P for Passion (Closed for Perplexia)

[Perplexia]

Anora simply sighed and stayed in his arms. She figured out she was exactly where she wanted to be. She would stay in his arms as long as he held her there. Tears fell from her eyes for the relief she felt, not only from being able to tell someone, but for being able to tell him. "I was so afraid you would kick me out" she said softly "But i knew that i had to tell you."

 

[Magister26]

Ian was positively surprised when Anora remained in his arms. If he was her first confident since Cali's death, what a burden she had removed from her soulders! He kept her there, in his arms, not saying a word. He let her release all the pressure, all the hate and the sadness she had kept for herself for years....

When he felt she had calmed down, Ian gently took her chin in his hand and lifted her head so he could look into her eyes. He kept looking at her beautiful green eyes before saying, softly, almost like a whisper:

"Thank you for this trust. I feel like we are connected, like we have known each other for years....I seriously hope we can build something together...."

Ian was not specifying whether it was professionally or privately....He wanted to see her reaction beforehand...

 

[Perplexia]

Anora smiled softly looking back into his blue eyes, "I hope so too, thank you for being as wonderful as you are. I feel the same way. Like I've known you for years."

This was a new area for her, she'd never been to the point to where she even considered he would think of her as anything but a brain storm partner. Yet in her heart of hearts she never felt anything quite like she did in his arms.

Not budging from his arms she said softly "i feel like such a burden has been lifted thank you for listening. I should probably get going before curfew hits. If i don't go home, hell will break loose. I hope you understand that i had a magnificent time with you."

 

[Magister26]

Ian woke up from the dream he was in at Anora's mention of the curfew. He would have kept her in his arms forever...The sensation of having her against him was so intense that his heart was beating terribly fast. He had never felt such a feeling for someone.

Just the thought of letting her go made his sad....It made him realize that this day would end and that another day of work at the factory would begin...Then he decided to ask her to return the next evening.

"I understand and I don't want you in trouble past the curfew, especially if your parents are important in the government. Can I you to return tomorrow night? I enjoyed so much this evening that I want the chance to be with you again soon..."

He let move away from him, allowing her to gather her stuff before leaving the building. He had to control himself because his only thought now was that he wanted to kiss her....

 

[Perplexia]

Anora thought only a second before answering. "Yes, tomorrow evening, how about the same time as we met at the coffee shop and you can cook me that dinner?" she questioned with a smile.

She gathered her things and waved as she headed down the stairs. For once she felt happy, happier then she can ever remember being. Its true what they say about a skip being added to the step.

Catching a taxi she made it back to the library and home, before curfew set in. Her brother was pacing back and forth in the foyer. "where have you been"

he asked her pointing his finger in her face. "why? did you miss me at dinner?" she asked coyly.

"Some of my friends thought they saw you at a coffee shop" he stated
"and i'm not allowed to drink coffee? thats a bit extreme"
"Not when you're sitting with a guy"
"Seriously? are you telling me i can't be seen in a public place with a guy. "Would you rather i have gone back to his place an took it up the arse?"
For that her brother slapped her across the face.

Anora spit the blood from her mouth at him.
"you're not my father, you're not my mother, and you're not my babysitter. I can sit with who i choose in any public place i choose, when i choose. If you even think about following me, i will have your closet porn stash of men exposed. "

Her brother dropped his mouth and she took off to her room.

 

[Magister26]

That night, Ian did not even eat, he remained in his living room, reading and preparing the operation as discussed at the last meeting. However, contrary to his habits, he was not completely in it. His mind was elsewhere, with Anora, thinking about about earlier when he had her in his arms. It was hard for him to think straight. He was usually a rational man and now he was unable to keep his emotions under control...

In Adam Susan's Great Britain, that kind of reaction, where men were acting emotionally, were strictly forbidden and were signs of homosexuality. Ian had train for years to control his emotions, his passion, to show no one when he felt. Strangely, it took two meetings with Anora the thick wall he had built. He was not ashamed of it, he was just surprised. Ian would have to work harder so is growing feelings for Anora wouldn't interfere with his role as Freedom's leader. He, nor she, could tolerate that.

