XII: Elias
The steam climbed up from the water in gentle waves, swirling in the air for a few moments before disappearing into the tree tops. Dew droplets settled onto the leaves of neighboring trees reflecting the sunlight into silver beams that shinned across the pool.
"Do you think it's safe," I muttered with skepticism.
Laia turned her head in my direction and glanced up making me very aware of the height difference between us. She pushed a tangled mess of hair out of her eye unaware of the leave tangled in her hair. "I think it'll be the closet we'll get to a real washing for a while."
My eyebrow tipped up. "That's not what I asked," but she wasn't listening. Laia had drifted away towards the pools edge to stare at the clear bubbling water. Her pack was dropped at her feet, forgotten. As she leaned over to examine the water a rush steam blasted her face sending her matted hair flying out behind her head as if she was flying. Laia laughed.
I kept a stern face and trudged up beside her keeping my arms crossed. Laia turned back and smiled then tore off her tunic. My jaw dropped. I stood frozen attempting not to stare. Of course she had an undergarment on but it obviously wasn't made with the intention of hiding anything. Very impractical, I mussed keeping my eyes pointed upwards. I heard her trousers hit the forest floor then a loud splash.
When I figured I was allowed to look I found her immersed in the water, eyes peeking out over the surface of the water. Steam fogged my view casting her in a pale grey light as oppose to the usual tan glow her skin held. Laia straightened up enough that her head stuck out above the water.
"Are you coming," She asked with a stunningly innocent tone and a wicked smirk. I watched as she sunk back down in the water, her dark hair fanning out around her. I wanted to join her, to possibly feel clean again, but something held me back. It wasn't that I thought the water was unsafe or that we might be ambushed at this exact moment (which was still a probability), but something else.
Another male might have jumped at the chance to bath with a half clothed woman, but this was Laia. Something about it felt wrong. No, not wrong, strange; like I would somehow be disrespecting her.
"You wash up. I'll go keep watch." I didn't turn back and glance her way as I made my way out of the clearing and back into the gathering of trees even though I knew she was wide-eyed staring at my retreating figure.
The echoed silence of the forest offered no comfort. I propped myself on a flatten rock and drew out a blade as precaution. Despite the fact I was supposed to be on guard my mind kept drifting back Laia tugging off her shirt without warning.
She was thinner than I last remembered, as if our short journey had already taken its toll on her. The sharp panes of her ribs and hips stuck out through the undergarment while the rest of it clung to her chest. She wasn't big, but she wasn't smaller ether; a good size.
Pain burst across my palm and I stretched out my hand to realize I had gripped the knife too tight and cut into my skin. Cursing myself I dug out a spare bandage and wrapped up the minor injury. A good size, I scoffed to myself. If I had the ego or the dignity to punch myself in the face I would. Thinking about Laia's breasts, what good would that do me? Nothing.
The blade dug into my palm again at the echo of the word 'breasts' bouncing around in my head. This time I slowly pulled it away and set it on the rock before I sliced open more skin and really did some damage. And god knows I could think about this topic.
I tried to focus on planning our route. If I was going to just sit here and wait for her to be done I could try and make myself usefully. I drew a map in my head tracing our path through the trees, skirting along the edge of Antium, crossing the Taius River, making our way through the Nevennes Range until only the Dusk River stood between us and the Kauf Prison. Other than breaking into the prison, crossing the Dusk River would pose the hardest challenge. Those waters are closely guarded and there was no way around it as the water way flowed the entire circumference of the prison. It would come down to sailing a stolen boat across, which could get us killed, or swimming across, which could also get us killed.
Odds are not in our favour.
The gentle breeze through the treetops whistled through the forest as I leaned back and traced the pattern continuously in my mind until a gentle splash pulled me back to reality. Something drew me back to the clearing too quickly even though I knew she wouldn't be re-dressed yet. I held back, hidden between trees. I knew it was wrong, to spy, but I was doing it anyway.
Laia was standing at the edge of the pool, water still dancing across her feet. An extra shirt hung around her shoulder like a makeshift towel. Her hair, even darker that it was now wet, dripped down her back which was turned to me.
I should have moved, but I didn't, I couldn't. I was rooted in my place like a tree. Slowly, she turned back so I had a clear view of her. Her eyes skipped over me as she gazed at the tree line. She didn't know I was there. Her movements her fluid as if the warm water had melted all the hard, jagged lines away. Even the purple circles that had started to develop under her eyes were smoothed over by the glossy tan of her skin.
She was so beautiful.
The breath caught in my throat as she stepped away from the water and let the shirt sink to the forest floor. She had taken off her top undergarment. From her waist up, everything was on display. I couldn't get air into my lungs fast enough to even attempt a shaky breath.
If any God was watching over us now surely they would be cursing at my behavior, but I didn't care. I was a tree. I could not move. I couldn't even breathe.
She stretched out her arms, oblivious to the fact that if I hadn't been able to see anything before now I surely could. She was so, so beautiful.
Laia turned and eyed the pond again as if she was contemplating climbing back into its warm embrace. The line down her back arched as she stretched again and I sucked in breath. She was short compared to me, yet her legs seemed to stretch on forever.
