I sat in the carriage with my head down. I was feeling worse that morning, but that was not the only reason why I couldn't raise my head—Teon was sitting opposite me. We'd have to travel for weeks in the same carriage, and I felt like my face would melt from the heat of my blush.
"Are you okay?" Teon spoke for the first time since our journey started.
"Yes," I mumbled.
"About yesterday," he started. "I… I shouldn't have done that," he said, and I looked up. "You must be angry that I…"
"I'm not angry," I said quickly.
"You're not," he said more to himself than to me. He turned and covered his mouth, then he turned back to look at me. "Uh… Thank you," he said. I couldn't say anything and just looked down to hide the blush.
"Where are we headed?" I asked, changing the topic.
"The West, your childhood home," he replied.
"Really? I can't wait to see Ty, I've missed him," I said. My excitement turned to embarrassment the moment I made eye contact with Teon.
"You grew fond of the wolf," he said accusingly. "I told you they're harmless," he said.
"Tyler is harmless, but Maxine attacks me at every chance she gets. I'm still scared of wolves," I said, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
"It's a funny logic," Teon replied. Why does every statement and every action make me blush? I need to snap out of it.
...
The journey was unlike others because I saw Teon every day. He started riding on a horse and switched with Alia, but we still saw each other and spoke every day. I got to speak with Alia a lot, and we never ran out of topics, which was amazing.
I got down from the carriage and looked around; Teon was nowhere to be seen.
"Wow, is this where master has been hiding?" Alia asked, looking around. "She hid right under Vernin's nose."
The door burst open, and Blair ran out with Tyler. She grabbed me into a tight hug and moved me back to scan me, then hugged me again.
"I was worried when I didn't hear from you for months," she said.
"I'm sorry, I should have sent a letter," I said, and she moved back, looking at me. I bent down to hug Tyler and realized something. "Ty, did you get taller?" I asked, but of course, he couldn't respond.
"Hello, I'm Alia, and I'll be inside," Alia said, yawning. She better do that before she starts sleepwalking; Alia is very funny when she's sleepy.
I rubbed Tyler's head and stood up to walk inside. I looked around one more time before heading to my room.
A bath, a light dinner, and I was done for the night. The familiar feeling of my pillow made me feel a lot better than I had in months. I sighed and closed my eyes to sleep.
...
I opened my eyes, not feeling refreshed but sick, although I still felt much better mentally. I diagnosed bed rest for myself and did just that. My body had experienced too much stress, and it only made sense if I took a break.
I stayed in bed for the whole day, asleep. It was hard to stay awake after what happened during these past weeks. My mind finally relaxed, and my body did the same.
I'm just glad the wedding didn't happen, and Teon showed up when he did. I've been too shy to ask how he knew I was there, and I don't know if I' ll be able to ask the next time I see him either.
---
I sat in the carriage with my head down. I was feeling worse that morning, but that was not the only reason why I couldn't raise my head—Teon was sitting opposite me. We'd have to travel for weeks in the same carriage, and I felt like my face would melt from the heat of my blush.
I tried to focus on anything but him, but the silence was deafening. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels on the cobblestone road did little to soothe my racing heart. Every time I dared to sneak a glance at Teon, he seemed lost in thought, his eyes staring out of the window, oblivious to my turmoil.
I shifted in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position, but the cramped space of the carriage only amplified my discomfort. I felt his gaze on me and quickly looked down at my hands, fidgeting with the hem of my dress.
"Are you okay?" Teon's voice broke the silence, soft and concerned.
"Yes," I mumbled, not trusting myself to say more without my voice betraying my nerves.
"About yesterday," he started, hesitating. "I... I shouldn't have done that." He looked at me, searching for my reaction. "You must be angry that I..."
"I'm not angry," I said quickly, cutting him off. My voice was steadier than I expected, but my heart was still pounding in my chest.
"You're not?" He seemed more surprised than relieved, as if he couldn't quite believe my words. He turned away, covering his mouth for a moment before looking back at me. "Uh... Thank you," he said, and I couldn't help but blush even more.
Desperate to change the subject, I asked, "Where are we headed?"
"The West, your childhood home," he replied, his tone gentler now.
"Really? I can't wait to see Ty; I've missed him," I said, letting my excitement show. But the moment our eyes met again, my excitement turned to embarrassment.
"You grew fond of the wolf," he said with a hint of amusement. "I told you they're harmless."
"Tyler is harmless, but Maxine attacks me at every chance she gets. I'm still scared of wolves," I admitted, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
"It's a funny logic," Teon replied, his smile making my heart flutter. Why does every statement and every action make me blush? I need to snap out of it.
...
The journey was unlike others because I saw Teon every day. He started riding on a horse and switched with Alia, but we still saw each other and spoke every day. I got to speak with Alia a lot, and we never ran out of topics, which was amazing.
When we finally arrived, I got down from the carriage and looked around, but Teon was nowhere to be seen.
"Wow, is this where master has been hiding?" Alia asked, looking around in awe. "She hid right under Vernin's nose."
The door burst open, and Blair ran out with Tyler. She grabbed me into a tight hug, then moved back to scan me before hugging me again.
"I was worried when I didn't hear from you for months," she said.
"I'm sorry, I should have sent a letter," I replied, feeling a pang of guilt. I bent down to hug Tyler and realized something. "Ty, did you get taller?" I asked, but of course, he couldn't respond.
"Hello, I'm Alia, and I'd be inside," Alia said, yawning. She better do that before she starts sleepwalking; Alia is very funny when she's sleepy.
I rubbed Tyler's head and stood up to walk inside, looking around one more time before heading to my room.
A bath, a light dinner, and I was done for the night. The familiar feeling of my pillow made me feel a lot better than I had in months. I sighed and closed my eyes to sleep.
...
I opened my eyes the next morning, not feeling refreshed but sick. Despite this, I still felt much better mentally. I diagnosed bed rest for myself and did just that. My body had experienced too much stress, and it only made sense to take a break.
I stayed in bed the whole day, asleep. It was hard to stay awake after what had happened in the past weeks. My mind finally relaxed, and my body did the same.
I was just glad the wedding didn't happen, and Teon showed up when he did. I had been too shy to ask how he knew I was there, and I didn't know if I would be able to ask the next time I saw him either.