and giggled up at him. “That’s funny. But you know I’m not like that.” She murmured to him, closing her eyes and resting her cheek on his shoulder. This isn’t too bad…

He chuckled, keeping his arm around her. He kissed her forehead softly, then rested his chin on top of her head. "Mm." He agreed, closing his eyes for a moment.

Arabella leaned more into him, giggling softly. She closed her eyes as well, humming at his warmth. She could almost pretend he was someone she loved, someone she could hold onto forever.

The last few guests arrived, and the scraping of chairs signalled that the meal was about to begin.
Asher slowly, as if reluctantly, released his hold of her, kissing her cheek.

Arabella sat up, groaning softly as she left his warmth. She looked around at the group and flashed a polite smile at those who were staring at them. She gave Asher’s hand a light squeeze and sighed.

Asher gave her a small smile, then looked around the table.
Servants began to serve up the first course.
The businessmen and women talked and chatted about the company and such, most of them casting at least one curious glance at Asher and Arabella.

Arabella watched the servants in awe, her eyes wide and excited. She leaned close to Asher to whisper in his ear: “I’ve never been served like this before! Is this how our home is like too!”

Asher smiled slightly, and whispered back. "If you want, yes." he took her hand again, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles lightly. The servants finished serving, and the guests began eating.

She laughed softly and shook her head gently. “Only a few times, alright? This may be amazing but… I don’t think I could do it every day.” She admitted, looking down at her plate. She no longer just wished… she longed for their marriage to be a loving one. He was so gentle and loving towards her while he faked it… it made her feel empty on the inside. He didn’t love her really it was all just for show. Maybe if they faked it for long enough, they would actually fall in love.

He chuckled softly. "Mhm." He agreed. God, I wish I could love her the way she deserves. I wish I could forget about what happened to Peri. About him, even. He sighed quietly, and gently let go of her hand, starting to eat.

Arabella sulked a little, staring on her food. She just started on it without a word, sighing sadly. She felt cold and needed warmth or something.

He leaned over, kissing her cheek. "You alright?" He asked softly, taking her hand again and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles lightly. The conversation of the others flowed around them.

She nodded gently, stealing a glance at his face. “I’ll be fine. It’s just cold. I don’t know if you can feel it though.” She didn’t dare look into his eyes for fear that he might stir something within her.

He nodded. "Okay." He replied softly. He pulled his jacket off, and draped it around her shoulders, then went back to his food, finishing up the first course.

She froze up at the sudden warmth, her body warming but her soul still cold. She looked up at him and let her eyes water. She wanted the gesture to be romantic… not just because he had to.

Asher looked at her, and frowned slightly. "Is everything okay?" He asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Is something wrong?" Oh god did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong? I don't want to hurt her.

She leaned into him, clutching at his shirt and trembling as she forced the tears away. She wouldn’t let them show. “N-no…” she whispered truthfully, swallowing hard. “I want you to love me… and I want to love you. This hurts… it hurts a lot.”

Asher hesitated, glancing around the table. "Come here." He murmured. Louder, he said, "Excuse us for a moment." He picked her up and walked out of the room, to a sitting room, and set her down. "I know." He said softly. "I know. I want to love you the way you deserve, Arabella." He bit his lip slightly.

She scooted more into his side, gasping as she was lifted. She looked up at Asher in shock, biting her lip as it began to tremble. She didn’t want to be set down but she was anyways. She made no attempt to stay in his arms. “B-But we cant can we? It’s not possible… you still love Peri… and I can’t be him.” She whispered, her hands still clenched around his clothing so he couldn’t leave. “This just isn’t possible for us.”

He sat down beside her, closing his eyes for a moment. "Arabella…" He shook his head slightly. He pulled his phone out, and showed her a picture. It was himself and another male Fae. The date was about a year ago. The other Fae was the same height as Asher, with brown hair and an easy smile. "This is Peri, the second to last time i saw him." He scrolled through the phone, and showed her a picture of a body bag. "This is him the last time I saw him. His car got hit full on. He never stood a chance." He put the phone away. "I loved him, yes. I still miss him. But just because you aren't him doesn't mean I won't ever love you."