SEX WITH THE VIRGIN MAID novel Chapter 70

Bryce followed through the entire process of the Thanksgiving ceremony. Everything felt strange, surreal and extremely hard on him but he didn't want to give Hera a tough time with her family or make them question his friendship with her so he just had to go through it in silence, making sure to sulk it up as much as he could.

Apart from going through the ceremony, It was also the very first time after his mother's death that he had decided to set his foot into a church. He had come to accept the fact that the more he hung around her, the more his walls were falling apart piece by piece.

Although Hera was of the opinion that he didn't have to join her for service, he still wanted to do it. She knew how hard it must've been for him to go through it and she didn't want to subject him to any kind of pain for her sake but still, he was adamant on the matter. Hera was there with him the whole time.

The priest had started off with a sermon on God and love and the more he listened to it, the more absurd it sounded. How is it that he kept on emphasizing on the goodness of a God that left him to die and took his mother away from him? How on earth was that even possible. The more he listened, the more it triggered him but Hera offered her hands to him for support. She must've seen him fighting and struggling within himself and it made her very worried.

Bryce kept on mouthing the occasional "I'll be fine" But for some reason, she didn't believe him. What was she even thinking when she invited him over to the convent. He was struggling and going through all these pain because of her.

Feeling suffocated and not being able to withstand it any longer, he excused himself and made his way outside the church in order to catch his breath. Hera followed almost immediately.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice dipped in worry. This was the second time she had seen him act like this. The first was the time he opened up to her about his past that night.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she willed him to look at her. "Talk to me Bryce. Are you okay?"

"You can go back inside Hera. I'll be fine don't worry." He commented but how could she? He had rushed outside as though he was being chased by something and now this? How on earth did he think that he would tell her to leave and she would do so willingly without any form of hesitation.

"I'm not leaving you until you're okay." She put her foot down adamantly. "Come on, let's sit somewhere else."

She led him towards a paved sitting area that was beautifully adorned by hooded trees giving the place shelter from the sunny afternoon.

"Did i ruin the ceremony?"

That was the first question that escaped his lips as soon as she helped him sit down. "I honestly didn't mean to and you really don't have to be here Hera. I can handle everything on my own, trust me."

She didn't believe him.

"Won't they get worried if you stay here with me?"

She shook her head. "No, they won't and besides, this is very important too. What happened to you Bryce? Are you sick?" She placed her hands on his forehead to feel his temperature.

"I'm exhausted." He breathed out tiredly and rested his head on her shoulders. "I couldn't help but think about my parents when he kept on saying those things. I felt wronged and i couldn't bring myself to believe him. It felt suffocating and i just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't pretend that i agreed or understood what he was saying when i didn't."

"Thank you for being here Hera. Thank you for taking care of me."

"I can't wait for us to go back home." She muttered softly. She glanced at his face to see his eyes tightly shut. She could tell that he was really affected by the whole situation but there was nothing she could do to help him. He hasn't let go of his past completely and it bothered her.

They both stayed together in that position. Hera didn't know how long they sat there but one thing was certain, they spent a great deal of time there. She didn't want to force him to leave so she had no choice but to wait out there for him.

The Thanksgiving ceremony came to an end followed by refreshments for the guests. Hera had thought that Martha would be upset with her but to her surprise, she wasn't. If anything, the older woman sympathized with Bryce after Hera gave her a little explanation of what he had been through. They scheduled their trip to leave for the next day after all the festivities were over.

"Are you sure that you can't stay with us for just one more day?" Christina asked as they took a stroll along the grounds of the convent that evening after the celebration had died down a bit. It felt strangely peaceful and quiet and he basked himself in the comfort it provided him.

"Well i wish i can Christina." It was Hera who spoke this time around. " But Bryce has to commence work tomorrow and so do I."