A Taste Of Payback

Sharing the Bed

"Remember the promise. I'll be seeing you" Alfred whispered in Esmeralda's ear as he ran to catch up with Arthur as he loaded the carriage.

"Don't miss me too much!" Spain slapped England's back a little too hard.

"Ooof! Shouldn't be too hard, you git" England murmured while rubbing his back.

Alfred gave on last look to Esmeralda before disappearing in the carriage. She watched as it became smaller and smaller, eventually until it became unseen. Spain sighed happily, "Well I'm glad that's over! Want some lunch princesa?". She shook her head, still staring in the direction the carriage rode off to. "I'm not hungry" she finally pried her eyes off the road and trudged her way inside, just wanting to be alone. She wasn't looking forward to a month alone with just Antonio. It made her nervous and her stomach got tied up when she thought about it.

Spain looked at her, shocked. "Not hungry? Since when are you not hungry?". He hurried up the front steps and into the large house. "Princesa, is everything okay? Did something bad happen?" he asked, suddenly concerned and ready to chase Alfred and Arthur and rip America's head off. She stopped a the foot of the stairs.

"Yeah, everything's fine" she just wanted to take a nap and recover from all the emotional stuff that happened just as quickly as it left. Her heart skipped a beat as a flash back was played. She remembered every last detail as if it was happening all over again. She sighed deeply, only to be surrounded by Alfred's sweet but earthy scent.

"Are...are you sure?" Spain raised an eyebrow, still worried. She started walking up the steps, one by one. "Yeah. I'm just gonna take a siesta" her voice truly did sound exhausted, and she was still a little sore from the events. Spain watched her go up, a little confused and disappointed that he didn't get to jump into bonding time now that it was just the two of them. He frowned for a bit before going out to the garden.

Esmeralda tossed and turned, only managing to rest, but not slip off into sleep. She cracked an eye open, and then the other. She sat up and tied her thick long hair into a ponytail. She rubbed her eyes and left her room. "The sooner the better" she groaned as she went to look for Antonio. She found him in the garden, kneeling by some ripe tomatoes. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Hola! No nap? Well come pick some tomatoes with me" he motioned for her to kneel down next to her, and she did so. Slowly, but she did. He grabbed a tomato from the vine and squeezed it. "You know more about tomatoes then I do. So tell me, is this tomato good enough for lunch" he asked, trying to lighten her mood.

She pretended to think, before reaching out and grabbing the plump fruit. Immediately, she started getting dreamy. The tomato was so perfect she just wanted to sink her teeth into it. She yanked it off the vine and held it close to her face. The perfect shade of red and just the right amount of hardness. Spain watched her carefully, not wanting to pull her out of her trance. He held his breath as she examined it. "I think it's perfect" she whispered, slightly tossing it into a basket.

Spain smiled and stood up, "Ready to start cooking?". The basket was already filled to the brim. The two walked over to the kitchen and started washing the tomatoes. Spain looked out the window that was right above the sink. "It's beautiful outside isn't it?" He asked, trying to make casual conversation. She nodded without looking outside. Spain found himself frowning. "Would you like to cut up some herbs I picked?" she nodded. Just a simple nod. She kept her eyes locked on the bowl that everything was being cut into. Spain managed a smile and gently placed the herbs and knife in her hand. He looked at her, worried again, and watched as she diligently cut up the herbs.

He set down his own knife, giving up and pushing the tomatoes away. "Esmeralda, please tell me what's going on" he put his hand on his hip and a deep frown settled on his face. Esmeralda continued to cut up the herbs, never looking up at him.