Chapter 19 - Sharing a bed

An oil lamp dangled from the ceiling of the small room. Willow looked at the bed — it certainly wasn't big enough for the two of them.

"I... can sleep on the floor." Willow hastened to suggest, already looking for somewhere comfortable where he could spread out a sheet to improvise a mattress. However, the wooden floor, cracked and hard, looked less inviting by the second.

Aria sighed and crossed her arms. "No way. You saved my life today. I can't let you sleep on the floor, not really."

Willow paused for a moment, watching her. There was a slight tension in her jaw, as if, despite the lightness in her tone, she was really adamant about it.

"Aria, I insist. I don't mind sleeping on the floor." He scratched the back of his head, but she interrupted with a wave of her hand.

"Willow, I ate half the entire food stock of this inn, and you paid for it all. The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable too. The bed may not be big, but we can adjust. Besides..." she looked away as a slight blush crept up her cheeks. "... it would be so bad to share a bed with me, wouldn't it?"

Willow blinked, surprised by her frankness, but soon felt his own face heat up as he imagined what "adjusting" meant. He wasn't naive — not anymore. Being in the same bed and sharing that small space was something that would inevitably create an uncomfortable closeness. Or, perhaps... uncomfortably comfortable?

He laughed nervously, trying to disguise the tension he suddenly felt in the air. "Well, if you think we can... we can do it."

"It'll be all right, Willow. Don't worry." She glanced at the bed again and, with a slightly forced smile, murmured, "Just... maybe... you'll let me know if I end up taking up more space than necessary, okay?"

Willow laughed, but nodded. "Deal."

They got ready for bed, each taking off their clothes and equipment and leaving them beside the bed. The space around them seemed even smaller with their belongings scattered around the room. Aria sat on the edge of the bed and, as she lay down, she saw Willow hesitate for a moment. He took a deep breath and carefully lay down next to her. The bed creaked under their weight, as if protesting against the task of accommodating two people.

For a few seconds, they were both still, their eyes fixed on the ceiling. Willow could feel the warmth of Aria's body next to him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this close to a woman, as he'd always been too preoccupied with his work to try and become a manager. 

The space between them on the bed was tight, more so than he had imagined.

"Maybe if I hold you... we'll get... more space." He felt his face burn as he said it.

Aria was quiet for a moment, and he almost regretted saying it because the silence that followed was unbearable. But then she nodded slightly, holding her hands close to her stomach. 

"Yeah... maybe that's a good idea." She finally replied, her back to him.

Willow, moving carefully, approached slowly, trying to be as discreet and respectful as possible. His arms wrapped around her gently, feeling the warmth of her body. When his arms finally wrapped around Aria, he made a point of being as careful as possible. The initial touch was... awkward, but as he adjusted the position, their bodies began to mold to the small space of the bed. The soft scent of Aria's hair, with a hint of herbs and nature, enveloped him and for a moment, Willow wondered if this was some kind of bizarre dream.

The distant sound of laughter and heavy footsteps came from the corridors of the inn, but inside, in the small room, the world seemed to be made up of just the two of them. Willow closed his eyes, trying to find some peace in the unexpected situation.

"That's better," Willow murmured.

Aria agreed with a shy nod.

Willow, without realizing it, moved slightly, and soon felt a slight pressure near his legs. Willow's eyes widened. He immediately became aware of the situation and what exactly was pressing against Aria's back.

Aria froze. 

The silence, which had previously seemed relaxing, now became unbearably heavy.

"Willow... Could you... could you move away just a little?"

Willow could barely hide the shame that invaded his body. He pulled away until he almost fell off the bed. The heat in his cheeks was so intense that he could have sworn he was about to catch fire.

"I... sorry, Aria, I didn't mean to..." He stammered.

"It's all right. That's the natural reaction of a healthy man like you." She shifted on the bed, slowly turning to face him. "There, maybe that'll make it more comfortable."

At that moment, Willow finally gathered the courage to raise his eyes and found Aria facing him. He could see better than ever how beautiful she was. The closeness made his heart beat faster. Her hair fell softly around her face, with a few strands stuck to her forehead from the heat of the room.

However, for him, the new position wasn't as easy to handle as it was for her. Before, at least, he was looking at the back of her head — something harmless and neutral, right? But now... Willow's eyes were directly on Aria's breasts, which rose and fell gently with her every breath. The thin blouse she wore, of a light cotton fabric that seemed ideal for warm evenings, made it even harder for him to look away.

