────── Luke Pendragon ──────
Fall 1, 115
"Are you going to sulk for much longer?" She raised her head before putting her huge bag-like shirt on the bed that was meant for her. Her mother read her so well - they were very close, too close even, and it bothered her to be so transparent in her eyes.
"I'm not sulking."
It was true, or half true. In any case, she didn't want it to show so quickly. She straightened a rebellious lock of hair that fell on her face and shrugged.
"I'm fine, and you must be mistaken."
She wasn't sulking, at least not too much. She was just upset to be here and now, but she didn't want to blame anyone for that. She would have liked to be somewhere else with someone else. This simple thought made her blush, a reflex that her mother noticed. She couldn't help but give a thin smile while her daughter avoided her gaze.
Far be it from her to talk about her love life to her mother. It was true that she could confide in her, but she didn't want to. She just wanted... just to be with him. She finished putting away her bag when her sister and father finally came back. They had gone to get shirts and goodies to support the team whose name she barely remembered. Well, she was as captivated as any to see a Sand Surfing match.
"You look lovely in that shirt," her father said.
Of course, it was much too big for her. She looked more like a potato sack than anything else. The pretty shorts and the cute little top had disappeared in this enormous shirt that went down to the top of her thighs.
"Are you kidding me?"
Her father started to laugh and grabbed her arm to kiss the top of her forehead.
"Stop sulking. Clericus told me they were coming to the match... with Luke."
She shivered. With Luke?
"What... I... no but…"
Another laugh from her father and her mother too.
"Why is Aurora all red?"
"Shut up."
"I have to put on makeup, I need more…"
She didn't have time to finish her sentence before her father literally carried her like a potato sack to get her out of the tent. She told herself to calm down and that she would get to see Luke plenty. She shouldn't blame herself. This was all new to her - love, boyfriends, attention. She didn't really know how to react, who to tell. Did she kiss him when she saw him? Did she shake his hand? Was she going to stop blushing?
"Uncle, Aunt!" She raised her head.
Sitting in a dressing room, Luke had been entertaining Lily for a good half hour. It was a recurring game between the two of them, a game more entertaining to the little girl than to him. The rule was very simple. Lily would call out a color and Luke would comply by dressing up in clothes of that color.
Pink frequently came up, and each time, the six-year-old girl's face would light up. She never tired of it. For his part, Luke was now going through the exercise naturally. After half an hour wearing pink seemed as natural as breathing. He followed the rhythm of the colors called out by the little redhead. The exercise bored him quickly, but he never had the heart to express it when he'd had enough. She seemed so happy that he kept going.
Usually, it was Giuliana who finally came to his aid to interrupt the game when she saw that Luke was starting to get fed up. For the moment, he was holding his own, to Lily's great pleasure. Calm and relaxed, Luke was growing impatient at the thought of the game that was about to begin. Like all the locals gathered in the stands, he loved watching the various sports that were played in the desert.
After getting his mother's approval, he had eagerly agreed to join one of his neighbor's families. He knew his mother would have agreed to accompany him if he had asked, but he knew her well enough to know that she would get no joy from it other than seeing Luke's happiness. It was easier for everyone if Luke shared this moment with others.
Generally speaking, it was common for Luke to spend time with his neighbors. He was almost part of the family and it was better than is own in nearly every way. In general, Luke tried not to think about all this too much, even though, naturally, not a moment went by without the disappointment of his father hanging over him.
Although he had hardly known him, he didn't exactly feel good about being made to live out here instead of in the kingdom. Luke felt grateful for those in his life who could give him happiness. He felt grateful for a lot of people. His life wasn't easy, of course, but people were trying to make it better, and that was already a lot.
"Lily, leave Luke alone," Giuliana said as she walked in.
The little girl gave a small groan but nevertheless came to snuggle up to her mother's side.
Luke looked up, instinctively seeking Aurora's face, whose gaze he met a few moments later.
Instinctively, at the sight of his crush, Luke broke into a slightly silly smile, which he managed to soften after a few moments. Aware of the presence of everyone around them, Luke restrained his enthusiasm as best he could. He had to restrain himself from rushing straight towards Aurora and greeted her parents, her brother, and her sister before finally coming towards her.
