COLD-WARMTH

ROBBIE'S POV

        After drinking some tea, Kristy excused herself to play in the garden. While Amber and I stayed seated at the table, there was a moment of silence and Amber made eye contact with me. She was hesitant and uncertain as to if she's about to say something dreadful.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, a little worried.

But Amber just bit her lower lip and looked away.

"What is it?" I asked once more as I reached out and held her hand.

"Just…" she paused.

Squeezing her hand, I tried to give her comfort and reassurance.

"Just, that the contract… Robbie, I think we've forgotten something" she told me with a pained expression.

"Why? Are you alright?" standing up, I inched closer.

Lifting her hair, Amber showed me her neck.

There was a huge wound on the right side of her neck, about three inched long and half an inch thick. It wasn't deep, however, the wound doesn't appear to be new. The sides were dark as if the flesh was rotting and instead of blood, there was a black liquid dripping down.

"It's already late noon, I think the demon said we need to give a sacrifice every day before the sunsets" Amber's voice trembled with fear.

"A-am I going to d-die again?" her question shook me to the core, the thought of her dying a second time is not something I wanted to see.

"No, I won't allow that to happen" I told her with a stern voice.

"We need to go" I continued.

"W-where?" She asked.

"I… I don't either but we have to find someone. F*ck! Anyone will do!" the tension is rising and my heart is beating loudly in my chest as if a galloping horse.

"C-calm down" Amber stood up and held my hand close to her chest, her helpless expression is making me feel even worse.

Thinking as hard as I can, I tried to remember the living people nearby.

"T-the closest people are the ones living on the edge of the town, if we go now we could make it" I told her. For a moment there was a sudden spark in Amber's eyes.

Taking her hand in mine, I led the way.

We sped up our pace, almost sprint just so we could reach the nearest house. I could never let her die again, not after all things I've done. I have clawed my way in hell for her so, I might as well keep her by my side to the very last.

        It didn't take long for us to reach the edge of the town and not so far, an all too familiar tavern is insight. While drunken men walked out of the tavern, it took the opportunity to pick the right person. I need them to reach a certain distance, just far enough for us to make a move without anyone noticing.

I kept a closer look waiting and hoping for someone to stray further away from the tavern. Glancing over the horizon, I can see the dusk. The sun is just barely visible in the sky, the deadline is close just like how the night is drawing near.

Bids of sweat are forming in my temple, I knew I have to do something.

It would seem that had blessed me today.

Just a few meters away, an old drunk man is waddling our way. Too intoxicated to realize his walking in the wrong direction, too drunk to fight struggle, and too far away from the crowd to ask for help.

Not wasting any more time, I swiftly made a beeline towards the old man. And once I was right in front of him, I quickly punch him in the face. And as expected the alcohol enabled him to fight back, as if a dead tree he fell flat to the ground.

I dragged the man by his arm, taking him into the side of the road. And using the tall grass as my cover, I was ready to choke him to death.

But before I could do so, however, Amber quickly stabbed the man with a knife.

I stood there, frozen in shock, incapable of processing the situation.

Until… Amber came running.

She hugged me by my torso as her tiny frame tremble.

"I'm sorry! I���m so sorry! I just got scared! I-I don't want to die again!" she screamed before burying her face into my chest.

I placed a hand on her back and another in her head to pat it, hoping to calm her down.

"Everything's fine, there's no need to worry. I'm the one who should be sorry, I was careless and forgetful" I told her as I placed the hand I was using pat her head under her chin. Making her look up to me: tears are forming in her eyes, pink lips are trembling while her face turned pale. She must have been really scared.

I planted a kiss on her forehead as I held her close.

The sun vanished from the view, completely sinking into the horizon.

In the moment of fear and desperation, I felt her warmth.

The same alluring warmth that I've felt so many times before.

At this point, a piece of my heart is still screaming against the sins and I've committed. However eventually, I will kill that piece of me off.

 For her and for the love that we have, I will give up everything I have, and turn away from the things I use to believe in.

RACHELLE'S POV

        Scanning the contents of the left shelf, I'm a woman on a mission- to find the flower dictionary. Under the 'F' section she told me, there are plenty of books in the library which made things difficult for me. I scanned the books one by one to prevent missing the one I was looking for.

"F, FA, FE, FH, FE, here FL" I spoke as I read the label out loud.

Remaining in silence, I slowly read the title of each book.

"Ah! Here it is!" I gasped from the excitement that had been building up inside my chest.

"Flower Dictionary by Irish Mandy" I read out loud.

As I took the book out of the shelf, my fingertips grazed against its hard-bond cover. The book looks new to me, not a single dent or scratch, and perfectly cleaned not even a speck of dust- unlike the rest on the shelf.

I run the tip of my forefinger in the edge of the cover, taking in the sensation of the material against my skin before slowly opening the book- the scent of fresh paper entered my nose, reviving an old satisfying sensation I often had in book stores.

Immediately, I flip through the smooth pages trying to look for the flower called moss rose.

"Magnolia"

"Marigold"

"Mimosa"

"Mistletoe"

"Monkshood"

"Morning glory"

"Moss rose" I stopped upon finding the name of the flower I was looking for, reading the content of the page I felt a sudden heat in my cheeks.

It felt as if I was going to be sick.

My stomach had turned and my breath hitched.

While my heart is beating wildly in my chest as if it was about to explode.

 Placing a hand in my left cheek to feel its growing warmth, I stared at the words right in front of me.

"A passionate confession of love"