Page 56 of Arrows and Gems
“Change…?” He was awfully cute when he was bewildered. And flustered. “Oh. No, I wasn’t—I merely wanted to reassure you that you did not err just now.”
“I didn’t err?” She widened her eyes innocently. “So I should try again?”
“No!” The panic in his eyes could have felt like rejection, but she wasn’t interested either. “Not that I don’t want you—”
“So you do want me?” she interrupted with a sly grin.
“No, I don’t—I mean, I don’tnotwant you,” he spluttered. His eyebrows scrunched together, and his cheeks were changing color again. “I don’twantwant…erm…”
Taking pity on him, she laughed and patted his shoulder. “Relax, Cap. I know what you’re trying to say.” It was sweet; he clearly remembered her words that night she’d left the campfire. He didn’t want his lack of romantic interest to make her feel unwanted. But she’d pushed him off-kilter, and his words were all mixed up.
The camp came into view as she dropped her hand. Several members of the band were sparring in the clearing, including Rouge and Laurent. Tucker had reached them and was pointing over his shoulder, his voice loud enough to be audible but not intelligible.
“What do you suppose he’s telling them?” she mused in an idle tone. Sneaking a glance at Cap, she saw him reaching for his hood, his eyes fixed on the people ahead of them.
She snagged his arm. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not hiding under that anymore.”
Instead of shaking her off, he frowned at her. “I’m not hiding. It’s cold.”
“It’s no colder than when your hood fell off,” she argued. “You don’t need it yet.”
His eyes narrowed. “I was warmer earlier. Now I’m cold.”
And there was her means of pulling him out of his stoicism again. Grinning, she batted her eyelashes. “The kiss was that good?”
Squeezing his eyes shut, he inhaled deeply and held it. “Margit—”
“Margit!”
Turning, Helena saw Rouge jogging up to them, sword in hand. The redhead’s smile was strained.
“Margit, I expected you back earlier. Weren’t you washing dishes?”
The dishes. Helena’s amusement evaporated. Looking at Cap, she said, “I left them on the bank.” It wasn’t that far, but the thought of hobbling all the way back to the stream was exhausting.
His eyes flicked to hers. “I’ll fetch them.”
“Cap, you don’t have to—”
“It’s fine.” Pulling up his hood, he spun on his heel and started off.
“Running away?” Helena called after him. He didn’t so much as glance back or lift a hand.
“Not much for goodbyes, is he?” she commented.
The whisper of a sword sliding into its leather sheath brought her attention back to Rouge. The younger woman’s mouth was pursed, and her eyes shifted between Helena and her retreating leader. “You two seem to be getting along well.”
Helena’s eyebrows jumped. “I suppose. Is that a bad thing?”
Rouge eyed her for a moment. “I haven’t decided yet.” Beckoning, she added, “Now that you’re back, you can start preparing lunch.”
Interesting.
A breeze fluttered the edge of Helena’s cloak as she dropped to the ground by the table. She arranged the cloak overher lap, then began pulling supplies from the bag Rouge set next to her.
The air was cold, but the sun cast its weak rays over her side of the clearing. Helena took a moment to turn her face toward its meager warmth. Winter wasn’t an ideal time to live outside. But performing mundane chores in the cold was much nicer than sitting inside all day, reading about anything and everything as she had at Marielle’s. It was unquestionably superior to her life in Ralnor.
There, she was neither needed nor wanted. Here…she might be both.
