Simple Touch
The first time I touched her was an accident. It was while we were in academy together. We were reviewing an assignment together, and without thinking, I laid my hand on her arm. Almost immediately she jerked away from me. She was furious, and her anger shone in her emerald eyes, making them look sharp and cruel. She avoided me for a week as best she could, despite us being assigned partners. When she spoke again she was wary, and every move I made caused her to jump.
The second time I touched her was under different circumstances. While on a mission she received a cut along her cheekbone. When we returned to headquarters, she sat at her desk frustrated, trying to see herself in her small mirror. Her makeup was a wreck, and her bright red hair had tangles all down its long length. I stood for a moment, unnoticed, admiring for the first time her beauty. It was the first time I had ever seen her with all the theatrics put to the side, and it was an image I would keep in my head for quite some time.
I approached her desk slowly and stood a respectful distance away. "May I?" I asked. She flushed to a shade that could rival her hair, but she nodded once without looking at me. I took the towel from her manicured hands and kneeled in front of her. Gently I lifted her chin so she was looking at me, and brushed her brilliant hair behind her ears. With gentle motions, I began to clean her cut and wipe off her mascara that was smeared down her face from her tears. She kept her eyes lowered the entire time, as though she was ashamed. I finished my task quietly, then handed the towel back to her as I stood. I nodded and left the beauty to her thoughts.
Later that evening we passed in the hall on the way to our dorms. Our eyes met for a brief second, but nothing was said. Nothing needed to be.