Ian didn't slept that night, lost in his thoughts and, on the next morning, he returned to work. That one passed very rapidly and in a matter of minutes, Ian was back home to clean and prepare his meal. When he was done with the preparation, he jumped in the shower, hoping he would have enough time to relax in there and dress before she arrived.

 

[Perplexia]

"i'll be home late" she announced to her parents who were having another of their strategy sessions. Her parents nodded an waved as they normally do. "Oh Anora" her mother said. "yes mum?" "where did you get that bruise on your face?" she asked her father turned and looked as well.

"Oh, that would be courtesy of your golden child" she advised picking up her bag.
Her father for the first time in her life looked outraged. He shot up from his seat at the table and went down to the basement.

"ahhhhh" you could hear her brother yelp. Not five minutes later he was dragged from the basement into the kitchen by the ear. "Do you see what you did to that pretty face of hers?"

"But she .." Anora raised an eyebrow to him. "She mouthed off to me" he stammered like a child"
"With your attitude she probably have every right to. Just cause you're a finger man, doesn't give you the right to bully people." her mother stated matter of factually.

Anora was amazed that her parents actually knew that she existed, much less that they were scolding their oldest like a five year old.
"Sorry Anora" her brother stammered.
"Ok well i'm off, again i'll be late but before curfew. kiss kiss" and off she went.

School seemed to be nothing but a faded day of blah blah blahs, and eventually she was free to go to the library. She stayed there for a couple of hours before it was time to leave and go to Ians.

Being sure she wasn't followed she went up to his apartment and knocked.

 

[Magister26]

Ian unlocked the door, dressed in another comfortable pair of jeans and wearing a tshirt from some authorized music band. He moved out, letting his guest come in.

"I am glad you accepted my invitation again. This time, I wont say something I cant give. I have already prepared everything for the dinner."

He helped her remove her coat and dropped it on the couch, offering her a glass of red wine.

"I want to make a toast to our friendship. May it last for a very long time."

He took a long sip and then asked:

"No problems when you returned home? No one bothered you? "

He then realized that Anora had a bruise on her face. His face became red, half in shame for not having realized earlier and half because he was enraged.

"Who did this to you?"

 

[Perplexia]

"it smells delicious" she said in response to the meal. "thank you" she said to the wine. toasting with him "to our friendship" and taking a sip.
Before she could answer the question if anyone bothered her he saw the bruise.

She had never seen Ian loose his temper. Even when things didn't work out as planned with Freedom projects. He was always calm. Stepping closer to him she put her hand on his arm and looked him in the eyes. "calm down" she whispered softly so he would have to concentrate to hear what she said.

"The finger men in the coffee shop, were friends of my brother." she said softly. "He was being an ass and i told him off so he hit me, he's not going to be a problem anymore. He won't tell anyone or i'll expose him as a closet homosexual. Most of the finger men are ya know" she smiled softly trying to put him at ease.

 

[Magister26]

A lot of thoughts passed through Ian's mind after he had seen Anora's face. He felt anger, sure the men in the coffee shop were to blame and he felt shame for not having offered her to bring her back to a safer spot. Ian was the kind of man who almost never felt anger but when he did, he was mad as hell and could be dangerous. It is said that the most dangerous people in the world were the ones that were never angry.

Suddenly a hand on his arm and a whisper brought him back to his senses. Anora was explaining how she got the bruise, accusing her brother. The bastard! He would have to find a way to punish the monster....

Before he could fuel his hate at Anora's brother, he heard her joke about the Fingers being almost all homosexuals. Rapidly, his grimace became a smile and he laughed loudly, amazed by the power she had over him.

"I am sorry for that reaction but I was afraid you had been attacked in the neighborhood and since I know most of the shady characters of the place, I was surprised. I have a ointment given to me by Sister Campbell before I moved out of the orphanage, it does a wonderful job on any wound..."

 

[Perplexia]

Anora smiled at him. "if it will make you happy, then i will be glad to try it" she said sweetly, glad to see that she was able to calm him.
While she waited for him to get it she questioned "is there anything i can help with?"

 

[Magister26]

Ian moved to the bathroom to grab the ointment and returned, handing it to Anora. The paste was soft and smelled of roses and when applied lightly on the wound, it slowly cooled it, attenuating the pain.

When she asked if she could help, Ian smiled and answered:"No, I have everything under control. Please sit at the table, I'll serve."

