She was there. Always there, in every vision, in every dream. Sometimes the dreams were nightmares, but more often they were soft, soft like her skin, soft like the pink clouds that glowed in the mornings before anyone had a chance to remember reality. And maybe that's all she was. A fleeting paradise that reality was always going to destroy. But Amberle couldn't help but hope that she was more.
Honestly, it's not just the guys. Her voice echoed in Amberle's mind. Again and again she played the scene in her head, wishing she had been braver. Wishing she had reached up and brushed her fingers across the gentle brow and through the wild hair. She was entranced by Eretria's beauty. She had been from the moment they first met in the forest. But it was not just that that kept her awake into the wee hours of the morning. Eretria was a mystery to her. Eretria was rough, hard, cold. Amberle wanted more than anything to break the shell, to know what thoughts plagued the mind of someone who seemed so strong.
As she sat on her bed in the darkness, she ran her hand over her bony shoulders and tried to imagine what it would be like to have Eretria's hands there instead. She imagined her smile, so sure, so knowing. What would she say now, if she knew? Amberle looked around. Will's snores echoed around the cavern, but Eretria's breath was soft, barely audible. Amberle liked to listen. Sometimes it would stop for a moment and continue, and each time Amberle felt that her own heart might stop. The wind blew outside, and a chill ran through her body. She laid down on her bedroll but kept her hands wrapped around her. As she drifted off to sleep, Eretria's voice followed her. Honestly, it's not just the guys.