Underdogs

FORTY-FIVE

❝Their love was thus seeded in the rich soil of mutual understanding.❞

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Chapter forty-five:

MORE THAN A FEELING

Galene walked in, following the corporal with determination yet hidden wariness. Her eyes flickered around the dark hallway, taking in the naked walls and the wooden stairs at its end. There was a door next to them, firmly closed by the looks of it.

"Farlan and Hannah live there," Levi mentioned after noticing her staring, before the man led the way up the creaking stairs.

Humming quietly, Galene followed him through the darkness. A single candle hung from the wall, so the light that bathed the place was dim. However, it posed no problem to her; living in the underground as a criminal with a price on her head had forced her to learn to become a shadow herself.

The sound of keys clacking echoed in the hallway on the second floor, before a door opened and artificial light illuminated her surroundings. Her footsteps were almost hesitant as Galene entered the room, stopping right after she crossed the door frame. The way her instincts awoke and her body became alert was a natural reaction to being in an unfamiliar place, and she didn't bother to hide how uncomfortable she felt.

"Try not to break anything," Levi warned as he walked further in and motioned for her to follow, leading her into a kitchen. "I'll have you clean up whatever mess you make."

There was nothing to break in sight, however. Pursing her lips, Galene scanned the plain-looking kitchen before walking through another door and into a bigger room. Again, there was nothing that caught her eye. A single window let moonlight in, thus allowing her curious gaze to notice the lack of decoration and mementos.

"Stop standing here like an idiot," Levi said in a flat voice as he sat down on a grey sofa. Crossing one leg over the other, he sent her an annoyed glance. "What's the damn issue, Galene?"

A conversation with him that could lead to an argument, a fight or an emotional reaction...

"If you're going to invite me into your house, at least get me a drink," she commented with a shrug.

Levi clicked his tongue in evident exasperation, but he stood up. "Just take a seat already, before I change my mind about this."

Satisfied with his reply, the woman sat down on the farthest end of the sofa and waited for him to return with her request. As she heard him taking glasses out of cupboards, her encounter with the woman from the capital flashed before her eyes. Something had changed between them again; the blatant hostility and grudge were gone, replaced by a strange sensation in her heart.

She could feel the desire to understand each other, to allow a second chance to fall upon them. For that to happen, however, Galene knew there could be no more secrets — no more lies. At that moment, she wasn't even thinking about how deep those feelings ran. There was an incredibly-painful truth in her heart: she missed him; the person who'd become her closest friend, the one who could truly understand her.

His voice snapped him out of her trance. "Here."

Meeting his stormy-grey eyes, Galene accepted the glass and took a sip. Immediately, her face twisted into a grimace. "What's this shit?"

"Rum," he replied without looking at her.

"You're fucking kidding, right? I hate rum."

She swore she saw his lips twitch.