It Doesn't Sharding Matter

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 17th May 2006

Characters: Kiomo, Gleniel
Description: Kiomo and Gleniel come to an understanding
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 11, day 18 of Turn 3

Gleniel fidgeted as she waited for him to answer the door. Shards...of all the sharding days for the head cook _not_ to ask for a volunteer to take dinner up to Kiomo... She'd just given Gleniel the job. And, before, Gleniel wouldn't have minded. But now... Well, she did mind. Ever since a sevenday and a half ago to the day, she minded.

Maybe he wasn't here...

But he was. He opened the door with a broad smile, that faded slightly when he saw she was not nearly so happy to see him. "Gleniel, good evening. Won't you come in?"

"I..." Just to put the tray down. "Um, thank you..."

"How have you been?" he asked as he closed the door softly. "I haven't seen you for a while."

Her eyes darted briefly to the closed door. Shards, how could she make a polite exit with the door completely shut? "I've been...well. Busy. They've been needing me down in the kitchens more and more lately." Carefully she set the dinner tray down, wishing he wouldn't keep on looking at her like that.

"I just... Well, I had just noticed you weren't around as much, I guess," he said as his fingers wrapped around the back of a chair. "I just wanted to be sure that... That I hadn't done anything to upset you."

"Upset me?" Shards, were her cheeks growing as red as they felt?

They were, and Kiomo noticed. "You know, that you weren't... avoiding me on purpose."

Keeping her eyes focused downwards, she fiddled with the tray. "Why on Pern would I do a thing like that?" Oh, but she knew why, didn't she?

"I'm not sure, Gleniel," he said, studying her face carefully. "That's what I've been trying to figure out."

She forced a small smile as she slowly began to move to the door. "I'm not... I..." Shards, what could she say? "I should go..."

"Wait, please." He grabbed her hand before she could make her escape. "Gleniel, if I did anything to upset you, please just tell me. I will make it right. But you must tell me. I've... I've missed you, Gleniel..."

She stared down at her hand as if it had grown dragon claws--but she couldn't pull away from him. His hands were smooth...shards, so smooth.
A Lord's hands. While hers... Flushing, she shook her head, shifting.
"It's not right," she whispered.

"What isn't right?" he asked moving closer, trying meet her eyes. Trying to see what it was she was hiding in them.

"You said...you said you didn't want to repeat..." her soft voice trailed off, and embarrassed, she tried to slide her hand from his. It was only making things worse!

His wrapped an arm around her waist as he held her back. "Repeat _what_, Gleniel? _Please_, just tell me."

"The way you felt for Ankette." Faranth, he was so close. Too close than was proper. But she found that even as she stared up into his eyes, flushing, she couldn't find the will to pull away.

"They way I _felt_? Shards, Gleniel, I can't stop the way I feel. I wouldn't want to even if I could. But I will never let anyone take control of my life away from me again. _That_ is what I will never repeat."

"How _do_ you feel, Kiomo?" she heard herself asking.

"How do I..." He hesitated a moment as he looked down into her eyes. Reaching up to take her face gently in his hands he leaned forward to press his lips to hers in a brief, tender kiss.

Oh, Faranth... Her hands went to his arms as he pulled back to look at her, and she gazed wordlessly back at him with huge, green eyes, not know what to say--or if she could say anything at all.

Kiomo took her silence as an optimistic sign and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and brought his lips to her once again softly. Since she could not tell him what she was thinking in words, he would be patient and wait for her to tell him in other ways.

And she did. Her fingertips began to lightly stroke his arms as she slowly mustered enough courage to start to kiss him back, lips sliding along his, sweetly lingering. A heat began to build between them--a soft passion. Shards, how long had she been imagining doing this to him--or rather, him doing this to her? She could remember lying awake sometimes at night, wondering just how his lips would feel on hers. A soft sound escaped her as the kiss went a little deeper.

Pulling back a just little, he lifted his fingers to caress her cheek as he whispered against her lips, "I hope you can understand my feelings now."

"I..." Faranth. "Yes," she breathed, a part of her hoping that he wouldn't stop. And suddenly, it didn't sharding matter that he was a Lord's son, and that she was only a drudge born of a minor holding. It just didn't matter anymore.

Last updated on the May 17th 2006

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It Doesn't Sharding Matter