Imitation, that’s what they were to each other. An enigmatic and illicit love that was theirs to heal only themselves, not to give each other to replace the names already written upon their skin. Sorrowful, as they lay there in each other’s arms, they wipe away and guard memories of moaning each other’s forbidden name, falsely pretending they said their names instead.

“ Don’t.” He warns her as she closes her eyes and imagines that it is his face and his deep voice whispering huskily in her ear and his hands touching her. She opens her eyes in confusion, this was their ritual’ pretend they were with their invisible and real lovers instead of…reality to ease their fear of invasion. “ Don’t.” He whispers again, cradling her to his chest, her body already had a viper grip over him.

“ Don’t what?” She’s angry and pushes him away, hurt, at his accusation. She already knows what he’s talking about, she’s always known as he has, yet she hadn’t said anything, and didn’t expect him to either.

“ Stop trying so hard.” His hand reaches out to stroke her cheek and she leans into his touch, already forgetting her anger. “ Stop trying so hard, you’re still trying hard to keep his face in your mind when all you see and feel is me.”

She remains quiet, not exactly sure whether to argue with such a dangerous creature, but decides to try her luck. She looks at him straight in his eyes and he knows she’s going to try to lie. Was there any use when he could see right through her and that she was going to lose this argument? “ I’m not pretending, I’m not supposed to see your face.” She looks down, not quiet able to meet his gaze. “ I only see his face, I only feel him, you only see her face, and you only feel her.” Bitterly, her voice stung only her, prickling tiny nerves along her body to let her charka flow around her, and to still lie to herself.

“ Don’t lie to me. I feel and see only you as you do me. You know that I do, just as I know that you do.”

She shook her head, the mood was slipping and soon she would have to leave least he get suspicious. She only knew what he knew now of this, and she knew that she was slowly slipping away from him and falling into him. She needed to go, so she kept her departure short and crisp, “ He’ll be expecting me soon.”

“ Stay the night with me.” He whispers almost desperately to her and for a moment she’s almost tempted until reality starts to set in. “ Stay with me tonight.”

“ You’ll be the first person he’ll look to. I think he knows about us.”

His expression changes strangely. “ How did he find out about us…? Did you tell him or—”

“ We can’t continue to do this. It’s only hurting us and making us weaker.”

“ Did you tell him?” He voice hard and dark.

“ No.”

“ Then how did her find out?” He studied her hard. “ What did you do?”

“ I moaned your name in my sleep and pleasure myself with dreams of you. Are you happy now?”

“ No, I’ll never be happy unless I hear it.”

“ Hear what?”

“ Until I hear you lie to me. Do you see only me and not him, when I take you?”

She paused as if trying to figure out the right answer. “ I’m not going to lie…I do see you.”