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"Everything is wonderful," my mother replies with a nod of her head. The rest of us all look down at our food, and I watch everyone's reactions.
Duke Carmichael takes a sip from his drink before continuing. "Well then, it's great to see you again." Everyone else at the table nods in agreement, and then silence falls upon us again. It is silent for about three minutes, until my brother turns to me and says, "I don't like him." My face goes slack before I snap out of it and turn to my mother.
Her eyes are closed, and she doesn't even have to acknowledge what he said. He continues anyway. "He's pretentious. I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with him."
His words are harsh, but I can tell that this is how he always thinks; harsh words and an attitude towards people who make you feel bad. My mother opens her mouth to respond to him, but I know she isn't going to. She lets it happen, and just keeps eating her meal as if he hasn't spoken. After a minute of staring at both of them silently, we move on.
For my part, I try not to take offense, and let the words roll off my back rather than respond. As long as my brother does not speak more on the , I will remain relatively quiet. I am not sure how well this arrangement is working though. For now, it seems he is content, and I hope that this means we're done here.
Duke Carmichael talks with my mother, respectfully nodding as she answers his questions. I see James start to relax and hope this means that his opinion is changing. We tell stories and laugh about childhood mishaps while indulging ourselves with desserts.
We finish dinner without incident, and after saying goodbye to my mother, we leave.
"Thank you for your company," the Duke graciously says. "I have truly enjoyed tonight."
"Thank you for the invitation," my mother replies, bowing her head in respect.
She turns to me, our embrace is brief but it's something that I have been missing.
"It's getting late," she says to James after saying goodbye. "Let's go back home."
For a moment, I see him; the elf I knew. He's still in there, hidden deep inside. The kindness and generosity I had seen wasn't merely a dream. It was real. And the person who had given it to me... was the man I thought I'd lost forever.
And now, he is standing before me, alive and whole and in front of me, his face as clear and bright as it was when we first met. There's no trace of bitterness or anger on his countenance. His eyes are full of warmth and love and concern for me. It feels like time has stopped, like I'm frozen in place and he's the only thing that matters.
I've heard people say that they can tell someone's true nature by looking into their eyes, but I have never believed such a thing. But looking at this version of Duke Carmichael, at the man I had known so briefly, I believe it's true.
"Stay with me tonight," he whispers and this time I don't hesitate.
"I will," I reply, feeling nervous and scared all at once. But there's no time to think about it. Instead, he takes my hand and leads me into his home, into his bedroom. His room has always been clean, almost sterile compared to our house; but today his things smell like him. Of sweat and smoke and leather.
He sits down on the edge of the bed, holding my hand tight between his own, while he looks at me expectantly. This makes me even more nervous because I know what he wants, and I know how badly he needs it, so I take a deep breath.
"Duke Carmichael," I begin, slowly and carefully. "I'm sorry."
He smiles sadly at me and squeezes my hand tighter before saying, "No need to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I'm afraid I haven't been making any of this easy for you. I want to spend more time with you to get to know each other better. I hope that you will allow me to."
Before I can answer, he leans forward and kisses me lightly on the lips. It barely lasts longer than a second and then he pulls away again.
"Come on, you're not going to get any sleep if we both stay here like. Come on."
His words are enough to make me realize that he's right. He lays back on the bed, pulling close to me and I rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath my ear. It's not long before I feel myself drifting off, lulled into a light doze by the sound of Duke's slow breathing. Before he falls asleep himself, I whisper something else:
"I love you."
Moment after moment, day after day after that, is filled with something so different from what I've known.
He's kind and gentle and patient and understanding. He teaches me everything he can, from how to fight to how to survive. He makes me feel safe and loved despite my many worries and insecurities.
His gaze settles on me, and I feel my cheeks flush. My head is spinning with thoughts of what could be. A feeling I had never known before, a feeling that was both exciting and terrifying at the same time.
I take another glance at his handsome face then turn my eyes away quickly as he catches me staring. His expression turns quizzical and I realize this might look awkward to him. I feel my cheeks flush and I shield my face as a smile creeps across his.
I can't help myself though. He looks so good and it feels like such a privilege to get to see him like this.
To be able to hold his hand, or talk to him on any normal day, let alone one where the two of us have been spending more and more time together.
It wasn't even a lie when he told me that he wanted to spend more time with me. He is making every effort to do so. I feel something pull at my heartstrings knowing how much he enjoys talking to me. Even when he isn't saying anything he just seems comfortable enough around me to keep going. I think he may have even grown fond of me a little.
