Bonded

Chapter Eighteen

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India

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*"We had been worried when we did not find you in the library you had said you would be in... We truly are sorry to have startled you and the others..."* Kavya seems to be trying to chose his words carefully as he keeps track of the sight of his own fingers fidgeting on top of the table next to the scroll I had been sharing with Jian so Jian might control it for himself while we conversate quietly...

I find it so very hard to comprehend the words flowing from Kavya's mouth... The fact that the two of them apparently having come here in such a rush because they had not found me in the minor library where we had met somehow so very endearing... The way Ronin has yet to do anything other than keep his eyes on me while the both of them continue to try and calm themselves from their hurry to try and find me... "I apologize for causing worry... I just thought I should stay with the others today... That it would feel less lonely..."

It should not shock me to know that they already feel so very attached to me that they would feel enough concern to run through the delicately tiled halls in order to find me... And that they had been so worried over my well-being...

But somehow the knowledge brings such color to my face that I know there is no chance of hiding it, not that I would want to, even if I know that the eyes of my peers are doing whatever they can to eavesdrop... The feeling of having eyes trained on the three of us slowly starting to feel more and more normal as we continue to carry on in hushed voices... Ronin finally breaking his silence, "Next time... Will you let us know? Please, Darling?"

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Kavya

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It is so beyond enchanting to watch as Ronin's voice and question affect our lovely new acquaintance... The way India lowers his eyes from where they had been holding mine... More heat flooding to his cheeks... That delicate bottom lip of his disappearing as he starts to chew on it before giving our future husband a nod...

Jian, the fellow pupil of his that we had met last night, grinning like a fool as he neglects the scroll currently in his hands to pay attention to our love as it unfolds... A witness here only to observe... A witness that seems just as happy over our budding feelings for India as India seems to be himself..." I... I can do that... Do you think the two of you might forgive me for not being where I said I would be? I did not ever intend to cause you two any distress... I... I just needed the company today..."

The words are so hesitant as he sinks down into his sit... The guilty look that appears on his face alluring in the way that it makes me want to pull him into my arms and hold him... It makes me want to find his lips with my own and show him that there is not a single thing that he could ever do that would require our forgiveness... His gentle nature all too calm to cause a fuss... His temperament too sweet to let me believe he could ever shatter the connection that seems to be drawing the three of us together...

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Ronin

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"Oh, you hush... You need not even ask, India... But I am wondering if maybe you might extend forgiveness to us? For interrupting your studies?" Kavya leads with the words that were only just on the top of my tongue, and I find myself smiling as one of his nervous hands slips from the table to my lap where he can find my hand and give it a squeeze to help finish calming both sets of our flustered nerves... The heat radiating through him from his dragon melting so heavily into my palm that I almost want to take him outside to take flight so that he might be rid of more of the nervous energy that I know his dragon tends to long to then he finds himself distressed... His distress surely doubling when he looks up to find surprise in our India's startling eyes...

As much as it hurts me to know just how nervous this incident has made him... It's also horribly entering to be reminded of just how much of a caring person Kavya is, even if he does push himself to act stronger than he feels most of the time... Being by my side constantly one of the few things that backs his bravery when preforming our duties...

"Forgive you? It's hardly any kind of interruption since I have not been able to direct my f-focus very well today..." the small stutter in the middle of his words is nearly more than I can bear... And it is all that I can do to keep myself in my seat instead of standing and walking over to his side of the table so that I might hold him and assure him that everything truly is alright... Both he and Kavya... They both seem like they need to be held at the moment and it is beyond frustrating that I cannot do so in front of so many others... The way he so shyly strengthening the urge to almost an unbearable level, "If anything... I'm rather glad you sought me out... I... You might have been on my mind..."

The way his voice trails off as he admits it makes me smile... The fact that we had been on his mind at all a blessing... Well... A blessing if it is in a positive light and not as though he was trying to figure out how to let us know he has decided he is actually displeased with our advances...