Once she was seated, Ian brought a salad as the first service. It was filled with vegetables and served with a homemade dressing.

"I hope you will like this. The vegetables are fresh. They were given to me by a man that brings them from his farm every morning. He sells them next to where I work. So how was your day? Have you found good information for our next operation?"

 

[Perplexia]

Anora winced slightly as he applied the ointment but didn't make a sound. When he served the salad she took a bite. "this is excellent, so fresh and the dressing is amazing."

"Yes i have it, excuse me" she turned an reached in her bra an then turned back handing him the flash drive. "everything an then some." She smiled and continued eating.

As long as the schedule i posted is followed to the exact times, then we should get away with minimal if any liabilities. But if its not, then we're all in extreme danger. I'll keep monitoring an be sure that nothing changes, but they're schedules are pretty tight."

 

[Magister26]

Ian stopped eating when he took the usb drive, amused by the fact that she had hidden it in her bra. It was true that it was a place no one would dare to go search, especially since she was the daughter of an important member of the regime.

He listened to her detailing her research and nodded, satisfied, as always, by her work. "You did a good job Anora. I'm a sure that we will be able to obtain what we are searching for thanks to your research. You are the perfect spy, do you know that?"

When they finished the salad, Ian removed everything from the table and returned with the main meal, a chicken saute again with vegetables and a indian sauce. He hoped that Anora would appreciate spicy food even though he had made sure the sauce was not as spicy as he usually made it. He didnt want to ruin the dinner with something too hot for her.

 

[Perplexia]

Tasting the chicken she gave him a big smile. "this is amazing, you should open your own restaurant." She didn't particularly eat spicy food but this was just enough to give it an interesting bite.

They talked over dinner about their next project, time flew by and she found herself having to say goodbye.
"thank you so much for the wonderful meal. I had a good time" she said softly.

 

[Magister26]

Ian chuckled when Anora told him he could open a restaurant. It was a good compliment. " Thanks, I am glad you like. I am good with anything manual, be it cooking, mechanic, gardening...Name it, I am your man!"

He laughed and kept chatting with her about politics, of course, but also about books, sports and arts...Ian's education was complete and he could discuss about literally everything. When Anora reminded him about the hour, he jumped, surprised. Not wishing to get her in a mess like the one on the previous night, Ian grabbed her coat and handed it to her.

"It was an awesome evening. Thank you for coming. Be careful when returning home. When will we see each other next?"

 

[Perplexia]

She didn't want to go, but she knew she couldn't stay, she wanted to see him everyday, but knew that they should probably take some time apart as well. The last thing she wanted to do was crowd him.

"I've got some tests coming up i'll need to study for, so in about a week i'll be free. I just wish it was safe to be out in public." she frowned slightly realizing they'd never be free to go out to eat, to walk the streets together, or even go to the market together. Their relationship, if one was to ever begin was doomed.

"The library is open to all still, i tend to spend a lot of my days after school there studying, maybe one day if you're not doing anything you can stop by an say hi" she added not wanting to sound desperate.

 

[Magister26]

Even though he was pleased to see her like that, Ian knew that seeing each other everyday would turn their relationship into a routine and it would slowly make the passion die out. When she mentioned her exams and the need to go home and study, he nodded, understanding that her education was a priority. It was actually one of the things he loved the most about Anora: her knowledge and her education. Everything she would learn at school, be it practical or not, would serve her some day.

When she asked him if he would come to visit her at the library, Ian grinned and answered:

"Well, we might bump into each other there as I am dire need of new books to read. I would be pleased to see you there, that's for sure. In one week, when you are done with your exams, I propose we meet somewhere, in a park for a picnic. What do think?"

 

[Perplexia]

Anora thought about it for a moment, and shook her head slightly.

"As much as i would love to have a picnic with you in the park Ian, i think we need to try to avoid being seen together in public for right now. I may have sealed my brothers mouth, but if i know him it won't be too long before he forgets i know about his porn collection and tries to interfere.

To him the library is like a hospital. As it is to most fingermen. I actually don't recall ever seeing any of them in there. But i know the place inside and out, and we can always have a picnic there." She smiled and sighed.

