The Hatter doesn’t seem to trust anyone, not even himself. And here he is, trusting me.
“Don’t cry for me, Clara Bee,” he whispers softly. “I don’t think I can bear it.”
“I’m sorry.” I lift my hand to wipe away the tear, embarrassed that I’m losing it.
He catches my hand in his own before I manage the task. His eyes are filled with emotion as he leans forward and kisses the droplet away, his lips soft against my skin. It’s enough to choke me up again, but I fight against it. It feels like a losing battle.
“Never be sorry.” He looks into my eyes. “Not for me. Our world is in chaos, every one of us suffers in some way. My mind,” he taps the side of his head, “is where I suffer. Inside my thoughts, there’s chaos, insanity, fear. I cannot fight it. I cannot push it away. But inside all that chaos, there’s you, shining bright, my own star to light the way and show me the path home. Never be sorry for who you are,” he says, more serious than I have ever seen him. “Because who you are is everything to me.”
We might be prophesied to be together, but a prophecy didn’t make me love the Hatter. The man in a coat and a top hat did that all on his own.
The man behind the madness is so much more than his insanity. He is so much more than he appears, than he thinks.
Wonderland is curious. It’s inhabitants are curious. But the Hatter? The Hatter is a puzzle I keep trying to piece together, only to realize none of the pieces are from the same puzzle. He makes me burn, makes me love, makes me whole. I have to tell him that. I have to show him what he’s beginning to mean to me. He is enough. He’s enough exactly how he is, insanity and all.
“What are you doing?” I ask, frowning at the loss of his weight.
His eyes trail over me, his angle letting him see everything, letting him see me laid out on the table.
“Admiring the view,” he replies, grinning. “If only tea time was this beautiful.” I blush, laying my head back down. “Look at you,” he continues, “all spread out in front of me like a feast.”
“Last chance, Clara Bee,” he says, his eyes heated as they trace my body. “If we do this, I’ll never get enough of you.”
“Don’t stop,” I whisper, meeting his eyes. “Give me everything.”
He growls. “You don’t want everything.”
“I do.” Our eyes stay locked. “I want everything you have to give. Hold nothing back.”
I make my own destiny, but sometimes, it’s okay to be happy with someone that falls into your life. Or the other way around, in this instance. Sometimes, Fate knows what it’s doing.
And that person that enters your orbit? Well, they might just be the love of your life, after all. Even if they’re a tiny bit mad.
I’m going to keep fighting for Wonderland’s freedom. I won’t stop fighting the Red Queen. Not until it’s my turn to cross into the Hereafter. And even then, I’ll have my Hatter beside me.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Hatter reiterates. “Beautiful enough to be my queen.”