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He spoke through his laughter as his eyes scanned every part of my face as though committing it to memory.
"Let me see that gorgeous smile…"
Our gazes held for several moments, my heartbeat galloping with increasing speed. Our laughter gently faded, our lips parted…
Oh, gods… How I'd wanted this for so long…
But something… Something clenched around my fluttering heart like a fucking iron fist.
My mouth snapped shut, and my gaze fell from his.
Malekai's grip on me tightened, drawing his hand to my face to return my gaze.
"Mareina…"
"We should get going… It's getting late."
Gods, I was an asshole.
"Let's get you home then…"
Malekai stepped back, leaving cool air and an all-too-familiar ache in my chest to take his place.
Tense silence settled into companionable silence as we walked. Malekai flicked out the remainder of his dream leaf cigar and wedged it between a crack in one of the mortared stones lining the river wall, likely so that atransientperson might enjoy it.
I peeked an eyebrow at him. "Feeling generous suddenly?"
"Not at all… Would just be a shame to waste it, and half-smoked dream leaf tastes like shit."
I gave a small huff of intrigue.
The rest of our walk was silent, my gaze occasionally sliding to him to find his gaze fixed in the distance and twisting the ring of his middle finger. It was his one tell that consistently belied his tension. Only displayed when it was just the two of us.
"You think you'll be able to sleep tonight?" I asked once we reached my doorstep.
Malekai shrugged, caressing my hair, taking me in one last time before leaving.
"Probably not."
"Are you going straight home or…"
Are you going to Satia Fama?
His favorite brothel.
He huffed a laugh. "What would you have me do? Suffer from blue balls until the day I die?"
I chuckled, rolling my eyes and smirking despite the jealousy that spiked through me. The words I forced out felt like shards of glass.
"Well… I hope you have fun…"
He grinned knowingly, taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger to tilt my head as he lowered his to press a lingering kiss on my forehead.
"Katadamna kaza,"he murmured, lips grazing my brow.
I reached out, pulling him back towards me, wrapping my arms around his waist. He was the only person I allowed even that modest intimacy with. I trusted him more than anyone I'd ever known. Nearly a hundred years of fighting side-by-side, saving one another's lives, and trauma-bonding will do that.
"Katadamna kaza."
