forum Runes and Coffee (1-1, Closed)

Started November 24, 2022 by @Serpentess health_and_safety language

tune

Jonathan smiled back, but, as he gazed at her, he could tell something was off. Her sigh confirmed it. Something was definitely bothering her.

“Hmm… sometimes, I suppose. And, it’s not a stupid thought at all. There are things that happen that… somehow, it was meant to be. And, there are some things that happen… that should never have happened. We will simply never know which, until it happens,”Jonathan replied, a hint of sadness coming into his voice as he finished.

He pondered his statement, having unintentionally reminded himself of the reason why he’d had to leave his birthplace and sister. There were indeed some things that shouldn’t have ever happened. His banishment, for a wrong he didn’t commit, was one of them.

Andy nodded, staring down at her hands. Things that should never have happened, he had said. That statement, sadly, reminded her too much of her own life. She knew that he would eventually find out. Maybe it was best to warn him instead of letting him discover it himself. She could tell him her side of the story before the world bombarded him on what it thought.

“Jonathan, there’s something I need to tell you. I- I used to have boyfriend around a year ago,” she said softly. “He went missing on a camping trip we took last July.”

She felt her chest tighten. She could just stop, leave it at that. Let him come to the conclusion he wanted to come to. But no, she had to tell him her side of the story.

“Look, I did nothing to him. I don’t care what the news says or the police or anything else, I never hurt him. So whatever you hear…” She let out a sigh. “It isn’t true.”

Jonathan saw the way she looked down at her hands and suspected she was about to tell him what was bothering her. As he suspected, she did.

He listened patiently to her, noticing how troubled she was about the situation. When she was done, he gently put his hand on hers.

“I believe you. And, I believe I should tell you something in return,”he said softly.

He hesitated a moment, trying to figure out how to begin. He didn’t want to tell her everything, not yet, but he wanted her to know something.

“I… am a banished warrior from a distant land. I have been in… two or three wars. Also, my people were… still are… in a state of severe unrest. I actually helped overthrow the tyrannical man leading us. Yet, his heir, someone I once considered a friend, banished me and a few others for reasons that held no truth. He became a tyrant like his father, and… I helped him rise,”he said quietly, turning away and closing his eyes.

Without even realizing it, he had wrapped his hand around hers, holding it tightly. For a moment, it seemed to be the only thing keeping him from breaking down. Though, he quickly recovered, taking a deep breath and letting out of a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry. I do not mean to kill the mood. It’s gorgeous up here, and I am truly grateful that you brought me here. I never would have known how fun a fair is, if I had not met you,”he said, trying to lighten the mood.

A banished warrior? A distant land? If anyone else had told her this, she would probably think they were crazy, but something made her want to believe him. Maybe he was from a different country where warriors and tyrants were still a thing. It may have been slightly far fetched, sure, but it was the only scenario she could think of. She considered asking him more about the country he came from, but she saw how much it bothered him and decided not to ask.

She felt his hand slip into hers and, for a slight second, she saw him become vulnerable with her. Despite the fact they had met a few days ago, she could feel something change between them, and she intertwined her fingers with his. She almost felt bad for sharing her story. His seemed so much worse, but even so, both of their stories showed her how much they had in common. They both were outcasts in their own homes.

“Hey, don’t apologize. I like these deep conversations. They tell me a lot about you.” She smiled and gently nudged him. “As for the fair, I’m glad you liked it. We’ll have to do something like this again.”

Jonathan smiled appreciatively,”I guess it’s just been a while since I last had a deep conversation.”

His small smile then became a happy chuckle.

“Indeed.”

He looked down at their entwined hands, fascinated by how her fingers seemed to fit so well with his. It was such an strange feeling, to hold her hand, but it was also… nice, even comforting. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such a thing with someone else, except for, maybe, his sister. But, he hadn’t seen his sister in twenty years or so, and doubted he ever would again.

(Mhm, of course! And sorry about the dates; I get mixed up with them on occasion. 😂)

Andromeda continued to hold his hand even as they got off of the ride. They stayed in the fair for a little while longer, but soon, Andromeda began to grow overwhelmed and weary from being out so long. Still holding his hand, they began to walk back towards the car. Once they made it inside the vehicle, she turned on the engine and looked over at him.

“Next time, you’re picking where we go.” She winked at him. “I chose the fair, after all.”

(I believe that’s about right 👍🏻👍🏻)

Jonathan couldn’t help a smile as Andromeda continued to hold his hand. The smile stayed the rest of the time they were in the fair, and even when they had gotten in the car. It was such a small thing, simply holding hands, but it held so much meaning for him.

