Chapter 15 - Elowen
"Gods what I wouldn't do for some coffee right now." Elowen muttered, her head swimming with the knowledge she had crammed. Her first set of exams was coming up and she was beyond terrified she would fail. Delphi sat next to her, head down on the table in a feeble attempt to lessen her cramming induced headache.
"What I wouldn't do for some clove oil right now." Delphi replied, unable to lift her head from the table. "Even the dim candles hurt my head." She complained. Pushing away the stack of notes Elowen had taken over the last two months and leaning back. The library was now empty, with most students opting for dinner instead of studying. Originally Elowen judged them for not spending more time studying but regret had settled well into her. The idea of seasoned chicken made her stomach rumble. Looking over at the clock Elowen let out another sigh before getting up.
"Come on Delphi, we'll make it to dinner if we go now." Grabbing her friend by the arm and helping her up. Walking together to the cafeteria, Delphi rubbed her eyes. "Don't do that. It'll make it worse." Elowen warned, getting an eye roll in reply.
"Okay, sure." Delphi muttered before doing it again. "So, that boy I've seen you talking to." She started with a grin.
"No." Elowen quickly tried to shut down the conversation that Delphi had been trying to have with her for weeks. She had met the boy from the fighting ring, the one with amber eyes. He had come up to her three weeks ago with questions about that day's lesson in tactics. She had learned his name was Oliver and he was currently being trained to become a soldier.
"Oh come on," Delphi whined, "You start talking to a handsome boy and I can't even discuss it?" Delphi pouted, pulling out the puppy dog eyes as a weapon against Elowen. A weapon that she knew that Elowen was weak to.
"Okay fine," Elowen muttered, "His name is Oliver and he asked me for some notes from that day's class." Elowen said, dancing around the topic that she knew Delphi really wanted to discuss. Delphi glowered and muttered something under her breath that Elowen didn't catch.
"You know that's not what I mean." She huffed, kicking a spare rock on the path. "Have you guys talked about anything else?" Delphi attempted to press.
Elowen pressed her lips thin before giving in, "Yeah, he wants me to come to the next fight ring session." Elowen admitted, watching Delphi light up at this juicy bit of information that Elowen gave. Demanding more details, Elowen obliged Delphis request in search of seeing Delphi light up again. "He's very sweet, intelligent too. Lovely to talk about different school subjects."
"And he's easy on the eyes." Delphi grinned, raising her brows up and down in a suggestive manner. Elowen lightly elbowed Delphi's side, shooting a glare.
"I do not get what's with you and your insistence to talk about his looks." Elowen groaned, trying to avoid the topic of her getting a crush on him. Elowen looked at Delphi talking, her green eyes sparkling in the moonlight, her black hair swaying with each step. Her heart fluttered and her gaze dropped to Delphi's hand. Reaching for her hand, she heard Delphi speak.
"Did you hear me?" Delphi asked, nudging Elowen a little, breaking her train of thought. Elowen shook her head and asked Delphi to repeat herself. "He's very handsome. You have to admit." Delphi smirked, ready to accept her answer.
"Yeah, he is pretty handsome." Elowen said, and he was. Pretty black hair and amber eyes that looked like gold, Elowen thought about how Oliver made her feel when she was around him. Her heart fluttered a little and stomach flipped and then Elowen looked at Delphi. Yeah, he's handsome, but he'll never compare to you, Elowen thought as they reached their destination.
Sitting in the cafeteria with wonderfully seasoned and cooked chicken, green beans and cheesy rice, Elowen practically horked down her food. With a napkin on her lap of course. Delphi sat next to her, eating close to the same thing but leaving out the rice, claiming it didn't feel right in her mouth. Elowen listened to Delphi complain about her hand writing, how it wasn't as pretty as Elowens.
"I think yours is very pretty Delphi." Elowen smiled, Delphi rolled her eyes. I think you're pretty, Elowen thought.
After finishing dinner, Elowen asked to stop by the tulip garden. "I just like it." She said, sitting on the bench next to Delphi, she felt her heart race. Looking at the different colors of tulips that were perfectly spread out in sections. Glancing down at Delphi's hand that rested on the bench, Elowen swallowed the lump in her throat. Looking back up and seeing Delphi's eyes closed with the night breeze. Hand shaking, she gently rested hers on Delphis, ready to remove it at a hint of rejection. Instead, Delphi smiled and looped her fingers with Elowens.
Her heart drummed against her ribcage, threatening to burst through. Closing her eyes, Elowen let her hair down from its ponytail and let the night breeze soothe her scalp. She thought about her parents, about their love. She wondered if this is what it felt like, to be completely enamored with someone. Opening her eyes when she felt Delphi rest her head against Elowen's shoulder. Glancing down, they made eye contact and Elowen felt her cheeks turn warm.
"You look good with your hair down." Delphi said, fingers playing with Elowen's long brown hair. Watching with amusement as Elowen stammered out a thank you and her cheeks turning redder. "Do you like me?" Delphi asked, staring up into Elowens brown eyes. Blinking a few times with her doe eyes.
"Uh," Elowen coughed, caught completely off guard. Don't screw this up, she thought. "How do you mean?" She asked and Delphi raised an eyebrow.
"Do you like me?" She emphasized, pushing some hair behind Elowen's ear. Elowen felt a shiver go down her spine.
"I think it goes beyond liking." Elowen muttered quickly, knowing that Delphi heard and squeezing her eyes shut. Steeling herself for rejection. Delphi smiled and chuckled a little, pressing her lips against Elowen's cheek.
"I know. I just wanted to hear it from you." Delphi grinned, watching Elowen go from flustered to incredulous.
"What? Why you little-" Elowen stammered, her cheeks still red when Delphi pressed her lips to her own, shutting her up. Elowen relaxed into the kiss, grasping Delphi's face in a firm but still gentle hold. Delphi wrapped her arms around Elowens neck, keeping Elowen in the kiss that she wasn't trying to escape. Pulling apart, taking in breath with chests rising in sync. Delphis cheeks red, her lips plumped from the kiss.
"I'm glad you like me." Delphi smiled.