summoners-path:

[ 大召喚士 ]

He laughed at her laugh, taking a sip of his own tea in an attempt to silence himself so she could speak. Instead, though, she looked lost in thought and he watched her, carefully, for any sign that something was wrong but found that nothing felt strange about her now. And after running her hands through her hair and taking the cup from him, her hand meetings his for a moment then, she smiled genuinely and all of the worry left him. She spoke then and he replied, setting his teacup down on the nearby table as he did so.

          “Oh…?”, he question, still not fully understanding the gravity of her words.

He did not notice her shift uncomfortably and when he turned back to her she continued. Her hesitant tone surprised him and he looked at her, head tilted in confusing, as he opened his mouth to speak. He wasn’t given the chance, however. A moment later, a flurry of words spilled out of her and, when she finally paused to breath, looking away, he was stunned.

          What is she…?

It took a moment, but the confusion slowly lifted from his expression as he realized what it was she was talking about. He’d thought she was drunk or simply being playful, caught up in the moment between a successful sale and a night on the town He’d never thought she’d even say anything about it… though he had hoped and reluctantly shoved that thought aside. But, here she was, speaking about it now.

          ‘I love you.’

As quickly as he was able, he moved himself from his seat to the couch next to her and, in one swift series of movements, he gently plucked the teacup from her hands and set it on the table before them and, placing his hands on her shoulders, he shifted her so that she faced him. Then, he hunted desperately for her eyes and, still holding onto her with a soft grip on her upper arms, he lowered his head and sighed.

          “Chuami…”, he began, for once calling her by her full name.
               “I know. But if I didn’t, do you think we’d be here now? Like this, I mean…”

He paused then, his hands gently moving across her a moment as he leaned forward once more to catch her eyes. When he did, he smiled and eyed her with a look of amusement and something else. His hands left her then and moved down to take one of her hands. He simply held it for a moment before threading his fingers through hers. Then, with a gentle pull, he grabbed for her attention once more. His voice playful, he continued.

          “You worry entirely too much, you know.”, he told her, smiling sheepishly.
               “But, I understand. And I… I’m glad you did.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back. Without realizing it, she’d almost talked herself into a corner, speaking as if he already knew about (don’t say her name don’t even think it) when, in fact, he didn’t even know (she) had ever existed. Sometimes it was easy to forget that he wasn’t actually able to read her mind, however much it might feel like he could at times. Thankfully, though, he seemed not to have noticed, and she wasn’t about to bring it to his attention. She kept her mouth shut and her eyes down as he moved to her side and didn’t look up until she heard her name. 

  Like this, he said, as if there were no real way to describe it. Was there? She looked down again, but she was quietly laughing this time, cheeks slightly colouring. Dragging her eyes back up to his, she started to speak and stopped to let him go first.

  “Do I?” she grinned, “Well then, at least let me do it properly. Drunk and accidental is a bit anti climactic, don’t you think?”

  She didn’t give him chance to answer. Pulling her legs up onto the couch, she turned to face him properly and held his hands in hers, staring at them, blank-faced, as she thought. After a moment’s silence, she looked up at him through her hair and grinned.

  “I hope you’re ready for this, it’s going to be disgusting.”

  She fell silent again. Eventually, letting out a deep sigh, she raised her head and met his eyes, smiling but still skittish. 

  “… I… I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I think everyone knows it already. At least, judging by the amount of teasing I’ve had from people, I think you may be the last person to realize it. That I’m…” Sigh. “Absolutely, irrevocably, deeply, embarrassingly in love with you.”

  She blinked, as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d said it, then laughed.

  “And that… that’s the first time I’ve ever said that. Properly, you know? I don’t… throw it around. I was kind of scared. Of acknowledging it. In case something went wrong. But… seems like the house is still standing. That’s a start!”