His eyes shone, and he had, without much thought, still wore a bright blue hat from before.How beautiful she was...
"Hi," he said affectionately.
His small voice was barely lost in the hubbub of words and shouts that the world made around them. Aurora's mother understood right away that a little privacy wouldn't hurt, so she pushed their father to the side, waving to them to tell them that tickets were in their pocket.
Luke then placed a kiss on her cheek as he was dying to press his lips against hers, but, aware of the crowd around them, he preferred to be more subtle.
To remain clear about his intentions, he deflected his kiss slightly, pressing his lips to the corner of hers. A way of kissing her on the mouth without actually doing it. He then looked down at Aurora's outfit, and she gave him a slightly mischievous smile. It wasn't exactly the style of dress he was used to.
Right now, what mattered to her was him. It was the warmth of his body, it was his scent that teased her nostrils, it was his lips that he placed on their cheek and caused thousands of shivers that ran through her whole body. By reflex, she put their hands on his shoulders, ready to run them over the back of his neck.
"Nice shirt," he teased her, although he meant it. He was attracted to her in a way that he would have found her devilishly attractive no matter what she was wearing.
"Don't make fun of me!"
"Do you want to go?"
She would have preferred to stay here, staying with him away from prying eyes. She wanted him just for themselves. She would have liked to be a little more physical with him, now that there was no one around. To take his hand or give him a hug… but they were not able to do anything. Shy little thing, she were especially afraid that her father would come up from behind and grab Luke by the collar.
"I missed you. It's weird not seeing you every day anymore. My dad knows there's something between us... I've never told him things clearly, and I think my mom has already let the cat out of the bag. But he likes you, I think. Or he liked you before he knew that we were, you know..."
Illogical. But their whole family was illogical, so it wouldn't have surprised them if their dad suddenly found twenty flaws in Luke, now that "boy" had been added in front of "friend."
She winked at him before giggling stupidly, walking past him to the refreshment stand, the smell of food calling them. Lily was already jogging back, joined by her cousin Doman.
He had missed her. In fact, he missed her all the time. Sometimes, he even missed her when they were together, at the mere thought that they would have to separate at one point or another. After all, she knew better, having more experience than he in this area. When Aurora was in his field of vision, Luke couldn't focus on anything else. She attracted him like a magnet, and simply being away from her caused him an almost physical pain. He wanted to hold her close, letting every part of their bodies come into contact, and he had to painfully restrain himself.
Even now he was unable to tear his gaze away from her. His field of vision was reduced to the girl's face, forcing him to block out everything else. Aurora, also aware of the place and circumstances of their reunion, glanced at her parents and stuck out her tongue at them. Luke only smiled more. He loved everything about this girl, down to the smallest of her reactions. He loved seeing her cheeks blush slightly, he loved the way she smiled, the way she looked at him... He simply loved her, and he had in mind to tell her so one day. Not now, not right away, but he would.
In a sort of reflex, Aurora's hands came to rest on his shoulders. They both knew what he would do if circumstances weren't what they were, and that was enough for Luke, even if it tortured him. There was a taste of unfinished business on his lips, and he just wished he were somewhere else. He just wanted a little privacy. He knew it was in his eyes, and even though he tried to hide it, he knew it wasn't working.
He liked to tease her again and again. He loved it, actually. They both knew he was telling the truth. Aurora didn't care about sports, Aurora was only there to please her parents, her father in particular. Conversely, Luke was excited at the prospect of attending any social gathering, although now that Aurora was in front of him, he only wanted one thing.
"Anyways, my mom asked me to offer you to come over to the house whenever you want. You'll sleep in the guest room, of course..."
"You know him better than I do. Is there a chance this proposal is a disguised ruse and that your father will come and smother me in my sleep?"
That strange moment between childhood and adolescence, when it was hard to know what one could and couldn't say to one's parents. To that loving mother who had always done her best to take care of her child, to that father who wasn't around much but had always made sure to keep them alive. To those two people to whom it was hard to admit that a third person had joined the ranks of people to love.
