His fingers followed the curve of her jaw, from her ear to her chin. From there he made an upward movement so he could caress her lips. He smiled when he felt her warm breath. But her eyes narrowed, expressing the fact she was feeling uncomfortable in such a situation. This kind of touch was new to them both. But he had dreamed of it for so long and he was certain she had as well.
But, she resisted. She had always resisted, by leaving him to wander across the world saving people. When she would finally return, wounded most of the time, he silently hoped that her resistance had vanished. Every time these hopes proved in vain. Even that night in the cave, when Chagum was lying behind them, he had reached out to her again. For a moment he thought she reached back. But soon she left him behind once more.
Yet now she was back and there were no missions or oaths for her to hide behind. She was just Balsa and he was just Tanda. They were a mere warrior and a mere healer, a female and a male and neither of them could have denied the love that existed between them any longer even if they whished. So when sat beside him with dinner, he could not resist.
Her hands trembled as his fingers continued to caress her lips. He feared to move anything else except his arm. But hypnotized by the look of her in the light of the fire, he could not stop himself even if he wanted it. So when he leaned forward to replace his fingers with his own lips, he finally got what he had dreamed off, for all those years. And he was sure that this soft, light-as-a-feather kiss, would be the sweetest thing he would ever experience in this life.