Lynne:
My proclamation was completely serious. This was the first time a boy knew I liked them with no doubt in their mind. Though it was an embarrassing error at first, something about it was freeing. It made me wonder why I hadn't been more direct in the past, that maybe a roundabout way of flirting wasn't the answer. Or maybe I was just extremely lucky in this situation.
I saw his cheeks light up again, I just gave him a delicate smile. I knew he was shy about these things. From now on, I planned on taking things slower for him. If I was really going to do this, if I was going to make him fall for me, then it would have to be a slow burn. I was ok with that, to an extent. I may have to throw in some direct flirting every now and then to keep things interesting.
"B-Before worrying about that… we have to find ourselves something to eat." He said, his eyes shifting away from me.
"One more thing!" I exclaimed, his gaze whipped back to me. He looked worried for a moment. "I don't even know your name. I'm Lynne Charlton the 5th, of the Charlton family bloodline." I extended my hand out to him.
He looked at my hand weary of it for some reason. He cautiously reached out and clasped his hand around mine. His skin was clammy and cold with rough calluses on the palm. "Alright, Lynne." He said awkwardly.
I chuckled at his awkwardness, finding it sort of cute. "You're supposed to tell me your name."
He paused for longer than I thought, withdrawing his hand from mine. His eyes narrowed, his teeth pressing together to make an angered expression but there was pain reflected in his eyes. "I don't have a name." He admitted, his tone low.
"What!? Then what did people call you?" I asked, my eyes widening. As those words slipped past my lips I realized that may have been an insensitive question, the pained look on his face telling me that my intuition was right.
"All sorts of things… I guess." He answered, his voice barely above a whisper. I had to hold myself back from asking any more questions. I knew this guy was going to be a tough nut to crack, he wasn't going to tell me everything he had been through on the spot. Like why he was covered in blood, why he was starving and why he didn't have a name. I had to remind myself to be patient with him. So, taking a deep breath I gave him a nod.
"We can't have that. What if I think of a name for you?" I asked, trying to give him a bright smile. I hoped the idea would cheer him up, and I guess it kinda worked. At least he wasn't sad anymore, he just looked a bit pissed.
However, the expression was misleading because he gave me the smallest nod. "Fine, whatever. You can do what you want." He responded.
I paused for a moment, looking over at the sword he was carrying with him. I didn't know much about him, except for that he carried around that thing. I knew his appearance and that he was obviously a by-the-book Tsundere. Though, going by how he looked and a base-level understanding of his personality seemed unwise.
And that was when it hit me.
"I got it!" I exclaimed with excitement.
"That was too easy!" He shouted, his teeth bared at me. His expression filled with a look screaming 'it better not sound stupid'.
"Clay. Let's call you, Clay." I stated with a proud smile. With the way his expression melted, I could tell that he liked it.
"What made you think of that?" He asked.
"It was pretty easy!" I boasted. "Claymore is the name of a big sword! Since you've got that sword you always carry around, it fits."
He smiled, looking over at the sword. I couldn't understand why pain filled his eyes again when he looked over at it. "Clay… I guess I don't mind being called that."
I smiled back at him, my heart swelling at his warm smile. "I'm glad you like it." I said. "So, Clay. How can we get ourselves some food?"
Clay gave me a smirk, pushing off of the hay and climbing to his feet. I kept on guard since he was still shaky as he stood, but I knew if I reached out to help him he would only dismiss my efforts. So, I let him stand on his own.
Once he was up, he walked over to the barrels that were lined around the back wall of the warehouse. "How did you get us in here, Lynne?" He asked as he analyzed them.
"I used your sword to break the latch on the door. Why, was I not supposed to do that?" I asked, feeling my chest tighten. I didn't think about the consequences of doing that, like if we would go to jail or get attacked by the villagers. However, my panic subsided when Clay turned to me with a devilish smile.
Weirdly enough, the evil grin was hot.
"Nice work." He said, his paise filling my stomach with butterflies. Clay then turned back to the barrel and pried open the top. "You didn't get caught either. You're a natural." He stuck his hand in, lifting up the contents as they scattered from his palm and gently landed back into the barrel. Inside was filled with rice.
"You hit the jackpot!" Clay exclaimed. "This will be enough to feed us for at least a few weeks!"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're joking right?" I grumbled. "We're gonna eat nothing but bland rice for weeks? No way somebody can just live off of rice. What about the food groups? Protein? Vegetables?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped. "This is the most food I've ever seen." Clay stomped over to me, grabbing the collar of my pyjamas and hoisting me towards him. Even though he looked pissed I couldn't help my cheeks from lighting up. "So, if you are gonna be an ungrateful spoiled brat. I'll leave you here right now."
With that, he pushed me away. His comment made my heart throb. I mentally kicked myself for complaining. I wasn't at home anymore. I couldn't expect the same luxuries. It wouldn't be for long anyway. Once we secure our survival, I'd ask him where I was. Then, I'd just find a phone to call my mom. She'd definitely come to get me. Then, I'd take this boy with me, probably against my mother's wishes, but I would do it anyways.
We could live a happy life in luxury. Even if he decided not to stay with me, I would be glad just to know he was safe. That was my plan anyway, but little did I know…
I was much further from home than I thought.