Content Advisory: Sex


Chapter 12: Making a Move

It felt as if I had finally been let in on the secret.

After my night with Zyaire, all of those romantic poems, songs, and plays were beginning to make perfect sense to me. I strolled about the castle in a carefree state, swaying and sweeping throughout the halls, unable to stop smiling and giggling to myself. I felt like a heroine from one of those sultry novels that Mom claims she never reads. Word had gotten around the castle of my broken engagement and I was certain that staff members were thinking that I'd lost my brain. I was certainly not acting in a way that a young lady whose wedding was called off would be expected to act.

My dreamy mood was also starting to affect my job too. I found myself getting frequently distracted while working alongside my parents. Physically, I was in Mom's office. Mentally, I was in that little apartment above the repair shop…recalling how good Zyaire had looked in the moonlight…

"So, we need to finalize the details of their request by Monday at the latest…Poppy? Poppy!" my mother called to me from far away. I snapped out of my daydream at once and glanced at my parents.

"Oz to Poppy. Your head has been somewhere over the rainbow all day," Dad pointed out.

"Sorry! Sorry…" I shook my head, rubbing the large red spot on my cheek that had formed from leaning my face against my hand. I sighed and smiled sweetly at my father. "Dad, do you remember when you dropped your watch in a pickle jar and it stopped working?"

"Um…sort of?" he said slowly. He must have thought that I'd lost my brain too. "What about it?"

I just leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I can't thank you enough for that."

Zyaire had returned to The Emerald City as he said he would to pack and tie up loose ends. It was utterly unreasonable for me to feel this way, but I missed him. He hadn't even officially moved here yet and I missed him. After what happened between us, having to wait even a few days to see each other again seemed a more agonizing stretch of time than the seven years we spent with zero contact.

In a move completely out of the ordinary for me, I woke up extremely early on the day he was expected back. Preparing for a day of hard work, I dressed in warm leggings and a comfortable gray dress with a long-sleeved flannel thrown over it. I pulled my hair into a sloppy ponytail as I rushed down the steps until I stopped short upon unexpectedly encountering my mother in the foyer, sipping coffee in an armchair. Somehow, I got the sense that she had been expecting me.

"Morning, Poppy," she said in a light tone, peering at me over the rim of her mug.

"Morning, Mama…" I greeted her slowly.

"And where are you off to so bright and early?" she asked, arching one eyebrow. "Usually, you don't rise until noon."

"I'm just going to help a friend," I said evasively, shrugging on my winter coat.

"A friend?"

"Yeah, a friend. I'm helping a friend move in today."

"Does this friend happen to live in an apartment over a certain repair shop?" she asked casually as she took another sip from her unsweetened coffee.

I opened my mouth and closed it again, narrowing my eyes at her suspiciously. "How do you do that?"

"Why, you said it yourself. I'm the wise Elphaba Tigelaar who sees all, knows all. I have my ways," she smirked, standing out of the chair and walking towards me with a satisfied look. I rolled my eyes at her choice of phrasing. "And does this friend happen to be the reason you've been dancing around this place like you could burst into song at any moment?"

I scoffed…but then found myself fighting a guilty grin at her observation.

"Is it that obvious?" I blushed, knowing it was no use not to fess up.

"Yes, honey. It's that obvious," she teased, matching my smile. "Dress warm today, okay? Oh—and tell Zyaire he is welcome at the castle any time."

"I will, Mama," I said with a quiet chuckle, slightly embarrassed but also faintly amused. I buttoned up the rest of my coat and I started heading out the door.

"Poppy?"

"Yes?"

"You look…happy," she observed softly, holding her mug in both hands while giving me a doting look that made it impossible for me to feel annoyed at her. Elphaba Tigelaar sees all, knows all.

"Oh, you know me…" I responded with an authentic smile. "I'm always happy."

