"Then why am I supposed to like it? Why do I have to be the good girl and accept it? I already accept that we'll never have marriage or an Ava or grow old together or even a place of our own, I accept all of that, I even accept that you will leave me before I die." because the pretty factor was important and Zoe might be hot well into her 50's but there would come a time when she wouldnt be anymore. "But if I can't have any of those things, why can't I have you? Why do I have to share you?" she just wanted him to herself. _____________________________________ "Because maybe I'm not man enough to keep saying no...Because she'll take you away before I'm ready. Because I'm just a cheap bastard." It made him feel that way even if she wanted him to feel special. She was proudly displaying her greed. _____________________________________ Her fingers were intertwined with his and gripping tight, "When will you be ready to let me go?" she asked him. He'd said that before, Lust would hurt her before he was ready. It was like he could see a time he might be willing to part with her and it scared her. _____________________________________ Greed just looked into his lap, that fat bottom lip sucking our a little further as he shook his head. He didn't have an answer. He didn't want to give one. _____________________________________ Fresh tears fell when he couldn't tell her. But it meant he would be at some point over her. She untangled their hands to wipe at her face and then just cry into her hands, she felt sick all over again. They had an expiration date on the relationship and it hurt worse than anything his brother did to her that day. _____________________________________ He hated when she did that. When she pulled tears out as a weapon. "You don't get it do you?" They were both looking at this from such different perspectives. "I don't want to be this child that Lust sees. I want to keep building on this guy you've helped me become. I don't want to tear it down. I want to be on my own." He picked the web of skin between his fingers, hating that doubt that lingered over his head. "So excuse me for not putting a time stamp on it." He was selfish. _____________________________________ What? She looked at him and started pummeling him but it was weaker than usual but she still tried, "Why does there have to be a timestamp at all? Who says you have to tear it down and be a child?" he drove her crazy sometimes. _____________________________________ "Because when Lust is brought into the equation my natural instinct is to be whatever she says." He'd been manipulated for years. Decades. Centuries. He had just started to find himself abs fuck it all grew wanted to hang in as long as he could. "You were the one asking me to!" His voice raised a little. Why did she have to ask him that? _____________________________________ "When you kiss me, your natural instinct is to burn up and you fight it. When we slept together for the first time in this bed, your instinct was to run and you didn't. You make your choices because you are your own man, not your sister's toy." she hit him again, almost exhausted with the effort, "Because YOU keep saying 'before you're ready', it implies you'll be ready one day!" she knew she'd never be ready. _____________________________________ "I don't think I will be...." the closer he was to her the more there was to lose. He didn't want all that taken away and leave him empty. The stakes were high...extremely high.