Jaz'rin listened to the gentle patter of rain thudding quietly against the glass. The sound gave him a melancholy ache. It was a sound that should be shared, enjoyed while they were wrapped together, whispering things to each other that only they could understand. He leaned his chin into his hand and yearned silently for that which is only a dream, a wish. He watched the pattern the rain made on the glass of the window and thought of her. He wondered what she was doing. Was she safe? Warm? Was she happy where she was? And one last almost desperate question invaded his thoughts. Was she thinking of him?
A tear slipped down his face, across the angular slope of his cheek. He let it fall, wishing that he could let free his sorrow and loneliness but knew that he was in a misery of his own making. He must be strong. He must be steadfast in his resolve to do what he had to do. The lightning flashed again and he started. A shadow, strange and foreboding, appeared in the entry of the room. His hand searched out a dagger, his heart pounding in his throat.
She walked into the room, wet and cold from the rain. There is but one thought in her mind. Jaz'rin.
She strode toward him and only at the last second did he recognize her in the last piercing flash of light. Alarm turned to an overwhelming joy that was as sweeping and all encompassing as the unease had been. She was here, with him. He wrapped his arms around her body and his mouth sought her lips, chilled lips that he warmed with his own.
"I couldn't stay away," she whispered between desperate kisses. "I know I should, but you're everything to me, Jaz'rin. Don't ask me to leave again."
Jaz'rin's hands cupped her face, his eyes probing hers. What he saw in their depths brought forth lightness, and removed the despair from his soul. "Stay with me," he whispered against her lips.
Jaz'rin picked Callia up, carrying her like precious fragile china to the bed, laying her on sheets that were twisted and tangled from his restless attempts at sleep. His hands swept down her body, in one long caress as if making sure that she is actually real. Callia pulled away and tore off her wet clothing, dropping them forgotten to the floor. Then she came to him, pressing her cold body against his warmth.
Jaz'rin's hands trembled as he skimmed over her shoulders, feather light. Their eyes met and soon they were lost in what was between them, a love that neither of them could have dared believe in. The back of his hand touched her cheek and slid back until his fingers were buried in her hair.
"I love you, Callia. I need you." The words were lost against her lips as he pressed his against hers. The kiss deepened as tongues danced together. The heat between them quickly turned to a blaze. They had been apart for far too long and neither of their passions could be denied.