Morning moisture still hung in the brisk air as I eagerly waited for Zyaire outside of the repair shop with bagels and coffee in hand. I glanced expectantly down the way every couple of clock-ticks for any sign of him and did an excited double take when I at last saw him coming up the street with a cardboard box in his arms. As soon as he noticed me, his face immediately broke into one of those smiles I adored. I had missed that dorky grin.

"I thought you might like some help," I called to him once he was in earshot.

"Yeah, I'd love some," he said as he approached me, glancing around the area. "Where are they?"

"Huh?"

"Your team of movers from the castle, where are they?" he said in a very tongue-in-cheek way.

"I'm the help, you idiot," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh you! I'm sorry, it's just so hard to picture the future Queen of The Vinkus hauling boxes up the stairs!" he mocked me with a rascally grin.

"Uh huh. Keep that up and there's a definish chance she won't help at all," I advised.

He unlocked the empty shop and set the box down just inside the door. I stepped inside and set the coffee and bagels on the counter, rubbing my hands together to get warm.

"I brought you coffee, but I wasn't sure how you take it," I commented, turning to face him just in time for him to friskily capture my waist and pull me close.

"I missed you," he confessed openly.

"I missed you too..." I responded with a tiny smile. "Welcome back."

We met halfway in a soft but sweet kiss. I felt a little less silly upon hearing that he had missed me too, though I got the feeling that we weren't only talking about these past few days. Upon pulling away from our kiss, Zyaire moved to wrap his arms around me fully, cozily pulling me closer as he pressed his forehead to mine.

"You're just doing that because you're cold, aren't you?" I accused him in a whisper, the icy tip of my nose brushing against his.

"You got me."

Before too long, a carriage came by with the rest of Zyaire's belongings. He didn't have many things since he was mainly making due with the furniture Ike had left behind, so the move was fairly easy. Ike had closed the shop for the day so we could tromp up and down the stairs as much as we needed to without disturbing any customers…as if we had never disturbed his customers before. Ike had also apparently offered to help with the move but Zyaire insisted that he stay home. 'Dad has back troubles', he explained. I believed Zyaire's reasoning, I did…but I also suspected that it wasn't unintentional that we'd be alone together today. I certainly wasn't complaining.

Once all of the boxes were upstairs, I began helping him unpack and sort his things. However, it wasn't clear if I was helping or hindering the endeavor seeing as I kept getting distracted by his belongings.

"Everything you own is green!" I complained in disgust as I worked on hanging clothes in his closet. "Green—green—lime green—"

"Well, Poppy, I have lived in The Emerald City almost my entire life. It's practically a requirement over there."

"But you're in Vilnius now! This—" I held up an emerald green jacket with gold buttons. "Is not going to fly."

"I'll never wear green again if it makes you happy," he promised from across the room as he hooked up a lamp for his bedside table. "But you have to help me buy new clothes."

"I can help you there," I promised readily. I loved shopping.

I reached down to pick up another box but dropped it immediately with a huge thunk, finding itfar heavier than I had predicted.

"Oz, what do you have in this one, rocks?!" I complained, placing my hands on my hips and giving the box a light kick.

"Well, yes…"

My eyes widened and I slowly looked over to him in astonishment. "No…tell me it's not…"

"Sweet Oz, Poppy…"

"Is it the rock collection!?" I asked, jumping up and down in excitement. "Tell me it's the rock collection."

"It's the rock collection," he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking to the ceiling as if cursing the day that he had ever collected his first rock.

"I've waited years to see the famous collection!" I enthused, clapping my hands in excitement. "Show me, you have to show me! Roko kolekcija!" (Rock collection!)

He groaned and walked over to hoist up the cardboard box, setting it on the bed without breaking a sweat.

"Oz, that box was horrendibly heavy and you picked it up like it was nothing," I pointed out, twirling the tip of my ponytail with an impressed look.

"Yeah, well…you get used to heavy lifting when you're in construction. Plus—I mean—you know, I started working out quite a bit while living in The City so…" he stretched nonchalantly, even going as far to subtly flex as if I wouldn't know what he was doing.

