Tears were pouring out faster than I could wipe them away. "Quit fighting! I don't care why you think I want you. I know why I want you. It's more than your immortality or our magic. And it's much more than some stupid link!
"It's the way you smile when I talk. It's the way I feel when I'm sleeping beside you. It's the way I feel when you're waiting on me outside with coffee in the mornings. It's the way you stare me in the eyes, and I know you're the only person in the world for me. I was so sure you felt the same way."
He wouldn't even look at me when he spoke again. I could hear him clearing his throat so as not to choke up.
"I know it feels like that, but I know what I'm talking about. Your mind will change; the way you feel for me will change. It's going to kill me as it is. I don't want to make this any worse than it's already going to be. I've been so selfish by letting your human emotions affect me.
"We're drawn to mortals, too, and the feelings they have. You can love and lose, and then love again. It's not that way for us. I've been around for many years. I was glad to feel free to care the way you did. Until you, I didn't even know how much I yearned to feel connected to someone - real or not. But if you waste the rest of your mortal life with me, you'll regret squandering the chance to be with whoever you choose while you can still choose.
"The reason a soul mate bond is so strong is so that magic can carry on. It's not a bad thing once you've found it, but until you do, it's a lonely road. I can't let you give up your opportunity to choose while you still can. You'd never forgive me, and I'd never forgive myself."
Tears flooded my face furiously now. It was almost hard to breathe. I felt as if I was going to hyperventilate. "I choose you. I choose everything about you. If you don't think I can love you later, then just let me love you now, because I do love you ."
He had tears flickering on the edge of his eyelids, trying to fall. He wouldn't blink in order to keep them from doing so. "I can't do this to you. I care about you too much. I want things to stay the way they are. In my world, there is more to love than just love. You can't help it."
I took a deep breath. I was hurt and mad. I was so confused and embarrassed. "They can't stay the same. I want you, and I just told you I love you. If you don't want me that way, then you should go."
"Aria, please." His tone pleaded for me not to do this. I regretted ever saying anything.
I lowered my voice, letting anger slither away to leave me alone with my pain and humiliation. "I can't right now. I can't pretend like I didn't just try to give you my heart completely. I can't pretend this isn't unimaginably painful. I can't pretend that it's easy to be with you right now. Just go, please. I need some time to process all of this."
My voice was barely a whisper by the end. I couldn't look at him anymore. It hurt too much.
"Aria, I never meant to hurt you. That's what I'm trying not to do."
I put a hand in the air and turned my head away to stop him from talking. There was nothing he could say right now to make it okay that he wouldn't even consider that I might be his soul mate. I was just a dumb mortal to him. He was the dumb one though. I knew I was right. I just didn't have the strength to keep fighting at that moment.
"I know you didn't mean to, but you did just hurt me. Please... go," I whispered.
I turned around, facing away from him. Then I heard the swish of wind blowing out the window. I walked over to the same window and watched him drive away. He blazed out of the driveway. I could hear the squealing of tires for miles. At least I didn't have to worry about him dying in a car wreck.
I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Arisianna?" It was Jaslene. "Honey, are you okay? I saw, and heard Tallis leave. What happened?"
As she made her way over to me, I fought back the fresh onslaught of tears.
"I told him I loved him and he didn't feel the same way. He said my mortal feelings clouded both of our minds. Then he proceeded to tell me I needed to enjoy the rest of th
e mortal time I have and love other people."
I started sobbing uncontrollably as she sat down beside me on the bed and wrapped her arms around me. She kissed my head and began rocking me slightly, as a mother tends to do when her child is hurting.
"Oh, honey, I was afraid of this. Tallis did the honorable thing. He's just looking out for you," she said. Her tone was deceitfully comforting, but her words cut through the already shredded pieces of my heart.
My eyes narrowed with a rejuvenated sense of anger. "What?" I backed away, swatting at her hands when she reached for me. "How could you say that to me right now?"
Her tone turned to explanatory as she tried to defend her poor choice of words. "Dear, I know you believe he's your soul mate. All of this has just been sprung on you too fast. You learned about your destiny in the most unconventional way. I'm sorry, but you haven't had the proper amount of time to really digest the overwhelming heaps of information you've had thrown at you. It's going to take some time, but you will understand. The chances of you finding your soul mate so fast are slim to none. The chances of you finding your soul mate before transformation are… Well, it's never happened before. It's an emotion the mortal mind is too fragile to fully comprehend."
I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat, recoiling from her even more.
"What about Aster, Gear, and Jay?" I barked. "Desmond may be fighting it, but he's still Ash's mate. Maybe our family has a need for their soul mates so quick."
Jaslene grimaced, letting her guard down enough to show me secretiveness in her eyes.
"Arisianna, dear... Geariandan and Astrianna are over a hundred years old. They were born a full century before you. Jaymondian and Ash are, however, the exception to the rule. Ayla has been searching for centuries though. The same goes for Desmond. And Ash is truly struggling in pain while he fights the emotions that even someone as old as he has difficulty understanding. It's not as simple as you believe it to be. I wish it was."
I was still reeling from the first part of her revelation. Has my whole life been nothing but one enormous wad of lies?
"Whoa. Gear and Aster are that old? Why am I just now finding that out? I have memories of them growing up with me. They were older, but I still remember them."