Silent love song 4

 "What <i>happened</i>? I was told you left me!"

"Everything came to a head not long after your door ceremony," Elly murmured.

"My magic." He groaned, took another handful of sand and threw it over his shoulder. He paused, then did the other one for good measure, looking around nervously. "I'd knock on wood, but - but there's no wood around but the trees, right?"

"I'm not sure they count if they're live..?"

Bruno's eyes darted around nervously and he knocked on his head, instead. "Knock knock <i>knock</i> on wood," he intoned, flinching in the knoweledge that most people assumed he was unstable at best when he started performing his actions.

"Relax," she purred in a soothing manner. "I remember you doing things like this when we were kids. It's okay, I don't mind."

"I - it may have gotten worse over the years."

"The years," Elly sighed. "I tried to reach you, but I was blocked every time. My parents, struggling to keep me away from your 'bad magic', finally ended up locking me in my room. I escaped and ran to your house. Your mother..." She shook her head.

"What did she do?!"

"She turned me away," she told him in a very quiet voice. "She said I shouldn't chase after you and I don't remember what else."

"My age. You asked my age."

"I'd know you anywhere, but I wanted to know how much time had passed. Plus I - after all this time, I thought it might be a trick."

"Fifty years -"

"It's been so long."

"<i>Gatita</i>." He tugged on her hands imploringly. "Come back to the house. You'll be welcomed now. It's different."

"Why didn't you try to find me, Bruno?" Her ears lay back in distress. "For a time, all I thought about was you coming to rescue me."

He groaned loudly and threw his head back. "That's my <i>fault</i>," he admitted. "I thought you left me and my family got worse. And if my own family didn't accept me for who I was, how could you?"

"Where..?"

"I hid from everyone inside the house."

"All those years?"

The same rat from before slipped out from beneath the green woven cloth, walked along his arm and squeaked at her, nodding. "Yeah. I only recently came out. But now you can come back with me!" The furry critter jumped off and skittered into the night.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I want to be with you, but I'm scared. What if they make me leave again?"

"Don't be afraid, my heart," he whispered softly, caressing the side of her face. "I won't let them come between us again."

"I don't want you to lose what you've only just gained," she said in a shaky voice.

"That means you! I found you again." He stood up, holding out a hand for her to join him. "You're going to be family, too. They'll - they'll see. They're trying to be understanding now."

She let him help her up, dusting off the simple purple dress she wore and not looking at him directly. "Do you really think it will be okay?" When she lifted her head, he'd taken the poncho hood and covered the top half of his face with it.

"Everything will be a-okay!" He said in a forced masculine voice, giving her a thumbs-up.

She grinned and lifted the hood. "Hernando?"

"Si."

"God, I missed you."

Bruno flipped the hood back. "That's good to hear."

"I meant Hernando," she joked, pulling it down over his face again.

"Oh, nice." He leaned on her, then suddenly grabbed her in a huge hug. "Hernando missed you, too!" He bellowed.

Elly laughed out loud, her fears pushed away by his warm presence. "Okay, okay. We'll hide out, sleep, and you can re-introduce me in the morning."