He swallowed, trying not to look like a complete idiot. Sure, they'd fought monsters and even shared meals, and she knew he wasn't a pervert. But this... this was something completely different. How should he act now?

"Are you comfortable now?"

Aria smiled gently, closing her eyes for a moment. "Yes. I think it's much better now."

The bed creaked again as he moved for safety, and he could hardly breathe without feeling the heat rising between them. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on anything else, his eyes kept returning to that small part of Aria's body that he tried so hard to avoid looking at.

"You're too quiet, Willow." Aria commented suddenly, opening her eyes and tilting her head slightly in his direction.

"Ah... I'm just trying, you know, not to disturb you." 

"I'm fine." She smiled slightly, an expression that showed that, for her at least, the situation wasn't as complicated as he was making it out to be.

"Good." he murmured, trying to relax once more, but feeling that he was failing miserably.

"I didn't thank you properly for everything you did today, you know?" Aria said suddenly, interrupting Willow's wandering thoughts.

"You don't have to thank me... But we're a good pair, right?" 

"Yes, we are." Aria closed her eyes again. "But still... you were amazing. I was a little afraid when my parents gave me the mission to come to Aethoria, because of all the stories about the Human Kingdoms I'd heard back home."

Willow could well imagine what kind of stories these were, after all elves were seen as monsters by some humans, while to others they were like succubi, i.e. sex demons.

"I think some stories have a grain of truth. There are greedy humans, yes... but there are also those who... well, who just want to survive. Just like elves, right? Everyone has their good and bad sides." Willow said.

"I know that now," she muttered. "You were one human who showed me that not all humans are like in the stories. I guess it's easy to judge when you've only heard part of it."

Willow smiled with a sincere expression, albeit somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I'm glad you see me like this."

She opened her eyes slowly, and something shone there for a brief second. A tiredness, yes, but also a touch of admiration that made his heart soar. "Thank you again, Willow, for saving me. This way, I can continue my mission."

"About that... about your mission. You don't have to tell me exactly what it is, but is it that important?"

Willow waited patiently for Aria's answer and, after a few seconds, Aria finally sighed, her eyes closing for a brief moment before slowly turning towards him. 

"Yes. My mission is very important. I'm hunting someone... an elf who should never have left Sylvanor."

A hunt? Aria always seemed so controlled and fair that it was hard to see her as a hunter.

"He's done something terrible, hasn't he?"

Aria nodded, blinking slowly as her body began to give in to fatigue. "Yes... He's dangerous... He should never have left Sylvanor. He's a traitor... someone who... who..."

Her voice slowed, the words beginning to trail off, almost as if exhaustion was finally overcoming her. 

Willow watched as her eyes began to close, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly with the effort of keeping them open. The slight blush that still colored her cheeks now looked less like embarrassment and more like pure exhaustion. Willow stood still, watching her with a strange sense of affection. Aria was struggling to keep talking, but it was clear that sleep was winning the battle. He felt torn between wanting to know more about this mysterious mission and simply letting her rest. She had been through a lot that day, and he knew that the emotional fatigue was also weighing as heavily as the physical.

"Aria, you can tell me more about it later. Rest now, it's all right." Willow murmured.

She mumbled something unintelligible, and her eyes closed completely.

Willow stood still for a few moments, just watching her. He smiled softly when he saw that a lock of hair had fallen over her face, close to her mouth. With a careful gesture, he reached out with his right hand and gently pushed the hair away, tucking it back behind her ear.

That closeness... Willow couldn't help thinking how unlikely this situation was. A few months ago, he would never have imagined that he would be in such a world, sharing a bed with an elf in a modest inn. 

Finally, he turned over in bed, his back to her, to calm his mind and body. A thought that had been lingering all day crossed his mind at that moment, too, and he remembered that he still had skill points to spend — three points, to be exact. He had been putting this decision off for a while, waiting for the right moment to invest his skills, and now, perhaps, was the ideal time.

With a deep breath, he opened his skill tree. The familiar blue-green glow appeared before his eyes, floating in the air like a holographic interface. He had already thought about which skills he wanted to unlock first, so he didn't delay in selecting them.

[Do you really want to unlock the "Transparent Lasso" Skill? This action will cost 1 Skill Point].

'Yes.' Willow thought.

[1 Skill Point debited.]

[You have unlocked the Unique Skill "Transparent Lasso"!]

The moment this notification appeared, a window similar to the one that appeared when I used the "Vision of Eros" skill appeared over Aria's head.

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Name: Aria Valenwood

Relationship Level: ♥♥ (02/10 Hearts)

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