She wasn't sure why it occurred to her just then, but it did all the same.
I haven't said it yet.
She was in the middle of an important meeting—with Quatre Raberba Winner and other key investors from the L4 colony cluster, for that matter—discussing the prospects of successful atmospheric creation on Mars, a topic which she and the Committee had wrestled with for years.
And yet, she was entirely distracted by the matter of the Preventer agent who waited just outside the doors of the meeting room.
How could I not have said that yet?
It was the simplest of phrases, she thought—and considering everything else they had already done together, it seemed a mere formality as this point.
She swallowed a blush at the thought.
Would he say the same in return?
That question had plagued her for as long as she could remember asking it, and it was no less intimidating then as she turned it over in her mind.
Maybe. Maybe not.
She gripped her pen tightly, unaware of the curious looks she garnered from around the table as a result.
"Minister Darlian?"
She suddenly looked up, her stare somewhat frozen in surprise.
Quatre seemed to understand her distracted state of mind, and smiled gently.
"Ah, Minister Darlian, you must be tired from the long trip here." He suddenly stood from his seat, and the other investors and dignitaries followed his lead. "Why don't we resume this meeting in a few hours, when everyone has had ample time to recuperate from their journeys?"
There were some relieved sighs from around the table at his words, and Relena likewise threw the young heir to the Winner estate a grateful look. The other investors traded a few parting words with their respective diplomatic partners before walking off tiredly, the travel sickness from inter-colonial jet-setting seeming to catch up with them all at once.
"Is 1600 agreeable to everyone?" Quatre's assistant asked before they could shuffle out of the room, and the participants nodded dismissively, making the assistant frown in annoyance.
Relena, too, just barely suppressed a yawn as she approached Quatre, though her tone was sincere. "Thank you, Quatre," she said, smiling a little sheepishly. "I confess—I was having a difficult time keeping up with the discussion."
He smiled in return, patting her gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Relena—I know how busy you must be these days," he reassured her, continuing in a more concerned tone: "Besides, you seemed distracted—is everything all right?"
She reddened a little at the pointed question.
"Of—of course," she stammered slightly, plastering on a smile. "I was just tired from the trip, as you said."
The young diplomat could tell that he wasn't entirely convinced by her explanation; nevertheless, she knew that Quatre wasn't one to pry, and he beamed at her, covering for any misgivings that may have flashed briefly across his bright blue eyes.
"Well, then, I'll escort you back to your quarters," he offered his arm, making Relena blush.
"Oh, that really isn't necessary, Quatr—"
"I insist," the young heir interceded, gesturing to his bodyguards so that they might open the doors. Relena bowed her head in acquiescence as the doors opened before them; when she looked up, she tensed in surprise.
YOU ARE READING
Slow Burn
Fanfiction[Gundam Wing A/C; a 1xR series of vignettes post-Endless Waltz.] He had always been conscious of the fact that she—Relena Darlian Peacecraft, Queen of the World—loved him, and him alone. And yet that was the problem, since he could never give her wh...
