Perfect... (Middle Earth Inspired Short Story)

Chapter 9

Glaedir's POV
As soon as Lindir came into sight I stopped running, straightening my tunic and my posture. The clock tower chimed above us. Right on time Glaedir, nice one. Lindir smiled when he saw me, fiddling with the sleeves of his robes. They were dark green and suited him perfectly, flowing out and tucking in at all the right places. He blushed when he saw me looking, his eyes on the ground as I went over to him.
"Hi," I started. Lindir looked up at me, letting his hair fall down either side of his face.
"Hello," he answered shyly. I tried my best but my eyes trailed back to the green robes again, following the golden embroidery at the hems.
"You look beautiful," I said quietly.
"Wh-What?" Stuttered Lindir. I looked into his eyes, seeing that he clearly didn't believe me. Reaching forward timidly, I tucked his hair behind his ear, smiling as he leant into my hand a little.
"You look beautiful," I whispered softly, smiling at him "You are beautiful."
He just blushed, murmuring a thank you and trying desperately to keep eye contact. I took his hand gently, trying to contain an idiotic grin as he laced his fingers with mine.
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We walked through the gardens, hand in hand. The eastern gardens were the herb gardens, the different plants and flowers all arranged in neat, orderly rows. The slight breeze directed the individual scents towards us, the air sweet one moment and spicy the next. I listened intently as Lindir pointed out the different herbs and told me their properties for healing, just enjoying the sound of his voice. He was so relaxed, much more so than I'd ever seen him, his true personality appearing as the shyness diminished. Lindir's eyes were much brighter, his mouth so much more likely to smile, less hunched in on himself. Seeing him so happy and relaxed warmed my heart, his smile so infectious a matching one dominated my lips.
"I hope I'm not boring you," he smiled. I shook my head, chuckling.
"Of course not."
"Sure?" Lindir asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded. I watched as he knelt down on the ground by a row of plants and muttered in Quenya, smiling as a weak seedling grew stronger under his hand.
"How do you know how to do that?" I asked. The corners of Lindir's mouth twitched a little, his smile staying but changing ever so slightly.
"My nana had a garden, she taught me how to care for the plants, what they could be used for, everything," he said. I couldn't quite read his tone, but the word "had" told me everything. I sat beside him and put an arm around his waist comfortingly. He leant his head against my shoulder, our closeness comforting him.
"What's this for?" He asked softly. I gave him a reassuring smile.
"You can talk to me if you need to."
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Lindir sat up a little so he could look into my eyes, a expression on his face that I couldn't quite fathom. He was biting his lip a little, I would have called it nerves if it wasn't for the almost calculating look in his eyes. My hand moved instinctively from his waist to his lower back, rubbing circles gently. Lindir shuffled closer to me, leaning his head against my shoulder again and timidly resting one of his hands on my waist.
"You okay?" I asked softly.
"Yes," he answered quietly. I reached up the hand that wasn't on his back, beginning to cautiously play with his hair. A quiet, almost purr like noise slipped from his lips as he leant into my hand, encouraging me as a ran my fingers through his silky brown locks. My hand moved from his hair to his cheek, my thumb timidly running along his lower lip. We didn't speak, just stared deeply into each other's eyes, the breeze in the plants and the trees rushing in my ears. I was losing myself in those dark, doe like eyes that watched my every move, knowing deep in my heart that I was already lost to him completely.
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Lindir's POV
I could feel his beating heart within his chest, the way his strong arms wrapped around me, how surprisingly gentle his calloused hands were. I felt it all and so much more. I loved the way his hands ran through my hair, how careful and considerate and precise his movements were. When his thumb ran along my lip, my breath hitched and my heart stopped for a moment. Was this going the way I thought it was? I looked into Glaedir's greyish blue eyes, seeing the same nervousness that switched my emotions to overdrive. I tilted my head up to him a little. My heart began to pound in my chest as Glaedir's face drew a little closer. For a millisecond, the rest of the world vanished, leaving only us. His lips softly brushed mine, timid and uncertain, gauging my reaction. My eyes flickered closed and I kissed back, feeling him draw me closer to him. His hands went back to my hair as our lips moved together, leaving me breathless in his arms. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away and held me tight. It was then we knew we were lost to each other, completely and entirely lost.
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Faeya's POV
OH MY GOSH. Holy Valar. Too CUTE! Aerin had her hand over my mouth as she muffled my squeals, cursing under her breath.
"Will you shut it," she whispered harshly. I tried to talk but her hand was in the way, stupid hand. I needed to squeal about my otp, how was I meant to do that with her hand in the way?
"C'mon, or they're going to notice," Aerin muttered before practically dragging me away from my little brother and his boyfriend. No fair. Once we were at a safe distance she let me go. I straightened my dress grumpily and fixed my hair.
"Why'd you drag me away? I wanted to watch," I whined. Aerin rolled her eyes. Oh don't you dare play sassy with me, I can do that too.
"There is such a thing as privacy you know," she said. I put my hands on my hips and rolled my eyes. Ha! See! Instant sass.
"You are such a child," Aerin sighed, beginning to head back to the infirmary. Well someone's in a bad mood. I decided to leave Lindir and Glaedir alone, there are some things a big sister doesn't need to know.
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Lindir's POV
"I suppose you'd better be going then," I sighed as we reached the stable yard. We'd spent the afternoon together, hours and conversations merging into one another until the clock tower alerted us of the late hour. The stable yard was as far as I went. Glaedir had explained the situation with Lillieth, and risking being seen together close to the barracks was a bad idea anyway.
"I suppose," agreed Glaedir reluctantly. He didn't want to go back, it didn't take a genius to work that out. His own friend had become his worst enemy, his Sargent was pushing him harder than ever and he had the ever looming thought of disappointing his father in the back of his mind. Oh Glaedir, I just wanted to hold him tight and make him forget everything that troubled him. I gently embraced him again, nuzzling my face into the crook of his neck. He squeezed me tight in return. As my grip loosened and I began to pull away, our eyes met and I smiled softly.
"Goodbye then," I whispered. Glaedir leant down and kissed my lips, briefly but ever so gently, making my heart soar.
"Goodbye melmenya," he said, releasing me from his gasp and disappearing towards the barracks. In turn, I headed back towards the servants quarters. I had a spying big sister to track down.