That same afternoon…
"Auburn!"
Lion dashed towards the little girl and hugged her. He smiled at her, hoping she hadn't heard anything her grandmother said. Sadly, she overheard them and so did Mabel.
The girl tugged at her mother's dress and looked at her with worry.
"Is uncle Lyle dying?"
Mabel looked at Lion, confused as to what they would say to her.
"Lyle? Are you dying?"
No response
"No baby. Nobody's dying." Her mother finally said.
The girl turned to Lion and pressed his cheeks against each other, causing his lips to pucker.
"Don't die, okay?"
"Mm-hmm." He muttered.
She then let go of his face and dashed into the house to meet her grandmother and grand aunt.
Lion's smile suddenly faded when he looked at Mabel. She didn't look happy to see him at all. The air around them was so thick that you could cut through it. The two said nothing to each other as they helped out in cleaning up the place. Basil gave his friend a nod as an indication that he would leave the pair to talk things out. He then quietly stepped out, holding his breath as he walked past Mabel. The air around them really was suffocating.
Lion cleared his throat.
"I'm doing very well, thank you for asking."
"I didn't ask?" She said glaring at him.
"I figured you'd want to…"
"Look, i don't know why you keep coming here, but I'd appreciate it if you kept your fake pleasantries to yourself. Got it?"
"But…you know why I'm here. For you…and our girl…" he gently held her hand.
"Keep yourself and your shady business away from my baby. And take those filthy hands off me." She shrugged him off.
"May…"
"You 'may' wanna shut up." She snapped.
She threw her towel on the table and left angrily. Lion stood there dejected. He couldn't understand how and why Mabel treated him the way she did. She used to be very much in love with him and he knew it. He couldn't help but wonder where it all went wrong and why it seemed like she couldn't stand him. He stood there still for a while until she came back out to make record of the day's sales. She paid him no mind as she did her job, counting and writing.
Lion took the opportunity to admire his lover. She was a lot slimmer when he met her, but now her curves were well defined and thicker than it used to be. Her back was straight and smooth as always, with her ever so shiny skin. Her long, burgundy hair had grown past her shoulders and rested gracefully on her back. When she turned sideways, he gazed at her chiseled face and pointed nose. He loved touching her nose, burning her every reaction into his mind. Her lips were coated in pink lipstick. He closed his eyes and smiled, reminding himself of what they tasted and smelled like…
"…Strawberries." He said out loud.
Mabel looked over at him still standing, his eyes closed and his lips curving into a soft smile. She too, began to reminisce about the times they'd spent together. She watched him lick his lips as he stood there smiling, looking majestic with his short hair spread across his face, lightly touching his shoulders.
She clutched her book tightly as her mind betrayed her and began to replay how he looked like shirtless. His chiseled body covered in scars and his chest that could easily cover her head when she hugged him. She remembered tracing the veins on his huge, bare arms, planting soft kisses on them as she did.
She got carried away and began tracing her fingers on her book as she smiled, her cheeks reddening, she hadn't noticed the man coming close to her. When she came to, she was shocked to see Lion standing in front of her, his eyes filled with lust and hunger as they scanned every inch of her body. She felt crawling in her skin, a surge of adrenaline bursting through her body. Lion moved his lips closer to her face and his hot breath made her tingle, the redness on her cheeks deepened. He gently lifted her chin and kissed her softly, sucking on her lips. Mabel was flooded with mixed emotions; a part of her wanted to give in to him, another part of her wanted to push him away and tell him this was a big mistake. But, her body betrayed her and she let Lion do with her as he pleased.
She closed her eyes and began to savor the warmth of his mouth, her breath rose as did her body heat. She threw her arms around his neck and grabbed a handful of his hair, pressing her small body into his. Lion carefully placed a hand on her back while the other held her chin. He kissed her breathless and skillfully slid his tongue into her mouth, feeling every bit of it like a dog looking for its lost bone. His tongue pressed against something soft and squishy, strawberry flavored bubble gum as usual, he thought. He gently picked up the gum with the tip of his tongue and brought it into his own mouth, then he let her go.
Mabel suddenly had a flashback of him doing the same trick years ago when they were still together. She slowly let go of his hair and tucked her hair behind her ears, hiding her flustered face from him. He lifted her chin slightly to meet his gaze as he chewed on the remnants of what used to be her bubble gum. Oh God, it was like falling in love with him again!
"You 'may' wanna check the mirror." He smirked.
"…huh?…"
He tilted her head towards the wine cellar door and she saw her red face and smeared lipstick. She slapped his hands off her face and dashed inside, then back outside to pick up her book, then inside again. Lion simply laughed. He was glad that beneath all the toughness and hostility she showed him, she still loved him like as she did before and that was enough for him. Just then, Basil walked in.
"Five minutes was all I left for…and you two decided to turn Belleyne's into a brothel"
"Jealous much?"
Lion teased his friend as he showed him the stain on his lips.
"Disgusting." Basil retched.
"What? You don't kiss your wife?"
"Not in public, i don't."
"Yes you would. But Elaine doesn't let you."
Lion raised a brow
"Does she?" He asked.
"Well she says it's not proper manners." Basil said weakly.
"Love doesn't care about your manners, friend. Grab her at the market stalls and kiss her!" Lion beamed.
"God! You're stupid"
Lion grabbed his friend by the shoulders
"Kiss me!" He said, bringing his lips closer to Basil's face.
"Get off me you perverted idiot!"
"Kisssshhhhh…..meeeee"
"Auntie Eleyne! Help!!!"
"Okay! Okay! I'll stop. Just don't bother Elyne any further. She's had enough to deal with today."
Lion looked serious. He wasn't ready to face Grandma Belle or Elyne after their sour conversation earlier. They knew they couldn't convince him otherwise, but at least they tried to, and he was happy to know that they cared about him enough to want him to live. The two women were like mothers to him, so he had to go through with his plans and come back to settle with them, his child and his lover. He had to act fast and now.
"Basil."
"Mm?"
"How many men have joined the resistance so far?"
"Mmm…well, including yesterday's recruits…a total of one thousand men. Excluding women"
"Good. We need as many men as we can gather. The women won't fight, it's too dangerous."
"We'll have them take care of the children and the injured. As well as handling food supplies."
Lion was nervous. He wanted it to be over already. He wanted to come home to Mabel's warm hands and his daughter's beautiful smile. He wanted to come around Belleyne's more often and help out with errands. He had a lot to lose if he lost this fight, he had everything to lose. I promise you Mabel, we'll win this. Then we'll start a new life together like you always wanted. The land is already in our daughter's name, just wait for me a bit longer. Auntie Elyne, Grandma Belle, my little auburn, May, my love…we'll live as a proper family soon.
"You okay, brother?" Basil gently tapped Lion
"Mmm. Yeah…."
"Hey…" he placed a hand on Lion's shoulder
"We'll win this." He assured.
Lion placed his hand on Basils's and looked at him, his eyes filled with determination and hope; the very thing that had kept him going all this time. He knew he was right to have made Basil his right hand man. With him around, victory was sure. He nodded and looked at Basil who wore the same look of determination on his face.
"We will! We're wining this, brother!"