Page 72 of Badmouths & Bards

“Can’t blame a guy for trying to lightening the mood,” Ameriden retorted, pressing another kiss to Casimine’s hand. “You do know I love you, right? Even after all this?”

“Of course I do,” Casimine whispered. “I love you, too.”

They shared a sweet kiss that was tinged with a quiet sorrow and for a moment, Ameriden just held Casimine.

“She knows about me,” Casimine said against his robes. “About…about my family.”

Ameriden inhaled deeply at that. Given how guarded Casimine was about his family, it was more proof of how deeply he was falling in love with Tala. It had taken years for Casimine to even talk about his mother and sisters around him without falling apart.

“That’s a big step,” Ameriden said.

“I just hope it was the right one.”

Ameriden bit his lip to prevent a confession from barreling through his teeth. It felt wrong not to tell Casimine—the thing he had kept even from him. The fear that Casimine knowing would further put him into harms way—well, it all felt too big and somehow incredibly trivial. He was one part of Cashmere Fantasy, one of the biggest bard performers in the entire realm of Ordia. Whatever hope for anonymity Ameriden might have entertained in his youth had fucking left the building the moment he decided to go to college with Casimine.

Because you were the only thing that mattered. We were all that mattered, not…

Call it impulsivity or the need to fulfill something he couldn’t with Tala, but Ameriden was suddenly determined to spill his guts. His hands swept up, cradling Casimine’s jaw with care. For a moment, he simply stared, lost in how damn beautiful he was. All the gifts of the Water Mother within the soul of the one person in the world Ameriden knew loved him back.

“What?” Casimine asked, holding onto his wrists with a gentle grip. “What is it?”

“I…” Ameriden licked his lips. “That is…”

Don’t choke, don’t choke now you fucking coward!

“Remember when we met?” he asked.

“How could I forget? You were the reason I was able to eat that week,” Casimine replied.

It wasn’t romantic in the slightest. They had been young, on the verge of growing into their adult frames. Ameriden had stumbled through an alley and nearly into Casimine’s lap. Before Casimine could yell, he had pressed his hand over his dry lips and begged for his silence. For whatever reason, Casimine had yielded to his request, allowing Ameriden’s pursuers to pass by without issue. In return, Ameriden had thanked him and offered him a loaf of bread.

What should have been a one time encounter kept happening. Ameriden would run and Casimine would happen to be on the other side. The one time Casimine ran, Ameriden was there to sweep him inside his hideout and one thing led to another.

“Do you remember how I was running away from someone?” Ameriden asked.

“You said some guards were after you for stealing some bread,” Casimine affirmed.

“I did and they were… but…”

“But?”

“But that’s not all of it,” Ameriden said. “There’s more… Casi, I—”

“There you are!”

They tore away from each other with a speed that spoke volumes. Ameriden’s heart was pounding, but a relief was quick to follow as he spotted the familiar figure.

“Son of a bitch, Seira,” Ameriden rubbed his face.

“Don’t do that,” Casimine all but whined, a brilliant flush to his cheeks.

Ameriden could only imagine the embarrassment Casimine would have felt if Seira had caught them fucking. Surely, he would have turned completely lilac if she had.

“Oh, excuse me for being concerned about my bards!” Seira grumbled with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “But when I realized what time it was and the fact that you were no where in sight, I found myself rightfully worried.”

“Fair,” Ameriden relented.

Seira glanced around the small enclosure, then frowned, “Wait, where’s your bodyguard?”