"Zyaire, are…are you trying to impress me?" I asked, fighting off a highly amused grin.

"No!" he blurted out hastily.

"You are! You're flirting with me!" I fiendishly called him out.

"I'm not flirting with you; you're flirting with me!" he accused.

"Am not!" I gasped, still coquettishly twisting at the end of my ponytail.

"Are too! Look at what you're doing right now!"

"Okay, I am. But so are you!"

"Well…is it working at least?"

"Yes, it is," I grinned. I approached him in a beguiling manner and leaned in closely as if I were going to kiss him, but just before our lips met, I whispered…

"Show me the collection."

He yielded to my persuasion and we ended up sitting cross-legged on his bed, getting side-tracked from unpacking for close to an hour as he showed me some of his favorites. I was obsessed with the sparkly ones and asked him repeatedly if I could keep them. He denied me every time. Sometimes he'd go on a long tangent about how a rock formed, how he acquired it, or why it was cool. I was enthralled.

"You know you are so adorable I can hardly stand it," I praised him with a dreamy sigh. "I love that I can finally say that out loud."

I ordered lunch for us and had it delivered to the shop, but when it arrived, I had Zyaire go downstairs to make the transaction. I wasn't quite ready to be seen with anyone publicly, especially so soon after my engagement ended.

"The delivery person didn't speak Ozian, I can't believe you made me do that alone!" Zyaire complained upon returning upstairs, placing the bags of food on the bed.

"I'm sure he didn't care how awkward you were after receiving the tip I gave him," I shrugged.

"You didn't stay up here because you're ashamed to be seen with a shop boy, right?" he asked lightly as he unwrapped our food.

"Hm? Oh, come on. You think I'd be ashamed to be seen with someone as cute as you?" I said unconcernedly as he handed me a sandwich. "Things are just, you know, complicated right now."

Being the princess, being the future queen, meant that I was under constant scrutiny. My business was the The Vinkus's business, whether I liked it or not.

"The news about the engagement hasn't reached the newspapers yet. I'm just kind of anxiously waiting for the story to break. If I'm seen with you right after…well. Let's just say it might not do wonders for my reputation, you know? Or yours, for that matter," I sighed.

"Yeah, I get it," he nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I don't get it, but I'm fine to wait as long as you need. In the meantime, I guess it is a little exciting to be sneaking around like this."

"That's the spirit," I winked.

We ate and talked and got even more side-tracked from our tasks. Collapsed cardboard boxes, green clothes, and random objects were strewn all across the floor with no semblance of organization. Eventually, we mustered enough motivation to get back to work.

"So, do you still hang out with those friends of yours?" he asked curiously. "Darielle and Natalia or whoever?"

"Oh, Darielle, Tacey, and Natala? No, not so much. After I went to college, we all kind of drifted apart. Natala attended Locklimb with me for a few months but she dropped out. I still get a Lurlinemas card from Darielle each year, but we never talk. You know, I think Tacey is actually married with a baby already," I recalled.

I took a moment to reflect on my old crew as I folded some of Zyaire's spare bedsheets.

"You know, looking back, I don't think they were the greatest friends anyway. Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone actually likes you or if they just want to be close to you because you're in the royal family," I muttered.

"Well, I only like you because you're in the royal family," he taunted without missing a beat. I turned and smirked, tossing the sheet I'd been folding at him.

"I knew it, gold digger."

Inadvertently, my words reminded me of the altercation with the Runcorns in the dining room. I wasn't sure I'd call them gold diggers, but as Dad had pointed out, it couldn't be denied that the Runcorn's were an opportunistic bunch. While I believed that Royce did love me, or at least the idea of me, I also believed that he had been well aware of the advantages that would have come out of marrying me. I shook my head, trying to clear away any and all thoughts of Royce, and opened up a new box which was filled with various knickknacks. I began to dig through it before something I came across caused me to gasp in surprise.