When Andromeda spoke, Jonathan snickered. In an instant, he already had a couple ideas on where they could go.

“Alright. I’ll be sure it’s somewhere special, since this was such a wonderful idea,”he replied with a smile.

“I really did enjoy this.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand before she slowly released it. She enjoyed hanging out with Jonathan, but a part of her hated that she was doing this. After all, her last boyfriend was still missing. She wanted him to be found more than anything, but she felt incredibly selfish for enjoying herself this much while he was gone.

She sighed as she began to drive down the road, occasionally glancing over at Jonathan. He would want her to be happy. After all, it had been a year, and she knew that she would eventually have to move on.

For most of the trip back, Andromeda remained pretty quiet, deep in thought. It wasn’t until she pulled into his driveway that she decided to break the silence.

“Well, here we are.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “We made it in one piece.”

She forced a small smile, unsure of how to end the day. She could just tell him bye, wish him a goodnight. But that just felt to… blunt. She could hug him, but was that too much? Or maybe she was just overthinking all of this.

“As did I,”Jonathan replied.

His smile widened momentarily when she squeezed his hand. He then kept his hand near her, in case she wanted to hold it again. He heard her sigh and looked at her, noting that something seemed to be bothering her. Jonathan didn’t say anything though, instead just turning to watch his surroundings.

On the way back, he noticed a few of her glances, and her pensive expression. Something was definitely nagging at her.

When they parked, he smiled again when she squeezed his hand and chuckled at her words. He was glad that there hadn’t been another incident in the woods, though part of him was paranoid that it would happen again. Damn his warrior instincts for always being on edge.

When he saw her smile, he noticed that it was forced. She was probably trying to figure out something to say, but he wondered if something was still bothering her. A gentle look of concern appeared on his face.

“Are you alright? You seem out of sorts,”he asked softly.

“Yeah, yeah. I just…” She let out a shaky breath. “I’m okay. I’m not really looking forward to going home, that’s all.”

Well, that was the understatement of the century. She may have had her suspicions about the town Jonathan lived in, but at least it was better than where she lived. The only people in her town who didn’t hate her was her family; everyone else thought she had something to do with her ex’s disappearance.

Now that she began thinking about her ex, a feeling of guilt began to grow inside the pit of her stomach. She shouldn’t be here, enjoying her time with Jonathan when he was still missing. What kind of person was she? Sure, it had been a year, but the death of a significant other felt like something she still shouldn’t be over.

“Sorry, it’s…” She wiped her eyes. “It’s nothing, really.”

The moment Andromeda started speaking, Jonathan knew for a fact that something was wrong. After a moment, he even started to smell guilt from her. He remembered what she’d told him earlier, about her old boyfriend, and wondered if those thoughts were lingering.

When she wiped her eyes, Jonathan gently took one of her hands and cradled it in his, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand.

“It’s alright, lass. I understand the wariness. I have had it plenty of times before. I also know when something is bothering someone. I am here to help however I can, whether it is just quietly hanging out, or if it is giving you a hug. And, if it bothers you bad enough, I’m willing to let you spend the night here. Whatever you need,”he cooed reassuringly.

“Thank you, Jonathan…”

She unbuckled her seat belt before she leaned over towards him a gentle hug. It was a bit awkward at first as they had never hugged before, but eventually, she began to relax into it. The last person she had ever hugged like this was her boyfriend, and that made her guilt grow even more.

“You know, the last time I ever saw him, I was at on a camping trip. I was still out at the campfire, but he had gone inside the tent to get rest. Eventually, I’d accidentally fallen asleep by the fire, and in the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of branches rustling and the zipper of our tent. I was too tired to turn around, so I just figured he was leaving to go to the bathroom or something.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, staring blankly at the ground. “Everything was a mess. Our tent had been torn down, and the logs of the campfire had even been thrown around. My boyfriend was gone, and the police, of course, though I did it. I should’ve been taken, not him. I should’ve been the one to disappear, but I wasn’t. And now, sitting here with you, I just feel so… guilty, I guess. This feels like something I shouldn’t be doing, but…”

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. The evidence that the police had did point to her, after all. Would Jonathan hate her when he found out about the full story?

“Mhm,”he replied.

When she unbuckled her seatbelt, Jonathan did as well. He then hugged her back. It wasn’t as awkward for him, since he’d comforted many people over the years, but he still took his time relaxing into it so he didn’t accidentally overwhelm her. Though, he could still smell her guilt, and it seemed a bit stronger now. Why?

He quietly listened to her story, rubbing her back as she spoke. It pained him to hear the tale, but it pained him more to see how much it bothered her.

When she was done with the story, Jonathan tenderly cradled her in his arms, continuing to rub her back.

