As I stood in the hallway, my thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions and memories from the past hour. I could still feel the lingering warmth of Ciara's lips on mine, the taste of her kiss, the way her body had pressed against mine.
My heart fluttered at the memory, and despite everything, I couldn't help but smile, just a little. The intensity of it all, the way it had made me feel it was overwhelming, but in the best way possible.
But I couldn't dwell on it for too long. I had responsibilities, and it had already been two weeks since I'd last done any work. Leora had been more than understanding about my absence, given everything that had happened, but now I was feeling better, and it was time to get back to it.
I straightened up, took a deep breath, and started walking towards Leora's office. My steps felt lighter, as if the weight that had been on my shoulders for so long had finally been lifted.
When I reached the door to her office, I paused for a moment, gathering myself. I wasn't sure what to expect Leora was always unpredictable, and I hadn't been here in so long that I was almost nervous about what I would find. But I pushed those thoughts aside and opened the door.
The moment I did, a cascade of papers tumbled out, burying me under a mountain of documents. I gasped, flailing my arms as I tried to stop the flood, but it was too late. The papers kept coming, and I was quickly covered in a sea of white sheets, all marked with Leora's neat, precise handwriting.
"What in the—?" I muttered, trying to shake off the papers that clung to me. I bent down to pick them up, but there were so many that I didn't even know where to start. My mind raced as I wondered what on earth had happened in here while I was gone.
Just then, I heard Leora's voice, warm and familiar, from somewhere behind me. "Aeliana! You're back!" She sounded genuinely relieved, and I looked up to see her hurrying over to help me. "I'm so glad you're here, I don't know how I managed without you!"
She knelt beside me, gathering up the papers with practiced ease. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her, hair slightly disheveled, a smudge of ink on her cheek. It was rare to see Leora anything less than perfectly put together, but this mess was proof of just how much she'd been struggling in my absence.
"Looks like things got a little out of hand while I was gone," I said with a smile, trying to make light of the situation.
"You have no idea," Leora replied with a dramatic sigh, shaking her head as she continued to pick up the scattered documents. "These reports, correspondence, budget requests it's all been piling up, and I could barely keep track of anything without you."
I felt a pang of guilt at that. I knew my work was important, but I hadn't realized just how much Leora relied on me. Determined to make up for lost time, I quickly started helping her, sorting through the papers and trying to put everything back in order.
We worked together in comfortable silence for a while, falling into the familiar rhythm of sorting and organizing. I could feel the tension easing from my body as I focused on the task at hand, the repetitive motions calming my thoughts.
Leora was beside me, methodically sorting the papers into neat stacks, her brow furrowed in concentration. I couldn't help but admire her dedication, even if she did sometimes drive me crazy with her perfectionism.
Every now and then, we'd exchange a few words small talk about what had been happening around the castle, updates on the soldiers, and even a few jokes about the sheer amount of paperwork we had to get through. It felt good, normal, like things were finally getting back to the way they used to be.
As we neared the end of the pile, Leora suddenly paused, looking over at me with a curious expression. "So, Aeliana," she began, her tone light but with an undercurrent of something else, something playful. "What's going on between you and Ciara?"
I blinked, caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound casual as I continued stacking papers.
Leora raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying my attempt at nonchalance. "Oh, come on," she said, a teasing lilt in her voice. "You know exactly what I mean. I've seen the way she looks at you—and, more importantly, I've seen the way you look at her."
My cheeks flushed, and I could feel my heart starting to race again. "We're just… friends," I said, the words sounding weak even to my own ears.
I didn't know why I was trying to deny it after all, it was pretty obvious that what had happened between us was far from something that friends would do.
Leora's smirk widened, and she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Friends, huh? Because last I checked, friends don't kiss each other like that, and they certainly don't leave hickeys on each other's necks."
I froze, my hand instinctively reaching up to touch the spot on my neck where I knew the bruise was. My face must have turned crimson because Leora burst out laughing, her laughter ringing through the room.
"Oh, Aeliana," she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "You're terrible at hiding things, you know that?"
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "It's not like that," I mumbled, though I knew it was pointless to argue.
"Not like that?" Leora echoed, still grinning. "Please. I've known Ciara for years, and I've never seen her act the way she does around you. She's usually so… well, let's just say she doesn't exactly do the whole 'soft and caring' thing. But with you, it's different."
Her words made my heart skip a beat, and I lowered my hands, looking at her uncertainly. "You really think so?" I asked, unable to keep the hope out of my voice.
Leora nodded, her expression softening. "I do. And honestly, I think it's good for her. Ciara's always been a bit of a lone wolf, but maybe you're exactly what she needs."
I didn't know what to say to that. The idea that I could be something important to Ciara, that I could be the one to make a difference in her life, was both thrilling and terrifying. I wanted to believe it, but a part of me was still scared of what it might mean, scared of getting hurt.
But before I could get too lost in my thoughts, Leora nudged me with her elbow, snapping me back to the present. "Anyway," she said, her tone light again. "Just remember, whatever's going on between you two, you deserve to be happy. Don't let anything or anyone get in the way of that."
I smiled at her, feeling a surge of gratitude. Leora could be tough and demanding, but she genuinely cared, and that meant more to me than I could put into words.
"Thanks, Leora," I said softly, and she nodded, her expression warm.
With that, we returned to our work, the atmosphere between us now even more comfortable. We moved efficiently, our previous banter replaced by a quiet focus as we worked side by side to finish organizing the last of the documents.
It felt good to be back, to be helping Leora again, and to have her support. It was like a piece of my life that had been missing was finally falling back into place.
As we finished the last stack of papers, Leora stretched her arms above her head, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Well, that's the last of it," she said, smiling at me. "I don't know what I would've done without you, Aeliana."
I grinned back, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "I'm just glad I could help."
Leora's gaze lingered on me for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "You know," she said, her voice quieter now, "whatever happens with Ciara, just remember to take care of yourself too. Don't get so caught up in her that you lose sight of who you are."
Her words struck a chord, and I nodded, understanding what she was trying to say. "I will," I promised.
Leora smiled, reaching out to give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Good."
With that, we finished tidying up the office, putting the last of the papers in their proper places. As we worked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment, a feeling that things were finally starting to make sense again.