One Of A Kind: Scenarios

Annora x Rafael

   Set after 'What?'

Annora's P.O.V

   We were setting up camp and I was the last one making my bed. Since me and Arlen shared we had taken turns in making the bed. Today it was my turn. Which meant everyone else got to go for a walk together and I was left alone. I thought Rafael was meant to stay with me, but he had disappeared.

   I fluffed up my pillow for the nicely made bed to look even better and sighed. I looked around but Rafael was still missing.

   "C'm on," I muttered. "Aren't elves meant to be respectable?"

   I stood up and did a full turn just to make sure he wasn't standing nearby and I was being blind. Not a single other person in sight, let alone an elf with an exceptional healing ability. A cold breeze blew and I hugged myself against the cold and realised how creepy it was getting. And when things get creepy, you want someone to be creeped with.

    "Rafael!" I called out. I wanted someone to be with and if the others had gone on a walk Rafael was the most likely to be near.

   After a moment of silence I started to begin to think he was ignoring me.

   "RAFAEL!" I screeched.

   "Not now!" I heard a faint reply.

   Groaning I started to walk in his direction. After a few steps I forgot where his voice came from, so I yelled out again.

   "Annora, not now!" I followed his voice.

   "Why? Why not now?"

   "It's nothing!"

   "What did you do?"

   "Nothing! Valdemar just happened to think we were incapable of protecting ourselves so he put traps around camp..." He trailed off as I passed a tree and saw Rafael hanging upside down by his foot. His arms were crossed and his legs straightened out and together above him made me laugh.

   I bent over and covered my face to calm down, once I was calm I looked back up and saw his face was going red. From anger or embarrassment or the blood rushing to his head, I didn't know. It just sent me into a fit of laughter and giggles.

   I started to forget how to breath and I fell on my knees, holding my stomach and letting out silent laughs.

   I looked back at him and saw him smiling slightly.

   "Want help down?" I asked.

   "That would be appreciated," he responded.

   It took me a  minute to find the rope to let him down. He fell on his hands and from the handstand he fell onto his back and let out a sigh.

   "Thank you," he said quietly.

   "What was that?" I teased and cupped my ear, pretending not to hear him.

   He sat up and smirked at me. "What? Are you getting old and are having trouble hearing?"

   I laughed at him. It was rare to get Rafael to play along with these things, so to me this made my day. I sat next to him and bumped my shoulder with his.

   "Nice to see you being carefree," I said.

   "I'm not care free right now," Rafael admitted.

   I turned to him.

   "I'm care that if I do the wrong thing you might run away."

   "Run away?" I questioned. "From you? How? I love being around you."

   "Do you really?"

   I knew he was having an insecure moment, and it made me care for him so much more. I realised how scared he was about me leaving. He wanted me to stay.

   "Don't you love being around me?"

   "It's one of the things I love." He stood up and offered me his hand. I gladly excepted and had him pull me to my feet. He used a little too much strength and I stumbled and lost my balance and ran into him a bit.

   With my hands coming up to protect my face they had landed on his chest, my feet still in a position where they couldn't support me properly. I was about a head shorter than him so when I looked up at him, the sun shining at an angle to make him look angelic, I realised how cliche the position was. Then I knew why. He cared so much about me. He didn't like Amber Eyes. I appreciated his looks a bit too much from the beginning. Then I appreciated him a bit too much.

   I stared into his mesmerising eyes as he stared into mine. I felt myself getting lost in them, in his arms and in total comfort with him.

   He awkwardly cleared his throat and set me upright on my feet.

   "I'll, just, umm, do rounds. Check around the camp." He scurried off, leaving me standing there, stunned.

   A small smile creeped it's way onto my face and completely forgetting about the cold I went back to camp with the scene replaying in my mind. Over and over again.

   When the others finally got back Rafael finally reappeared.

   "Anything happen when we were gone?" Arlen asked suggestively.

   "No."

   "Yes."

   Rafael and I spoke at the same time. We looked at each other and a small smile graced his lips.

   "I guess it depends what you mean," Rafael turned back to Arlen, who, for the rest of the night remained clueless.