oxygen | druig

Chapter XIX

The sky was covered in the veil of dark, stars lighting, one more beautiful than the other.
She sat at the ledge of the window, had her eyes fixated on the area before her.

If Ajak was watching her?
Did the woman feel what she felt, does she mourn for losing her family too?

Her heart was-
she couldn't have put a word to it.

"What are you looking at?"

Persia dropped her head, lips curling up into a breezy smile.
"I still need to get used to you speaking like that."

Druig returned the smile, but it was way brighter.
"You're not the only one."

He sat right next to her.
She shifted her eyes over to him, watching about his features and taking them in like she never had before.

The outline of his face, all its edges and cuts.
Where his hair fell, where it caught the light.
His eyes, their almond shape draped with that calming blue.

Little things filling into one big picture, until she was sure she could recite in her sleep.

But still, she didn't look away.

God, she was never a person for the corny stuff.

Each time she saw couples giving each other weird nicknames, clinging to each other on the streets.
She would turn away and laugh about it with Maya all the time.

Persia wondered what Maya would comment on this.
You're unbelievable, or maybe even receiving a hit to the back of her head.

But looking at him, him looking at her.
It caused her chest to flutter, like those butterflies which poets described in books.

"You have a scar above your brow." she muttered after a while, lifting her hand and running her thumb over it.
„The left one."

So many times that it stood out to her mind.

„I must have gotten it a few years ago."
Druig replied, closing his eyes against her touch.

Persia shook her head softly, „No, you have had for centuries."

„There is no way, I would have let Ajak get rid of it."

She scoffed, then bit the inside of her lip.„Do you remember the dance?"

"What dance?"

"Never mind it then."

„No, tell me, what are you talking about?"
His eyes opened and he squeezed them thinner, curious.
He insisted even when she waved him off.

It pulled at her heart that he didn't remember at all.

„The dance? The last time we had a solid conversation, you know- on the wedding?"
She tried explaining, but couldn't see it click in his head.

„Yes, what does that have to do with a dance?"

She gazed up and sighted, dropping her hand.
„At the wedding, you asked me to dance with you."

Druig twisted his face into a laugh he tried to suppress but that only made it worse.
„I wouldn't have."

Persia hit his shoulder and pursed her lips, trying very hard to keep herself from turning her mouth archly.
„You're making me feel stupid."

The boy shook his face from side to side, sneering back at her.
„You're making yourself feel stupid."
Druig leaned further into her face, as if he tried finding the joke inside her expression.
"Tell me, why should I believe you?"