"No way…"

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

I reached in and carefully pulled out a small polaroid photo depicting two teenagers making a silly face for the camera.

"I can't believe you still have this," I shook my head, turning and holding up the photo so he could see it.

"Of course, I still have it," he said, walking over to glance at the picture as well.

"We look so young…" I mumbled in disbelief, looking upon our fifteen-year-old faces. "Oz, we were such dorks."

"That's not all I have, let me see if I can find it…" Zyaire commented, rummaging through the same box. "Ah, here it is."

He pulled out a hardcover book and I frowned at first, not understanding how it was supposed to be significant to the two of us. However, he then flipped it open and handed it over for me to see a single, dried, red poppy pressed between the pages.

"It's…the one that you gave me from behind your ear. After I…"

"Lost your poppy?" I filled in for him with a hint of irony.

"Yeah. Well…I didn't want to lose my poppy again," he murmured smoothly, leaning in a bit closer to me.

"Good line," I whispered, numbly setting the book aside on his dresser. I delicately leaned back against the wall and shook my head, giving him a rather flustered look. "You kept it. I can't believe you kept it."

"Yeah, I did…" he breathed, the tension between us growing as he placed his hands on my hips.

"I kept the rock you gave me…" I confessed in a hushed tone, my eyes shifting down to glance at his lips. "From the river banks."

"You kept the basalt?" he muttered meaningfully.

"Yeah, I did…"

There was a momentary, lustful pause before Zyaire and I abruptly found ourselves fiercely kissing each other in a mutually passionate embrace. He pressed me against the wall beside the dresser and trailed kisses down my neck as my hands pulled at his shirt clumsily. Something about the revelation that we had both held onto those little keepsakes throughout the years sparked such a strong feeling in us that the only outlet that seemed to suffice was to tear into each other madly. He picked me up, as he enjoyed doing, and I fastened my legs around him, my nails digging into his back as I clutched him tightly.

"Oh Zyaire, you're so strong!" I teased him in a breathy, girlish voice. "Do you work out?"

"Shut up!" he growled as he flung me onto the bed before capturing my lips in another heated kiss.


"I'm afraid that you're never going to finish unpacking while I'm around," I regretfully informed Zyaire as I casually rested on my stomach, admiring my favorite sparkly rock of his which I had grabbed from the bedside table after we were through.

"Somehow I'm alright with that…" he sighed serenely.

"Never ask me to help you move again. Look at where my road of good intentions has left us," I shook my head, gesturing to our state of undress.

"Well…no good deed goes unpunished," he commented rather audaciously with a sly smile. I gasped and swatted at his shoulder good-humoredly before turning my attention back to the rock. The sun was just beginning to set which caused orange light to streak in through the sky light above. We had spent nearly the entire day together.

"You really like the geode, don't you?" he pointed out. I nodded my head and gave him an innocent, pleading look. That look could sometimes prove quite effective in getting me what I wanted, which at this moment, was the geode.

"Well, I guess if you really like it…you still cannot have it," he said with a wily smirk. I gasped at his wickedness and clutched the stone tighter.

"That's so unfair!"

"Hey, it's my favorite one. You can come visit it whenever you want," he offered.

I sighed in defeat and nestled into his side, pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder.

"Zyaire…come meet my parents," I requested out of the blue.

His eyebrows shot up and he gave me a nervous look. "Like…the king and queen?"

"No, my parents. I promise they're not scary. Well, Mom can be, but she won't be around you. I really want to show you where I live," I pleaded, taking his hand and bringing it to my lips. "Please?"

He looked into my eyes, hesitating for a moment before he nodded at last. I privately thought that while my pleading look hadn't worked when I wanted the geode, at least it worked for this.

"Just my luck. I find the girl of my dreams and her parents have the power to banish me if they don't like me," he groaned anxiously.

"Mmm…that is true," I confirmed seriously, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "No pressure."