Angelo leaned against the wall of the old hermit's house, the mournful song of a nightingale a perfect match for his mood. He supposed he should feel relief that the quest was nearly over - restore the mirror's magic, defeat Dhoulmagus, and he was free to do as he pleased.
They were all free to go their separate ways.
He had never imagined such a simple fact could hurt so much.
"You know, if you really don't want to fight Dhoulmagus, there are better ways to avoid it than getting yourself killed by going out alone in the middle of the night," Jessica teased from the darkness.
He smiled. "Since you're out here, too, you're hardly in a position to talk."
Her arms wrapped around him and she kissed the side of his neck. "But I'm out here looking for you, so I have a far better excuse than brooding."
"I'm not brooding."
"Then what do you call it?"
"I'm contemplating my future."
"Our future, don't you mean?"
He swallowed hard. "I don't know."
"Because you don't want it to be?"
"Because...I don't know."
She rested her head against his chest. "I love you," she said quietly. "Is that what you weren't sure of?"
The song of a second nightingale joined the first; the two overlapped for a few moments before one of them fell silent. Angelo closed his eyes. "Part of it."
She made a sound of realization and reached up to cup his cheek; eyes still closed, he pressed his face into the touch with a sigh. "Come inside where we can talk," she coaxed. "Otherwise, Eight's going to come looking for us."
"After what happened at the spring, I'd wager Eight has other things on his mind."
"Then you'd lose." The second nightingale began singing again; this time, it didn't stop, the notes twining with the original song. "Who do you think sent me out looking for you?"
Written for 101 Kisses. Theme: #22 - Nightingale
