Red

RED - 8

"He has to leave"

"What?"

Cindy looked over at Snow before looking back at me, "We're going to let him live, but it has to look like he ran away and he's alone. Not like we're playing favorites. We're going to launch the attack in the wolves from all areas as we planned. The attack is tomorrow night. In the mean time, we'll set up a ship for Will to leave Fairy Tale Kingdom over the eastern waters. He'll be on course to dock on a lone island known as the Mordern World. No one knows him there. He'll resume a life under cover where no one knows him"

"Cindy-"

"Maybe in a year or two he can come back but this is the plan"

"You're banishing him?" I don't know why but I was upset by this.

"Not banishing," Snow put her hand in my arm for comfort, sensing my unhappiness, "Think of it as if he were moving. It's only temporary"

"They wouldn't let him stay with me," Aurora pipped up, "So this was the next best thing"

Ignoring her, I sighed, "Okay. Okay. Thank you Snow. Thank you, Cindy. Aurora"

With that I turned on my heels and exited the sitting room, closing the large double doors behind me. Outside, Will was pacing back and forth, and at the sound of the doors closing he stopped and looked at me before striding over.

"So? What did they say?"

He stood closer to me then he normally did, but I didn't push him away. I looked up at him as I spoke.

"They'll let you live"

An incredulous snile broke out onto his face, "Really?"

I nodded my head, "Really"

Without warning he cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips against my own, startling the shit out of me so much that my knee jerked up and hit him in his gut.

He hunched over instantly, his hands on his knees and he gasped for breath.

"Shit, sorry!" I bent down as Will kneeled to the ground and regained his breath.

"Am I that shitty of a kisser, Red?"

I giggled, shaking my head as I helped him stand to his feet, "I don't like being taken by surprise. You should know that by now you idiot"

He rolled his eyes at me and resumed to cup my face in his hands as he had previously done. The mood instantly changed and my breaths came out shallow, "Ruby, I'm going to kiss you now"

"Okay" I whispered, a ghost of a smile on my lips as he leaned in again.

This time, when he kissed me, I didn't push him away. I let his lips move mine first before I began to kiss him back.

What we both failed to realize was that we were still standing outside the sitting room and were making out in the middle of the hallway, but that was beyond my worries at the moment.

I felt like I was floating.

Will moved his hands to rest upon my waist and he brought me against his chest. My hands pressed between us as he held me closer, and I could feel how fast his heart was beating as we kissed.

A cough cut through the air like a knife and I pushed Will away from me immediately, turning around to see my two best friends smiling slyly at me, and a not so happy Aurora staring between us intently.

"We were just...-" I failed to come up with a believable excuse to justify what Will and I were actually doing, and I sighed, "Forget it"

With a giggle from Snow, she was the first to speak, "We were just coming to tell you that your rooms for the night are ready. We just wanted to know whether you would want to room together or separate" she suggestively hinted at me.

"Separate" i told them at the exact same moment that Will said, "Together"

The girls looked between us as I elbowed Will in his ribs, "Separate" I repeated.

"Are you sure?" Cinderella chuckled, and I nodded my head as Will shook his.

"We'll room together. Right, kitten?" He looked down at me with a smirk and I rolled my eyes.

"No, we won't"

"Oh c'mon, Red. It's my last night here"

At that reminder I hesitated.

"Fine" I begrudgingly agreed, and his smirk was present on his face again.

With that, Snow, Cinderella and Aurora led the way throughout the palace to where Will and I's room was located. Once we got there, Cindy explained what was going to happen.

"Breakfast will come in the morning around 9, so make sure your... decent, by then," I rolled my eyes, knowing that I was turning red, "This room is on the far end of the castle, so if under any circumstances that there is an invasion, do not leave this room. Tomorrow, we.re going to prepare for Will's departure, so around noon is when we'll come by. Don't leave this room until then, or else the guards will find out what we're going to do and get suspicious. The less people that know about this, the better. Got it."

"Aye aye captain" Will gave her a dazzling smile and a playful salute, and I smiled gratefully at her, "Thank you so much again, Cindy"

With a warm smile and a small and quick embrace, she left with Snow and Aurora following behind her. Once around the corner, I opened the doors to the room and Will and I stepped inside before I shut the doors.

"This place is... big"

"What, you've never had nice accommodations before?" I looked over at Will as he surveyed the large master bedroom, and he touches the tops of tables and dressers with care, as if his touch might break it, "Believe it or not, no, I haven't"

Shrugging my shoulder, I walked around the room as well, taking everything in. There was only one bed in this room, as I expected, but it was so big that I knew Will and I could keep to our own personal spaces.

At least, I was hoping.