Chronicles of the Selphia Plains [Rune Factory 4]

Three Little Words Part IV

Leon lay on his stomach on his bed at the inn, his tail and ears limp and dejected, one arm dangling over the side, his face buried in his pillow. He tried not to think about Avani—the light of his days and his nights—doing all those incredible, delightful things she did to him... only doing them to Barrett instead. His ears drooped a degree or two lower, and he reached for the clock by his bed—the clock she'd bought for him. It was just past midnight, yet sleep was far from him. He hated clocks, hated the way their merciless ticking and tocking marked the inexorable march of time.

Tonight he was especially resentful, though. He tried not to listen for Barrett's return, he really did. But each time he looked at the clock, he was painfully aware that that his fellow lodger was still not back in his own bed, and therefore was very likely in Avani's instead. He replaced the clock carefully—he might not like clocks, but this one was special—a gift, given to him by her the day after they'd consummated their relationship. He groaned and buried his face back into his pillow. The cold, aching pit of jealousy that filled his core gnawed at him from the inside out as it grew still larger, and for the thousandth time that night he cursed himself for ever making that careless promise that bound him still.

**************

Barrett startled awake, confused by his surroundings in the dark, unfamiliar room. He sat up, and felt a warm body stir against him. Still not fully awake, he jumped as a slender arm stretched across him, pulling him back down. He resisted, bewildered. Then more movement, and suddenly a lamp was lit. In the amber lamplight, he saw he was in a large, strange bed, and then he saw thick waves of pale green hair cascading over the pillow next to him, slightly damp where it clung to the glistening, naked figure lying at his side.

A split second later it dawned on him that he, too, was naked and slick with sweat, and then the memories came flooding back. Of Avani, fervently kissing him, pressing her nearly bare form against him as she ran sensitive fingers over his neck and chest, locking her doors, leading him to her bed. Of himself, hastily removing his clothing and her lingerie, kissing her lips and neck, caressing her breasts with his mouth and hands, exploring the soft green hair between her silky thighs as the sense of urgency in the pit of his stomach grew with his erection. Of the two of them, entwined, clinging to each other, moving to an internal rhythm that culminated in a release the likes of which he'd never known. He felt as though the hot flood that had exploded from him into her as they cried out in unison had carried with it years of heartache and pain. And then he'd slept in her arms—not a long sleep, evidently, but more refreshing than any he could remember in a very long time.

She rolled over, looking up at him with large, liquid eyes as her lips curved into a breathtaking smile. She reached up and traced circles on his chest, brushing against the light hair and making him shiver.

"Why?" he asked, looking down into her eyes.

"Because," she replied simply, "it was what you needed."

"Then we're... what exactly are we now?" he asked, frowning a little as he thought.

"The same thing we were yesterday: good friends who care about each other and help each other in times of need," she said gently. He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but she pulled him down to her and kissed him, putting an end to conversation as he felt himself eagerly responding to her touch.

**************

Barrett mounted the stairs to his room at the inn as quietly as he could, carrying his boots. He wasn't sure what time it was exactly, but he knew it was very late. Despite the exhaustion that swept over him in waves, he felt lighter in spirit than he had in years. He closed his door behind him and collapsed on his bed, not even bothering to undress. A quick look at the small alarm clock on his bedside table showed that it was nearly 4:00. He'd thought he heard sounds coming from Leon's room as he passed his door, but he wasn't certain—surely he'd been asleep for hours by now anyway. He was pretty sure the entire town was sleeping except for himself. A minute later and he, too, slept, snoring softly in a deep, healing slumber.

**************

He awoke late the next morning, and as he remembered the events of the night before, he stretched luxuriously, grinning broadly to himself. He went down to the baths and found himself face to face with Leon in the lobby, apparently just as he returned from a late breakfast, his ears and tail uncharacteristically limp. They both tensed slightly as their eyes met, an unspoken recognition of their shared intimate knowledge passing between them.

Then just at that moment, the door to the ladies' baths opened and Avani walked out. She spotted the two men, and exclaiming "Leeeooo!" in her exuberant way, she darted up to him and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over in her enthusiasm. His ears perked up and his tail wagged joyfully—his entire demeanor changing from wary and downcast to ebullient in the space of a single heartbeat. She gave him a kiss that lingered just slightly beyond what the elders of the town would consider tolerable for public display, then released him, grabbing hold of his hand instead.

"Hi, Barrett. I hope you slept well?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she turned to him.

"Yes, very well. Thank you," he replied, with a wide smile.

Leon's ear twitched a few times, and he thought to himself somewhat piteously that he hadn't—he hadn't slept at all well. Even after Barrett's early morning return, he found he couldn't rest.  He'd tossed until the sky began to lighten, then finally fell into a fitful, brief slumber, filled with nightmares from his past. He had awakened later than usual looking like something the cat—or his foxes—had dragged in, and only after breakfast and quite a lot of coffee had he started to look and feel human again. And now—now he was confronted with this man's scent so intimately mingled with that of his lover. It had been difficult enough to bear with Dylas, who at least had held a prior claim to her affection, but it was almost intolerable with Barrett. He gripped Avani's hand more tightly, waiting tersely for her to finish her conversation.

Meanwhile, Avani had moved closer to Barrett and rested her other hand on his arm. "Barrett," she said in a low, soft voice, "I did what I did last night because you are my friend, and I care about you. I couldn't bear to see you in so much pain—not from Yue leaving you, but from Dorothy leaving you. So I did the only thing that I could think of that might do you some good. Not out of pity, but because you're dear to me and I want you to be happy. I wanted to help you let go of your past so that you could reach out and grab hold of your future."

"I think you might actually have succeeded," he replied slowly. "I feel... I feel like a new man. I don't understand how you could have managed to effect such a change in just one night, but it appears that you did."

She smiled her radiant smile for him, and said, "Then go on, Barrett. Reach out to your future. Find your happiness." And with that, she turned and left, pulling Leon along behind her as she disappeared through the doors.

Barrett watched her leave, and as he watched her, he found that in all the places within him where Dorothy's face used to stare out at him, he now saw only Avani's face smiling up at him, peering with sparkling sea green eyes from under their thick fringes of lashes. His chest constricted for a moment as the truth hit him—he no longer felt trapped in a fruitless infatuation with Dorothy, but he knew that he had instead fallen in love with Avani. And seeing her with Leon, he knew in his heart that this love, too, would be unrequited. But... somehow, he didn't seem to mind it so much this time.

She had given freely of herself, and somehow that gift alone had released him from the old ties that had bound him without entangling him anew. Now his heart was free. He heard the echo of her parting words to him in his mind: "Find your happiness."

He had never imagined that three little words could change his life so much.