Warnings: None.
The ninth day of the journey, early in the morning
Fíli
I rocked back and forth on my feet as I stood by the tree where Sam wanted to meet me. I almost had not slept last night – again – because I was trying desperately to think about what I was going to say, but my head stayed empty.
And here I was, waiting, without a plan.
I nervously plucked at the braids in my hair, a habit I had developed when I was only a little boy. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned around.
Sam was walking towards me. There was a look on her face that was hard to read, and it made me even more nervous. She stopped about a metre in front of me and put her hands behind her back.
"Do your best," she said curtly.
I frowned in confusion. "Sorry?"
"Do your best," she repeated on the same tone. "Say something to make it up to me. Convince me that you're not the asshole that I think you are."
I did not know where to start.
"I did not mean it. That- That I only want to be near you to be able to ask you to save my family if they die."
She took a step forwards, looking like she was waiting. I swallowed difficultly and went on.
"I am sorry that I made you think that that was true. I truly am. In fact, think about it, do you really think that I would risk my life to save you, only because of that? Do you really think there was not something in my heart that told me that I would not be able to live with myself if I let you die?"
"I can't die, except in my own world, and I'm fully capable to save myself."
"I know that," I replied honestly. "I know you are a warrior, and I know you have saved my and my brother's life, completely on your own, without any help. Fact is that my despair got the better of me when I realized the spiders had caught you. I think I forgot how strong you really are. I am sorry about that, too."
Sam squinted for a moment, seemed to think about what I had said, and I kept my mouth shut, praying that I had not made it even worse. Then the redheaded girl took another step forwards. She was standing right in front of me, now, and there were only a couple of centimetres between the two of us.
She was a little smaller than I was, and if she came so close to intimidate me, it was not working. I had never before noticed the tiny freckles on her cheeks and nose, or how long her eyelashes were, or that her eyes were not one colour, but a mix of dark brown, black and gold.
She looked up at me and came even closer, so that I could feel her breath on my lips, and whispered almost inaudibly: "I think I can forgive you."
Then she sprinted away, and in a couple of seconds, she was gone.
I stood there, frozen, and unable to figure out how I should feel; relieved, because she was not mad at me, anymore, or ashamed, because I had thought, for a tiny moment, about kissing her?
A/N:
Yay! They're all friends again! :)
No double update this time, but there'll be quite a long chapter tomorrow, so don't worry!