31 Turning down was foolish

Her eyes widened.

"To your brother's wedding? As your date? Seriously?" she couldn't help asking.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Seriously."

"Well, I…I..." she stammered. This was unexpected. "Where?"

"My parents' home. It's up in the Highlands, near Plockton. You will like the place."

Whoa! He was inviting her to his home? Where she would presumably meet his parents and relatives, his friends? Really?

"You mean you want me to go meet your family?"

"Yes." He answered. "Will you come?"

"I…"She floundered. A part of her, a substantial part, wanted to shout 'yes' and dance around gleefully, but another, very small part told her to act not too eager. She decided to take the advice of the latter. But, the temptation was too great. She worried at her full lower lips.

Eyes fixated on those luscious lips, Feanor murmured, "You shouldn't need to think about it so much. I don't make a habit of springing sudden invitations to my relatives' weddings on unwary females." He mocked, eyeing her as her creamy cheeks filled with color, "You, with your stalking abilities should have found out by now if I ever had."

Brown eyes glinting at him, she refused the reference to her fan-girling habits, despite the scarlet patches on her cheek, she replied curtly, "I would love to come but I can't stay that long. I have to collect my luggage and be on my way as soon as possible."

"Why?" he asked.

She frowned, "What do you mean why? I was supposed to be on a flight back home right now, if I hadn't lost my luggage and my passport." She grumbled, feeling her worry returning.

"Don't worry about it. We will go down to your hotel in the morning and sort that thing out. Now, about the fact that you need to return home, I can't stop you if you absolutely have to, but it's only for a week. We will be there by the end of this month and be back the next." He smiled.

He made everything sound so simple. And it probably was, for him. If she let him, he will probably make everything easy for her. But the question was would she let him? Was there any sense in letting him take care of her? Prolonging the torture she'd surely undergo being with him for a month, and yet not? She knew herself. If she said yes, being close to him, meeting his family, she was bound to fall for him, if she already hasn't; and knowing that it would all come to an end very soon. Because she knew that there was no future for them. She was a stranger in a strange land, with whom Feanor enjoyed a few passionate encounters, and then she'd fade back in being a stranger in another few days.

She shook her head dully. "No, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"It isn't a good idea. I need to go back home." She muttered, not meeting his eyes lest he saw how much it was hurting her to say these words, "There's no need for you to inconvenience yourself on my account."

He remained silent. She could feel him watching her and her heart gave a tiny twinge. What had she expected? That he would assure her that no, it wasn't any inconvenience and insisted that she stayed with him? Well, if so, it wasn't forthcoming.

"If that's what you want." He replied. She felt a sudden change in his mood by the way he said it and looked up. Though he was still standing at the same place, hadn't moved at all, but she felt the waves of silent menace emanating from him as surely as she had touched him. Boy! He was angry! Idril was actually surprised to see that she was capable of understanding his volatile mood so clearly. She focused on him, eyes wide, waiting for the mocking to start.

But he didn't say anything, instead continued standing there looking at her, his face completely devoid of emotions. As they stood across the room, staring at each other, the mood shifted again. Now she felt the desire that was always present just below the surface begin to coil around them, drawing them into each other. She shook her head slightly, trying not to give in to the blissful haziness of the delicious torment. It didn't seem to help. She wanted to move, walk around maybe, anything to break this strong bond that threatened to engulf her in its seductive claws and make her toss all her logical thinking out the window.

He broke the connection abruptly, straightening up and started moving out the kitchen, speaking over his shoulder, in a detached sort of voice, "It's getting late; we should go to bed." And as she still continued to stand there mortified because he didn't seem to be affected by the bond at all but she had stood there gaping like an idiot, he had switched off the lights and was ushering her out. Outside her bedroom he murmured a 'Good night', the corner of his lips curled in a strange mocking smile, as if he knew exactly what was going on in her mind. He went inside and closed the door of his bedroom, leaving her standing there feeling foolish and hating herself.