“Do not be afraid to do something that makes you happy, Andromeda. Whether he is alive or not, he has yet to appear. And, sometimes, there is nothing you can do except move on until the mystery unravels itself. And, sometimes, it never unravels, yet there is still nothing you can do except follow the course of your own happiness,”he said gently, his tone sounding like he spoke from experience.

After he finished speaking, she stayed silent for a few moments, deep in thought. She highly doubted that her boyfriend was still alive; what the police had found at the crime scene had dashed her hope that he had survived. But, knowing her boyfriend was likely dead, why was she still like this?

She adjusted herself in his arms, tucking the top of her head under his chin. “Well, you make me happy.” She smiled faintly. “Does that count?”

She wasn’t expecting things to get so sappy, but she didn’t regret what she said in the slightest. She couldn’t help but steal a glance up at him as she spoke, studying his eyes.

Jonathan let Andromeda process his words at her own pace. He then easily shifted to accommodate her movements, cradling her again. Her words made him chuckle.

“Anything that makes you happy, including me, counts,”he said softly, smiling a bit.

He met her eyes when she glanced up at him, his gaze gentle and warm. He truly wanted to soothe her, and he also appreciated that he made her happy. She did the same for him, and he honestly didn’t want that to end. It had only just started, after all.

She closed her eyes as she rested against him, staying like that for a while. Something about him comforted her, and despite how exhausted she was, she didn’t want their time together to end. Eventually, she began to get uncomfortable holding him in the car and walked inside the home with him. She started a fire in the fireplace and, once she had finished doing so, sat down by it on the carpet. She looked up at him and smiled.

“Well, this has been a bit of a wild day.” She laughed softly before she glanced into the fire. “I’m glad we got to do this though. It’s been really nice…”

Jonathan continued to hold Andromeda, content with her in his arms. It was a bit uncomfortable, given how unused to cars he was, but he didn’t care. If hugging helped Andromeda, he would hug her all day long no matter where they were.

When Andromeda finally let go of him, he escorted her inside his house. The decor was a strange combination of medieval and modern styles. His living room was almost completely furnished with handmade things, down to true steel weapons hung about on the walls, while his kitchen was utterly modern and mundane.

The fireplace was set in the wall, and a tall stack of firewood sat nearby, seeming as if it hadn’t been touched in a long time. A large bearskin rug was laid out in front of the fireplace, and it even included the head and claws.

Jonathan watched Andromeda start up the fireplace, sitting down on a hand-carved wooden couch covered in layers upon layers of varying pelts. The couch was set in the middle of the room, on the opposite side of the bearskin rug from the fireplace. A pair of comfy looking chairs, built in the same style as the couch, were on the other two ends of the rug, also facing the fireplace. Two small, metal tables were set between the couch and chairs.

Jonathan smiled back at Andromeda, then stared into the fire as she spoke. A strange melancholic gleam entered his eyes as he stared and he quickly turned away to look at Andromeda.

“Indeed, it has. Yet, I am glad of it too. It has really been a while since I’ve gone out for anything other than business or coffee,”Jonathan replied with another smile, his voice a bit quieter than usual.

“Though, it’s also been a while since I’ve had visitors. Thus, do not mind the… well, odd decor. I’m a bit of a medieval era nut, as you can see. I am also descended from a long line of crafters, and I was taught the old ways of tanning hides, carving wood, and forging metal. Thus, everything in this house that is not modern, I made,”he added, both as an explanation and as a way to cheer himself up from his sudden melancholy.

(You’re all good! :)) )

Once she finished starting up the fire, she walked over towards the couch, but not before stealing a quick glance around the living room. She had never seen a home decorated with this sort of style, but she loved it. It was unique. Different. Not to mention that she’d been obsessed with everything medieval when she was a kid, so it sparked her interest.

It wasn’t long before she sat down beside him on the couch. She didn’t lean into him like she did in the car, but she had to admit, it was tempting. He gave the best embraces, and she would give anything to hold him again.

“Same here.” She looked over at him and smiled, her honey-colored eyes gleaming in the light of the fire. “I’m a bit of a homebody, you know? I don’t like going out much.”

She wasn’t lying. She was a homebody, but she also knew that there were other reasons for her not going anymore that had nothing to do with that.

“And don’t worry about the decor. It’s unique, but I love it.” She stole another glance around the room. “It makes your home feel… nice. Cozy, even.”

She took in a deep breath and, for a moment, allowed herself to close her eyes and relax. It had been months since she got to rest at all with her job, family matters, and of course, the whole thing going on with her ex. It was all too much, but now that she was here, she finally was able to feel some sort of peace.