Nadia found herself finishing the dishes in silence as she pondered what had just happened between she and Garin. His touch was something she couldn’t get out of her mind, and she knew as she stood there that her hands were getting pruny in the soapy dish water, but her mind was so clouded by what had just happened.
In fact, it was so terrible that she didn’t even hear Javik enter the house with little Kida in his arms.
“Nadia...” He dragged her name out as he said it, “Are you alright?” He waved his hand in front of her face and finally she snapped out of her daze.
“I’m sorry, hello!” Nadia gasped, her eyes wide with shock and embarrassment as she tore her hands out of the dish water. She quickly moved to dry them off on a drying towel and then turned to face Javik, who was chuckling.
“It’s alright, why are you so lost in thought?”
“It’s nothing really.” Nadia replied as she tossed the towel aside. She wasn’t sure if she could explain to him at that very moment what had just happened between her and Garin. However, she noticed that he also seemed to have something on his mind.
“So... why don’t you have a seat?” Nadia continued.
“Right.” Javik pulled up a chair with his free hand and sat down in it, putting Kida on his knee to bounce her. “I needed to talk to you.”
“What about?” Nadia asked, preparing tea for the both of them. She put the kettle on the stove to boil the water, then fetched the tea leaves from one of the cabinets above her head. “Mint?”
“Certainly.” Javik cleared his throat. “I know I should have said something sooner, but I...”
“Go on, I’m here to listen!” Nadia’s back was turned to him at that moment and she could hear him struggling to get the words out.
“I’m getting married!” Javik blurted.
Nadia dropped the kettle back on the stove and water nearly splashed all over her, she turned around, pale in the face from nearly burning herself! “What?!”
“I’m getting married!” Javik repeated.
Nadia blinked in shock and surprise, she didn’t even know that Javik had a woman to marry. She thought he was a single man with a little baby for an apprentice. Who? When? She was so puzzled.
“When did this happen, Javik?” She asked, moving the kettle off of the stove to pour their tea. Her hands were shaking, and she wasn’t sure when that began.
“Well... the woman who was coming over to help take care of Kida... she and I hit it off.”
