Dragon Rider

Chapter 13

Stepping into the room, instantly stopping when my eyes land on River who is sitting on the single person chair that is positioned next to the couch where papa and Afra are sitting.

Anger fills my entire body at the sight of him, and I cannot help but bluntly ask him; "Why are you here? Come to tell me in front of my family that the reason you stood me up is because your offer was a pity offer? Did you get a good chuckle out of my stupidity?"

River's smile instantly drops into a frown as he stands to his feet, and walks toward me; "No, Larken. I came to apologize for standing you up, and beg for your forgiveness. I was dealing with the student that approached you yesterday. He had gone to my Superiors, and reported us to them. I had to prove that we were not having inappropriate relations before your eighteenth birthday, and you were not in my Instructional."

Staring at him silently, unsure if I believe him or not; "How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

He grabs his communication device from the front pocket of his outfit, taps on something before handing me the device which I take. Pressing the play button to watch the video from the Principal's office with the Principal, River and the guy from yesterday.

When the video ends several minutes later, I shakily hand the device back to River, asking; "Now what happens?"

"Now we are free to date if you would like?" River says, sliding his device back into his pocket, and looks at me hopefully. "The school is aware of our romantic feelings for each other, and we have their permission to date."

Staring at him for several seconds as I intently take in his facial expression, and I do not detect any dishonesty on his face.

"We can try, but if you are not comfortable at any time with this relationship, and want to end this, I will not have any hard feelings," I reply with a serious expression.

River smiles at me with a nod; "Can we talk somewhere privately?"

Glancing at my parents, they nod encouragingly, so I tell him; "Yes, we can. Let's go to the the Dragon's enclosures."

River nods in acceptance; "Let's go."

We head outside to the enclosure, and I climb onto the wooden fence to sit on the top piece, and motion for him to sit next to me. River surprises me when he stands in between my thighs after spreading my legs a little wider to accommodate him. He grins at me while gently resting his warm palms on my thighs with a soft squeeze.

"Larken, if we decide to try a romantic relationship, there are no ramifications for us with the school, or anyone else, I promise," River states with a soft smile, and another soft squeeze to my thighs.

Chewing on my lower lip in thought before nodding slowly; "Okay. I want to date you, but I am gonna be gone for the next eight weeks because I am interning with the Warriors and Scouts. Will you be fine with limited contact with me during this time?"

He widely smiles at me with a nod; "I am fine with this, my love. When you have free time, please contact me, and we can talk over devices. We can also plan dates for weekends if you have some time, okay?"

Instead of verbally replying, I lean forward to connect my lips with River's. He slides his palms up my thighs to my hips, where he tightly grips, and he deepens the kiss. He licks his tongue across my bottom lip, silently asking for entrance into my mouth which I instantly grant. We battle for dominance for several seconds before I submit to him. Sliding my hands from his hips up his back to his neck, and tangling my fingers in the hairs at the back of his head, and tug lightly, earning a light moan from River.

Smiling into the kiss, I can feel River smiling in return. Breaking the kiss when we need to replenish oxygen in our lungs, and our grins grow as we stare at each other. He lifts his right hand from my hip to cup my cheek, lightly brushing his thumb pad over my cheek.

"You are such a joy to me," he murmurs, leaning his face up slightly to peck my lips once.

Blushing darkly at his compliment; "Thank you, but that is you."

"Shall we head back inside before your grandparents arrive?" he questions, nodding his head toward the house.

"Yeah, but a quick question first?" I answer with a cheeky smile, and he nods, so I continue talking. "So, are we boyfriends or just dating?"

River's smile widens; "Larken Sawyer, will you please be my boyfriend?"

Grinning broadly at him with an eager nod of my head; "Of course I will, River Vincent."

River grips my hips to lift me off the fence with a smirk, and places me on my feet. Grinning up at him with a soft chuckle with a shake of my head at his silliness. Gripping his left hand in my right hand, and we walk hand in hand into the house. We find my family in the kitchen, and we only have to wait for thirty minutes before both sets of my grandparents arrive. When my grandparents enter the house, they hug my parents and sister before giving me a hug, and the entire time they are doing this, I see all four of them eyeing River in curiosity.

I hope they do not bombard him with a lot of questions, and embarrass me in the process. I want the rest of the day to go as smoothly as possible. I also wish that River would have asked his friend to meet me at the transporter pad earlier today to let me know what River was doing, and would not be arriving when he said they would be. This would have saved a lot of hurt and misunderstanding from me, but I can also understand why he probably did not think of doing this.