[Ridge]
I woke up with puffy red eyes and bruises in the shape of fingertips littering my arms. Someday I want to wake up like this again, but maybe under different circumstances.
Despite everything that happened last night, I'd managed to turn my brain off and get some sleep. Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that now I have to wake up, and I'm still exhausted. I look like shit, I feel like shit, and I probably don't smell too great either.
A nice bath might come in handy right now. Too bad I don't really have time for that. This is already the second day I've missed breakfast, although I'm pretty sure Sir Kierce is supposed to be mentoring me. He told me about dinner, I wonder if he's too hung over in the mornings to come all the way up to my room.
Speaking of rooms, did Martina ever get back to his last night? Or maybe Kadeeth took him to his chambers? Kadeeth...
I'm not ready to think about that yet.
It can wait. It can all wait, the bath, the best friend, and breakfast. I'll just bury myself in work for the day and address all of my new baggage later. There's no need to strain myself mentally when I already need to be working on myself physically.
Unfortunately, life has a different plan for me and my morning. I open the door and almost trip over something small in front of my door. It's a woven basket piled full of yarn. Expensive yarn, with at least five different colors I'd never be able to afford on my own. I crouch down and run my fingers over the soft material. It's top quality too.
Not only is there only one person who knows about my crochet hobby, but there's also only one guy who could possibly afford to waste this much money on what's obviously an apology gift. I've never gotten something like this from Kadeeth. He likes to give presents, sure, but Kadeeth doesn't apologize.
He's never been one to admit his mistakes, or to express guilt in general. Deeper emotions just aren't his thing. Good Lord, there's even a tag on it.
"Let's talk, dinner in our spot." I read aloud.
Shit. I could just not go...? But Kadeeth has never bothered to confront our conflicts like this. Plus, I don't want to make him mad again by not showing up. Despite being determined to ignore it just minutes ago, I have to admit I still feel shaken up about last night. This is good, I'll eat dinner with Kadeeth and we'll figure everything out.
I finally have everything I've worked for, I'm not going to let one measly argument ruin our entire dynamic. I just need to make it through the morning, and then we can deal with our issues together.
~*~
The hours passed by slowly. Martina found me in the training hall and asked if I had any trouble getting him back last night. I decided it was probably best not to mention the fight, or Kadeeth showing up in general. I'm relieved he got back okay though. I think some part of me was a little worried Kade would abandon him in the hallway or somewhere for the Duke to find him in the morning.
When it was time for my break I left the training hall and Martina behind, and began taking the long way around to our spot. It's nothing special, there's a large tree growing right next to the Manor on the east side. If you're capable of climbing it you can haul yourself onto a portion of the roof that's shielded from view.
I get to the bottom of the tree and look up hesitantly. Not because I can't go up, but because I don't know if I really want to anymore. He's definitely up there, the tell tale signs of scraped bark on parts of the tree trunk giving away his route.
I take a deep breath and gather all the nerves of steel I supposedly built up in the Academy. Grabbing branch after branch I pull my weight up higher until my hand reaches the edge of the rooftop. It's not a far jump from here, so I easily land on the ledge, right next to a waiting Kadeeth.
"You came." He doesn't look surprised.
I dust off my pants and clear my throat, "Well, you asked so nicely." He scoffs.
"Next time I'll send something better then." He promised.
"I don't want a next time, and I don't need you to shower me with gifts to get my attention. What am I, some poor girl you're chasing after?" I pull off the bag slung over my shoulders and open it, because I really am hungry.
"No, I just thought it would help if you know... you were still mad at me?" He isn't making eye contact.
"You were the one who was mad, Kade. You said a lot of crazy stuff, and didn't explain anything." I glance at him, drinking in his calm face, and tack on, "If you're good now, can we move past it?"
His hands clench into fists and he whirls around to face me. Finally. His frustration dissipates as his eyes find the determination in mine. He knows I said that to provoke him. What better way to piss someone off than to act like them when they're being an insensitive jerk? At least now I know he has no intention of treating last night like it was no big deal. Not like he usually does.
"You, you know I never meant to, to-." He lets out an exasperated sigh and combs his hands through his hair almost violently, "I've really messed things up between us, haven't I? No with the fight last night, but way before that. I was stupid to think that ignoring all of our issues like that would make them go away."
This time when he looks at me, there's regret in his green eyes. Something I've never seen there before. He lets out a light chuckle and lays back onto the roof, hands behind his head.
"Yeah, but it sounds like you don't wanna do that anymore?" I pivot sideways and lean back so my head is resting on his stomach like a pillow. He flicks my arm, but I ignore him and take a bite of my sandwich.
We spend the rest of dinner like that, talking and eating under the midday sun. Eventually I get up and go back to work, but I feel lighter. It's not like we said anything amazing. We just talked through our issues like normal people and moved on. It was honestly very anticlimactic. Well I'd rather remember a nice afternoon like this rather than another heated argument like last night.
When I finally leave Kadeeth alone on the roof, I return to my duties at the gate to find that the energy of the other Knights and servants has changed. Something happened while I was off in my own little world with Kadeeth.
It doesn't take long for word of this new development to find me, and it arrived in the form of a very frazzled woman. She's one of Martina's friends, I vaguely remember her from our drinking last night. What was her name again?
"Amira?"