I leaned forward subconsciously, aching to get a better view. A twig snapped under my foot. I cursed.
Laia spun around like a deer caught in the road, forgetting to cover her chest. Her eyes were wide and striking as she scanned the tree line before realizing she was exposed. The shirt was quickly back in her hands and wrapped around her front. I could walk away, I thought, judging how quickly I could sneak off without her knowing. I could sneak off and she would never have to know it was me, but just as I making my get away her eyes tracked mine. Purely anger flashed behind her dark eyes.
I slowly drew myself out of the trees and into the clearing until I was clearly in her line of sight. I imagined I looked like terrified dog caught in the act of chewing up its owner's shoe.
Laia cursed. "What the hell, Elias." She cursed again, this time louder. Her body was nearly trembling with rage. "How long were you standing there," She questioned.
"Not long," I answered sulking, keeping my eyes anywhere but at her.
"I can't believe you," she snapped. "I thought you were better than that." My heart dropped. I am, I was.
"I'm sorry," I whispered still keeping my head bent. I felt sick.
"I'm sure," Laia scoffed. She grabbed a fresh change of clothes and stormed off into the tress barking back at me, "wash up, and fast! I want to get moving again." She was gone.
The water was unpleasantly hot and I couldn't get my brain to stop spinning. My stomach wouldn't settle ether and I constantly had to keep by the shore in fear I might actually get sick. She was hurt and I had hurt her. I followed her orders, washing quickly and thoroughly before climbing out and changing back into fresh clothes. I hadn't bothered to keep any undergarments on. It would have been a waste to get them wet anyway.
I found her sitting on the same rock I had been on, a blade gripped tightly in one hand like she expected an army to burst through the tress at any moment. Wordlessly, I handed her her forgotten pack and set out north into the thick of the trees. Her light footsteps behind me was the only indication she gave that she was at least following.
It was dark by the time we stopped to make camp in small clearing surrounding my large boulders. Laia pushed around me, keeping her gaze away from mine as she unpacked food and water.
"I'll grab some sticks for a fire," she muttered before disappearing behind a boulder the size of her, if not bigger. I exhaled sharply and leaned back against the rock at my back. The walk had done nothing to settle my jittery nerves or my twisting stomach. Usually, in this scenario, I would drift off to the training rooms at Blackcliff and beat the shit out of some training dummies, or Faris, until my nerves were settled. Out here, that wasn't an option. I opted for a large gulp of water followed by a few deep breathes. It was my own fault why I felt like this. If I had just stayed on that damn rock…
Laia returned with a bundle of sticks clenched in either fist. She worked silently to build a fire, shooting me a glare when I asked to help. I got the message, sinking on the ground as far away as I could get without looking put-off by her. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel worse.
She settled back against the rock mirroring my position as the small fire blazed between us. The stars grew in plenty as we ate our small ration of food. I made a mental checklist to start catching some meat, maybe make a bow and arrow
Laia set down her half eaten apple and started at me. It was impossible to look anywhere but at her when she was so intent on staring me down.
"Why'd you do it?"
I nearly choked. "What?"
"Why did you look," she replied like this was a card game and she knew she had the best hand.
"I don't know," I answered simply. Why did I look?
Laia looked unimpressed. "That's not an answer." I didn't want to fight with her, but I also couldn't think of anything better to say.
"I'm sorry," I answered back. "It was wrong; I never should have done it."
"So you knew it was wrong. But then why did you back out in the start?"
"I don't know."
"Elias," she snapped. She defiantly had the better hand.
I sighed. "It felt… strange."
"Strange? Like wrong?"
"No," I muttered while her face dropped slightly. "Strange, like it would be disrespecting you." She nodded while staring at the flames licking up to the sky. "I didn't mean it to offend you, I just figured-."
"But you looked."
"I don't know why I did," I was getting flustered. "You were just there and you didn't know I was there and you were so beautiful-." I swallowed my words realized what I had just said. I looked up and Laia was staring, but not at the fire, at me. Her hand shook as she reached up to tug a stray piece of hair away from her face.
"You… you thought I was beautiful?" Her voice was shaky and it made my heart break to think she didn't realize how beautiful she was.
"Are. You are beautiful," I said. Already admitted it, might as well go the whole way. Laia looked as if she was going to cry or throw a dagger at my heart (literally). I couldn't tell which. Her movements were jerky as she stood. The hard lines once again retraced by my own doing.
She stepped around the fire and walked to me with slow steps. I could only hear my own breath running jagged in my throat. Laia knelt in front of me and did the last thing I expected from her. She kissed me.
It wasn't quick and gentle. Her lips pressed roughly against mine leaving no room to breathe. I was scared, to scared to move while she climbed into my lap and pressed the length of her body against mine, but quickly pulled away when she realized I wasn't kissing her back. Her hands were cradling my head while mine shook violently at my sides. Her breathe mingled with mine in the space between our lips. What was she doing?
"I forgive you," she whispered then pressed her lips against mine again softly. This time I acted, raising my hand to curve against her back and hips while her own hands moved to tangle in my hair. She was so warm and soft. And she smelt like nature. Laia was beautiful.
She pulled away again, but only so our lips barely broke apart. "Besides," she whispered. "You're not so bad yourself," then winked.