As they approached a small stand selling all sorts of snacks, Luke opened his mouth again. "We have a little time before the game starts. Would it be okay if we walked around a bit while we waited?" It was a way to spend more time together before they had to mingle with everyone else.
Aurora seemed understanding. Maybe she too had already had this feeling that ran through her. It must have started somewhere with her father. It must have started with stolen kisses and shy glances. One sometimes forgot that they too had been young, that they too had had to hide to be able to kiss without being noticed by anyone. Maybe that was why her mother didn't assert herself more, why she placed a watchful hand on her father's shoulder, who still gave her a dark look to warn her to be careful.
She wasn't aware of the pressure on her boyfriend's shoulders. It was true that she didn't have to make an effort for his family. He only had his mother, with whom she had already spoken several times.
"He knows that if he kills you, he kills me with it."
A small, embarrassed laugh escaped her lips.
"Do you want to go watch the match now?" he asked.
"I want to watch the match! It's just that I have other things on my mind right now." Like him, a lot of him and a little of him too. And she had stopped following sports when her father started going away for work. He was no longer there to remind her which players did what, when, and how. One thing led to another, and she ended up losing track and never asked her father to put things in order for her again.
"But let's eat something first. And we're supporting the same team, right?"
Unlike Aurora, he didn't have a father figure to embarrass him. Spending the entire match with Aurora away from everything and everyone wouldn't be a very nice way to thank the people who had invited him to come along. He had been raised better than that, even if Aurora's presence jeopardized his good manners.
He loved hearing her laugh; it was perhaps the prettiest sound to have ever reached his ears. "Yes, we're supporting the same team."
He envied her for being her daddy's beloved little girl, whom he seriously struggled to see grow up. He was convinced that his relationship with his parents wasn't perfect, but at least she had had the opportunity to build one. His mother was doing her best, but there was a certain emptiness there.
They started walking, strolling leisurely alongside each other. Luke let his gaze take in the area, but he kept coming back to rest on Aurora at very regular intervals. She attracted him like a magnet, constantly stealing his attention.
"Do you realize this is our first date? Well, our real first date. We've never had a real date where you invite me to eat."
"You're not trying to pressure me, are you?" he then asked her. He briefly looked away from her to see that they had arrived in front of one of the food vendors.
He ordered some snacks before diving his hand into one of the pockets to get his hands on the money his mother had given him so that he could have fun.
"No pressure at all!" she said as the seller offered her them some kind of food that was covered in cheese.
"You know we're going to stink of cheese afterward?"
After that, she found a small isolated table. It was intimate, but she could still hear the hubbub of the people who were getting ready for the match to start. They had about half an hour.
"Normally we're supposed to eat real food in a nice restaurant." As if she were going to give him a rating at the end of the 'date.' She sat on the bench and gave him a place next to her, she didn't like him being in front of her, even if couples generally ate across from each other, she liked the proximity. The fact that he was within her reach, that she could pick at his plate or slide her fingers into his while he spoke.
"Next time then," he joked, knowing that he would probably never have enough money for a real date. Not while he was still training to be a half decent mage. Maybe if he joined the Academy someday…
Unable to hold back any longer, Luke, who was realizing that he was really hungry, started going to town. He popped it into his mouth as Aurora leaned against him. The simple pressure of her lips on his skin had the gift of soothing him was worth more than anything else. Once he'd swallowed his first bite, he turned his head towards her and leaned back.
"I'm sure there's plenty of other boys that would love the chance to take me on a date" She realized that what she said was mean… but it was hard to ignore that there were so many other options.
Aurora was stared at a lot by boys. She was one of those women who caught your eye and seemed to suck up all the light in the room to better refocus it on herself. All without being a crest mage. It had the effect of stoking Luke's jealousy. He hated that anyone would think they had a chance with her when they were together.
"I mean, yeah, you're gorgeous and everyone knows it."
"Oh don't worry. I always push away all the other boys."
Strangely enough, this was the last day that Luke ever saw Aurora. The excuse her parents gave was that she had been sent off to another part of Arcanis to study magic. Luke was never given a satisfactory answer as to what had happened, but he hoped that he would see her again someday. He never would really get over her…
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