Guardian

Chapter 19 - Pretending

Dawn

I was pacing back and forward in my room thinking about last week. I haven't talked to Lynn ever since, we had both been avoiding each other since and it was killing me. At the dinner table she would have small talk with Sky, but other than that it was just Ciro who could talk to her.

There was a light knock on my door causing me to stop pacing around like an idiot. "Yes?" I said opening the door seeing my sister standing in front of me. She looked down at the ground playing with her dress nervously while frowning. "Something wrong?" I asked pulling her into my room by her hand closing the door.

She sat down on the small sofa near the window still looking at her hands. "Did you...kiss Lynn?" She finally looked at me probably looking for an answer, while I blinked a couple times. "A guard told me..." She added.

"Yes." There was no reason for me to lie, she was my sister she had the right to know. She probably knew about my previous relationship as well and she didn't look at me in a different way.

Sky slowly nodded looking back at the floor for a couple of seconds and then back up at me. "Were you happy?"

"Yes."

The direct answer surprised the both of us, but it was the truth. As soon as we entered the city it changed though, there was a look of regret on her face when she walked towards the mansion. "Then I'm happy for you too." Sky gave me a small smile before standing up.

Sky always knew how to smile, even if all seemed lost she would smile. I couldn't smile, not when knowing the one you loved actually loved you back, but was afraid to show it."I messed up though." I choked out not being able to look at her anymore, I felt ashamed for the friendship I had ruined.

I could feel Sky wrap her arms around me pulling me into a tight hug, but I just stayed still. "You're allowed to hug back silly." I could hear that she was smiling and chuckled sadly feeling like an idiot. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, I was happy to have a sister like this, she didn't care who I was. "And crying is fine too." I hadn't noticed that I was until she said it.

She kept rubbing my back while I just kept my head buried in her shoulder. "You're the best, you know that, right?"

"I know." I could tell she was smirking by the sound of her voice and smiled to myself. She slowly pulled back looking at my face, which was probably red from crying. "Now, let's get you to your lover." She grabbed one of my hands and started guiding me outside of my room.

I didn't want to see Lynn, I didn't want to see her look past me like I didn't exist anymore. We went down the stairs and saw Ciro walking towards the door that lead to the yard. "Hey Ciro!" Sky yelled getting the boys attention as he turned around, a smile immediately appearing on his face at the sight of my sister. "Are you headed to Lynn?"

He nodded showing the basket he was carrying with him. It contained some food and a blanket. "She wanted to go outside and have a picknick." He explained lowering the basket again and turning to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah don't worry about me." I reassured him.

He seemed to doubt my respond and placed down the basket. "You're not okay, neither is Lynn. Look whatever happened between you two, work it out. I can't stand seeing Lynn like that and Sky can't stand seeing her sister like this." I looked over at Sky who slowly nodded at the statement. "Here." He picked the basket up pushing it in my hands. "Go out there, enjoy each others company and work it out."

Before I knew it, I was standing out in the yard with the basket as the door closed behind me. Lynn was on a bench near the small pound with her back facing me, luckily. I looked down at the basket and back at her before taking a deep breath. I started to approach her, each step I took making it harder to look away. "Lynn?"

Her body tensed up at the sound of my voice, it pained me to see her react like that. I lowered the basket a little bit, but tried to keep my eyes on her instead of the ground. It wasn't a big bench, but I decided to sit down on the other end anyway. "What is it?" To my amazement she didn't move or leave, but she didn't face me either.

I placed the basket down between us getting her attention. She looked down at it titling her head a little. "Ciro said you wanted to picnic, but he had to go somewhere and asked me to go with you instead." That was the best I could come up with, not my best excuse, but partly true.

She let out a small "oh." Her eyes left the basket and went back to look in front of her before getting up. "Follow me I guess." She started walking towards the stables and I quickly followed behind her with the basket.

There didn't seem to be time for talking when we were riding out horses. She kept her distance from me as I slowly walked behind observing her behavior. The tension seemed to be gone, but she since she kept her distance it was clear that she wasn't fully at ease. Not that it mattered since it was a short ride, it was just sad to know that she felt uncomfortable around me.

When she stopped I looked around only to see we were in the place it all happened. The roses were still there, not that they could go anywhere, but it was bringing back the memory. Lynn got off her horse and quietly placed a blanket down securing the corners with some rocks. I placed the basket down in the middle and sat down once she did so we were facing each other.

Getting a conversation going was the primary problem, especially since it was that awkward silence no one knew how to break. "How has your day been so far?"

Great way to break the ice Dawn.

I cringed at my own question while Lynn looked at the grass thinking. "I guess it was okay." She said finally looking up at me. Making eye contact was still hard as she seemed to avoid my gaze, but she was talking so that was something. "How about you?"

"It was alright, haven't done much yet." All I had doen was pacing around my room trying to think of a way to talk to her. "I saw you train the other day, you are pretty good with the crossbow." I regretted my choice of words immediately as I sounded like some stalker.

She didn't seem too bothered about it though. "Oh, well I like keeping some distance between me and the enemy. I am a complete fail when it comes to close combat." She admitted while nervously playing with the hem of her dress.

The atmosphere returned to that awkward silence again and it was killing me. I missed talking to her and now we have the chance, but neither knows what to say or do. "Hey...can we like, leave this all behind us and act like it never happened? I really like being able to talk to you, properly, but this is obviously not working."

She seemed to be far away in thoughts at my question while I looked at her hoping she would say yes. When she looked up, ready to answer she turned serious. "You're right this isn't working, but what we had at the start wasn't working either." I felt my heart ache at those words and hung my head a bit lower waiting for her to finish her answer, aka rejection speech.

But it never came.

I felt a hand on mine making me look up, our eyes locked this time since she was leaning closer. "I want to start a new chapter of us." I blinked a couple times trying to process what she just said, but I didn't have much time to answer. Lynn leaned fully forward wrapping her arms around my neck her body leaning against mine. I slowly wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her even closer.

She rested her forehead against mine as our lips brushed, last time she took action now it was my turn. I pressed my lips against Lynn's with a bit of force taking her by surprise, but that didn't hold her back from returning the kiss. My fear and frustration from earlier that day were washed away during our passionate kiss. Lynn had tangled her fingers into my hair, her body fully pressed against mine.

Sadly enough we are humans so we had to part to catch our breath, but I didn't let her part too far away from me. My arms were still around her waist keeping her against me while she rested her forehead against mine. "How are we going to keep this a secret?" Her question froze me in place as the memories of my previous relationship attacked my brain. I couldn't let the same thing happen to her, there was no way I could survive that again.

I pulled her even closer shaking a little, the fear of losing her kicking in. "I won't let anything happen to you...We are safe in the city, no one can tell us how to live our lives." My eyes were a bit teary and my voice broke a little, but I meant every word of it.

I will protect you even if it become my death.