It's Your Home Too

Macha ran into her room and closed the door. She knew she drank excessively tonight, but she was positive she did not imagine the kiss. Macha replayed the memory in her head and touched her lips. Her hands shook. She wanted to stay in the kitchen because Tyr's kisses filled her with warmth and passion, but she did not know what would happen to their friendship once he sobered up.

Macha sat in bed for a long time, repeating in her mind that Tyr must have been drunk and kissed her without thinking. She said it like a mantra, over and over to convince herself that that was the truth. Macha covered herself with her blanket and cursed him. Now that she experienced what his kiss felt like, she would have a hard time forgetting it. Macha worried about how Taylen had been banished from the guild because she went crazy with love for Tyr. She loved Luna and Tyr very much and did not want to be banished too. She slapped her lips furiously with her fingers, trying to forget Tyr's kiss. "Stupid Tyr," she grumbled.

Tyr paced the kitchen. His feet heated the cold wooden floors. Replaying the kiss in his head, he thought Macha liked it, but she ran off. Her actions gave him mixed signals that made him worry. Tyr cleaned up the hot chocolate, waiting to see if Macha would return, but she did not. He was unsure if he should talk to her about it, but decided not to. It was late and she might have gone to sleep. Macha knew his intentions now, and that was enough for him.

****

The next day, Tyr went to his sister's office and closed the door. Luna was lying on the desk nursing a hangover. She wanted to stay in her room but had to finish going through the mail first. She did not bother to put makeup on today and dressed in her lounge-wear.

When Tyr walked in, he appeared like his usual self. He wore his usual black clothes and had his hair neatly brushed. He showed no signs of fatigue or discomfort. Tyr seemed pleased with himself as he took a seat across from Luna.

"What do you want?" Luna grumbled. She slid an invitation off her desk and it fell into the rubbish bin beside her desk. She hated how her brother had a better tolerance for drinking than her. Luna felt it was a waste because she was the one who enjoyed drinking and partying, not Tyr.

Tyr rested his ankle on his knee and leaned back into the chair. "I wanted to get Macha something special for Boreas's Day. What do you think I should get?" He was aware that Luna talked with Macha often and wanted to know if Macha said anything in passing about what she wanted to buy.

Luna's head popped up, and she slammed her hands on the table. "What sort of 'special' are we talking about? Do you mean a ring?" She smiled from ear to ear. News of Tyr possibly getting an engagement ring made her temporarily forget about her hangover.

Tyr gave his sister a strange look and shook his head, "We aren't at that point yet. Just something so she knows I like her." He could not fathom why his sister would jump to such an outrageous idea. He was not even with Macha, so why would he get her an engagement ring?

Luna pouted and looked away. Crossing her arms she reminded him, "Don't forget, Freyr likes Macha. He will probably do something for her too. I would get her a piece of jewelry so she can think of you when she wears it."

Tyr remembered Fenrir used to go with him and choose multiple presents for herself. She always wanted to pick out her gifts and did not like surprises. Tyr frowned and consulted his sister, "Fenrir didn't like surprises. Do you think it would be all right for Macha to not pick her gift?"

Luna raised her eyebrow and gave her brother a sidelong glance. She wanted to say a lot of things about Fenrir but chose not to. "I think it will be fine. Macha will probably be happy with anything you get her. She isn't like Fenrir." Luna reached into her desk and pulled out a blue cloth. She leaned back and placed the cloth on her forehead. It glowed white for a moment and she felt her hot face begin to cool.

There was a knock on the door and Macha opened it. She avoided talking to Tyr all day, unsure if he remembered the kiss or not. Macha looked at Tyr and focused on his lips. Her mouth was dry, and she extended her arm to hand him a form. "Bartosz needs your approval for the end of the year bonuses." Macha was trying to keep things casual between them. She did not want him to remember their kiss if he forgot it.

Tyr reached over and took the paper. As soon as he had the paper, Macha closed the door and hurried back to the office. Tyr rolled the paper up and tapped his head with it while looking at the closed door. He was not sure what to do about the kiss now.

Luna saw the interaction between the two. "So... everything all right between the two of you?" she questioned. Macha had acted strangely and Tyr seemed upset. She wondered if it had anything to do with Tyr worrying about Boreas's Day.

Tyr ignored Luna's question and got up out of the seat to head back to his office. He did not want to talk about his actions with his sister. Tyr thought he should talk about the kiss with Macha, but he could not think of how to start the conversation. He actually assumed she would bring it up today, but she remained silent. Macha even seemed to avoid him. Now Tyr worried that he read her reaction wrong, and she actually disliked him kissing her.

****

Tyr had some errands to run, so he and Macha ate out for dinner. He regarded this as a perfect opportunity to breach the subject on their kiss. Tyr chose a romantic restaurant with a musician who played ambient music in the background. The proprietor spaced the seats out to give the guests privacy.

Tyr secretly ordered them both hot chocolates for their drinks. When the steaming drinks came to the table, he looked over the rim of his cup to see Macha's reaction. He was confident Macha did not drink so much last night that she would not remember the kiss, but he needed to be sure.

Macha pulled the cup closer and stared at it. She peeked up at Tyr and their eyes met. She tore her eyes away and looked down at her mug. Macha fixated on blowing the steaming liquid. Racking her brain for something to talk about she said, "The shops have a lot of blankets on sale. I was thinking of getting one for the sofa in the living room." She mentally patted herself on the back for this topic. It seemed like a safe and neutral topic that had nothing to do with kissing or hot chocolate.

Tyr smiled. He assumed Macha hinted at Boreas's Day. He realized she must be embarrassed about the kiss and just did not want to talk about it. "If you got one, perhaps we could use it when we get cold." Tyr's heart grew and he looked forward to the holiday. He wanted to share a blanket with Macha and relax.

Macha nodded with enthusiasm. She was delighted this topic seemed to mend the awkward tension they had experienced all day. "I was thinking the apartment could use more color... I would prefer to get one that wasn't black or grey," she ventured. Macha hated how the apartment lacked color and wanted to see if Tyr would be open to changing it.

Macha talking about changing the apartment consoled Tyr's worries even further. With how Macha acted today, he felt unsure if she considered moving out. If Macha talked about changing the apartment, then she viewed it as her home and that was fine to him. "Do whatever changes you want to. It's your home too."

When the food came, Tyr reached over and took Macha's plate. He cut her steak into smaller pieces for her. He always did this, but Macha now wondered if there was more behind his actions than she previously thought. Originally he would just treat her as a child, but after last night, she questioned everything he did. Upset with her conceitedness Macha wanted to straighten out her thoughts. She decided she needed to ask one question to clarify everything. Macha straightened up as Tyr passed the plate back to her. She picked up her fork and spun it around in her hands. "Tyr, do you remember what happens when you drink?"

Tyr wanted to jump up in the air. He had waited all day for her to bring up the subject of last night. He gave a wide smile and cut his chicken with smooth strokes. Tyr replied calmly, "Of course, do you?" He glanced over at Macha. The thought that she might not remember the kiss still worried him.

Macha stabbed a piece of meat on her plate and shoved it in her mouth. She was not expecting him to ask her the same question. In her mind, it was the same as asking if she remembered the kiss. Macha did not have the courage to say anything, so she nodded her head.

"Good," Tyr replied and pushed her hot chocolate towards her. The small nod of her head alleviated his worries. To help emphasize that he remembered the kiss he added, "Why don't you have some more hot chocolate?"