Chapter 7

They didn't make it to Florem that day. Late in the evening Ringabel landed the ship on the water that divided Caldisla and Florem. An anchor held the ship in its place.

"We should have stayed in Caldisla", Edea complained and wrapped a blanked around her shoulders. She had her legs crossed infront of her, sitting on a rather uncomfortable bed. Unfortunately it was the only bed on the ship. "I wanted to see Egil again."

"You also wanted to reach Florem as fast as possible and asked me to keep going", Ringabel who was now in his pyjama pants reminded her.

"I thoughed we would make it to Florem today."

"I have no intention on flying the whole night, even I need some sleep." He sat down beside her. Thankfully the bed was big enough to leave some space between, but Edea was still not happy about having to share a bed with the worst ladykiller she had ever met.

"Do we have to ..." Instead of finishing the sentence she gestured towards the bed. At least they didn't have to share a blanket which was something.

"You always have the option to sleep between sugar and potatoes."

"Why don't you do it, then?"

"Because I am the one who navigates this ship whereas you are a stowaway. The sooner we sleep now, the sooner we can continue to Florem. Good night, Edea", he said and turned off the last light in the sleeping cabin.

"Good night, Ringabel." She added a warning undertone to her voice. If he dared doing anything stupid, she would immidiately kick him out of bed. Turning her back towards him, she curled herself up on her side of the bed. After some minutes her eyes became accustomed to the darkness. Sleep refused to come and she started to restlessly shift in her sheets. When she turned around, she found that Ringabell was laying on his back, sound asleep.

They had shared rooms before, though Agnès and Tiz had been there, too. And they had never slept in the same bed, which was a totally different thing. Now she boldy leaned forward and closely inspected his face. She couldn't find any imperfections, no pimples, nothing. The only bad thing about him seemed to be the words that came out of his mouth when he was awake. He's more endurable when he's sleeping, she thought and brushed her fingers slightly over the tips of his hair. Strands of hair were falling into his face, the usually perfect pompadour a mess now.

"Like what you see?"

Her heart skipped for a beat when he suddenly opened one eye and looked up at her, obviously amused.

"Stop scaring me like that", she complained, hastily drew her hand back and turned around. Staring at the cabin's blank, wooden wall, she heard him say: "Did you really think I'd fall asleep so fast when being right next to you? Really, Edea, you should have known better."

"I cannot sleep, neither. You are creeping me out", she snapped back.

"You are the one who just got caught staring at me", he reasoned. "But don't be ashamed. Maybe you feel better when I tell you I watched you in your sleep several times before?"

"See, that's exactly what I meant. Creepy", she said. "Hush now, I want to sleep."

"Allright", he answered in a low voice. She felt his fingers wander through the lengths of her hair. The touch, no matter how barely noticeable it was, sent an electric sensation through her body. After taking a deep, unsteady breath, she rolled around. With the swiftness of a trained warrior, she moved on top of him and pinned his wrists down with her hands.

"I told you not to-" She stopped. And then, without thinking, she bent over, closed her eyes and kissed him. Her lips clumsily brushed against his rather than really kissing him and she quickly pulled back before things could become more embarassing.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking", she stuttered and moved back to her side of her bed. Hwas staring at her, eyes wide open, as if he couldn't believe what she just did. Then he awakened from his motionlessness and kissed her back. Softly at first, like he was testing if she allowed it. Then the kisses grew more passionate. By then Edea had already lost control of her actions; her body seemed to move on its own and her mind went blank. Her fingers were playing with his her while she snuggled herself closer into the warmth of his body.

When they broke apart, both heavily breathing, she couldn't tell if minutes or hours had passed. She was wide awake and felt her heart racing inside of her chest. She wished he they could continue kissing forever. If she had known it would feel that good ...

"Edea", he murmured against her lips, letting his hand wander over her shoulder, down her arm, until it rested at her hip. Before he could say anything more, she gently bit down on his lower lip.

"Shut it", she breathed and started kissing him again. Before he returned the kiss she felt him smile against her lips. It was then that her brain rebooted itself.

What are you doing?, it screamed. All the time she had tried to make clear she was not a sitting duck, and now she was basically throwing herself at him? Had she forgotten how much he liked chasing skirts? He might have said he changed, but still she shouldn't make it so easy for him. A flush crept over her cheeks.

"Stop", she whispered. He was leaving a trail of soft kisses on her neck and collarbone but paused now.

"Too much?", he asked, his voice husky. He locked eyes with her. "I am sorry for being too ... bold. It's just ... you make me lose control ..." He sounded serious.

"I think we should try to sleep", she said in a shaky voice. She badly wanted to kiss him again, but something inside her whispered to be careful. "We need to get to Florem as soon as possible."

"You're right", he nodded though he sounded insecure. After he lightly pecked her on the forehead she turned around, leaning her back against his chest. His arms slowly wrapped around her and she felt his unsteady breath at the back of her head. Several minutes passed until he murmured: "Is there any possibility I can ask you out without being rejected now?"

"I don't know", she answered, smiling. "Try to find out tomorrow."

"I will", he promised. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.