"I should really be going, i will see you in a weeks time." reaching up she kissed him on his cheek. "Take care of you" she advised as she trounced down the stairs.

 

[Magister26]

Ian listened to Anora's argumentation and everything was logic. He always seemed to lost all his logic when he was around her. If her brother's men would find them in the park, it would endanger Freedom as a group and both of them more than anything. He could not do that.

He smiled and nodded at the possibility meeting her inside the library for a picnic. He never had done a picnic inside and he found the idea funny. Eating with tons of books around would be something weird but in Anora's pleasant company, he wouldn't mind.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your preparation. I know everything will be fine for your exams, you seem to be a very good student. See you in a week."

With that he let her go, happy of his evening. He had to start working on his plans for Freedom, hoping that the week would pass faster.

 

[Perplexia]

Anora buckled down that week and studied acing all of her exams. With them over her mind returned to Ian. She kept up with the schedule and monitored it to be sure it remained the same for the safety of Freedom.

Soon the week was up. Anora kept her regular schedule of going to the library. Her brother had his goons follow her for a few days and then they stopped once she sat at the dining table with her parents and stared her brother dead in the eyes and said "Did you know that your golden child" His eyes became wide and he relized she wasn't bluffing. "hasn't got a date for the ball yet?"

The ball was an annual thing for the fingermen. Similar to that of the policemen's ball in america, but not to raise money, merely to find potential mates.
" I will" her brother came back with accepting his sisters warning.

Anora arrived at the library and wrote a note and placed it upside down so when Ian came, he would read it.

"I'm so glad to see you, go down the politics aisle and take a right go through the second door on the left. I'll be there in a few moments."

 

[Magister26]

Ian worked all week on the new car at the factory and all evenings on his project for Freedom, stopping only to eat and sleep for a few hours. At work, he did his best to complete the project perfectly. He knew that he was working for the regime but he was not making weapons, he was making cars, cars made to protect the families of the officials. People who had grown up in the system, not the one who gave the orders. Anyways, he had to work and this was a good job well paid and not linked to any exactions against the citizens.

For his project however, he worked all night on every details to be sure that no one would get hurt in the process. The government would be humiliated but hopefully, no lives would be lost. The operation would bring light on his group however and they would have to stop their meetings for a few months...

Finally, the week ended and Ian returned to the library, easily founding Anora studying. He looked at her for a few seconds before moving to the table and noticed her note. Reading it, he followed her instructions and moved to the room at the back, waiting for her.

 

[Perplexia]

Anora was elated to see him, she almost lost composure and jumped the table to his arms. But that would have surly drawn attention. Not going down the same isle as he did she left her book open as if she would be returning after finding another book for research. Taking the not she crumpled it and stuffed it in her pocket.

She went down the social science isle and took the same door he did after being sure she wasn't followed. He sat there waiting for her. She walked into his arms without thought and clung to him tightly. Her heart raced having him so close to her once again. The week almost drove her mad.

"I'm so happy to see you" she whispered to him still hugging him tightly, her small frame pressed against his.

 

[Magister26]

Ian waited patiently in the room, reading a magazine about what the regime considered "social sciences". All biased history and sociology. When the door opened, he got up, almost jumping out of his seat to go towards her.

As she moved into his arms, he hugged her tightly, pressing his firm chest against her. He looked into her eyes, his own showing intense love. He kept himself from kissing her, knowing she would fear to be caught. He found it difficult to have to hide to live a passion....It was one of the hardest thing to do for Ian, as a passionate man, in this society.

"I am happy to see you too! I've missed you so much this week....How were your exams? If you have good news, I have a surprise for you..."

 

[Perplexia]

Anoras eyes searched his after his bombardment of questions she simply took his hand and dragging him further and down to the basement of the library. "joseph, this is Ian, he's the one i told you about." An elderly man of common sorts smiled "Miss Anora, so happy to see you the room is all ready, and young Ian, you're the one that has made this young lady glow." She allowed them to exchange pleasentries before she dragged Ian a bit further to a room that seemed to be boarded up. Pushing on it it popped open and Anora too him inside.

A small picnic was set up waiting for them. The light of the day came in through a small stained glass window. Creating a romantic light. "I aced them all of course she said softly turning back into Ians arms. She hugged him again tightly not wanting to let go.