Chapter 10: Comfort
He opened the door, the light of the corridor shining right into his dried up eyes. Squinting, he shielded his vision from the near blinding luminosity of the outside corridor as he quietly closed the door behind him. The hustle and bustle of the inn had fully vanished; it was very late at night.
All around him, there was the uncomfortable silence. Had he really been in that room, sitting in the darkness for so long? Had everyone gone to sleep? He realized that he had grieved for longer than he had anticipated and impulsively moved towards the door of his own room, shuffling across the floor in his sandals.
As he turned the corner for his corridor, he saw a sight that he didn't expect. Someone was standing by his door, looking downwards to the floor in a blank expression. She held her hands tightly together as she was leaning by the door, her hair hiding all of her face bar her mouth, which was shaped in a small frown. Lucius focused his eyes towards the figure, gulping when he identified the person stood at the door, still dressed in her battle clothes. Florina.
As Lucius appeared, Florina noticed him at once and looked up, her face wrought with worry. She stepped up to him as Lucius looked to the floor, unable to face up to her.
"Lucius…" she said quietly, looking into his forlorn eyes. He had to say something. He just had to, he wanted to dodge the impending conversation.
"Florina, it's late…" he mumbled, unable to think clearly. His head felt as if it were a cloud. "Y-you should be in bed…"
But Florina didn't move.
"…Are you okay?" she asked.
That was it. Lucius's memory was instantly cast to the events of the past few hours and he felt tears urging to escape his eyes once again. His vision blurred as the first tear fell. Sniffing, he gave away his emotion, causing Florina to gasp quietly.
"F-Florina…" Lucius sniffed, struggling to remain calm. "I'm s-sorry you have to see this…I-I don't usually c-cry…l-like this…."
"L-Lucius….please, don't cry…."
"I-I'm…s-s-sorry…"
As he stood there, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him and hold him tightly. Florina had taken hold of him and placed her head at the side of Lucius's neck. She closed here eyes and rested herself against him, her arms linked below his own. Lucius was surprised at the gesture, and realized at that moment how empty he felt. It had been a long time since he held someone in his arms.
So he wrapped his arms around Florina and held her tightly, yearning to fill the empty space that had quietly lodged with him all this time. It didn't feel wrong. He could only hear the sound of her quiet, calm breathing and his attempts to console his own crying. He tightened his grip, bringing his hand to her shoulder, pulling her in closer. He felt her grip tighten in response, their communication strong with each other. They were there for each other. Lucius had helped Florina many times before, and then, stood in the corridor, whilst everybody else was in an exhausted state of slumber, she finally found the time to repay him.
Sorry for the short chapter, maybe I'll make up for it by uploading the next chapter quickly!