Ambition - Official Story (WIP)

Chapter 14

     "How many maids work here?"

     "There's no telling at this point. Yet the castle still has places to be cleaned every day."

     "If there are more than anyone knows, how do they all get fed?"

     "The cooks just make more food as they pour in. Or the servants make their own meals."

     "Is there anyone as tall as you here?"

     "Not really. I'm the tallest, which is sometimes unpleasant."

     "How many rooms are in the castle?"

     "Hmm. Maybe over a thousand. I have lots of spare or empty rooms that I often hide in to sneak a nap or two... don't tell anyone"

     "Favorite food?"

     "Yours."

     Nikki laughed, playfully pushing him a bit. His expression only brightened- his smile never wavered." Come on, you know what I meant."

     He sighed quietly. "Yes, I do. My favorite food is lemons."

     "Lemons?"

     "Of all things, yes. I like lemons. Lemons and kiwi... maybe crackers? Crackers are a great snack to sneak in your pocket to eat on later."

     Nikki burst into a small laughing fit. Steve stared behind his mask and relished in the sound of her happiness.

     He longed to hear her voice fill his ears and drown out the world around him, leaving his mind blank of anything but her.

     "Do you sneak crackers in your pocket?" she questioned after catching her breath.

     He slid one from his coat pocket and popped it casually into his mouth.

     Nikki was in disbelief.

     He truly is still a child by heart.

     "You never cease to amuse me," she sighed, resting her head in the crook of her arm. That got a chuckle out of him. Nikki gazed up into his face, wondering what was behind his mask. She stayed awake many nights, pondering that question. Was it hiding untold handsomeness, or insurmountable hideosity? And was that really a word? Was he really blind, or was it something else? He could read books, if the shelf in the secret room meant anything.

     She awkwardly shifted in her chair.

     "Any more questions?" he asked, finishing off his pocket cracker.

     "Uh... yeah, I guess," she started. "If it isn't too personal..." Nikki held her breath, a strange anxiety seeping into her Soul.

     "...what is behind your mask?"

     Steve was a bit surprised. He'd known she would ask eventually, but he hadn't expected it quite yet.

     He pulled his chair forward to settle closer to her. He stretched his arm out and placed it on the fabric of her dress covering her knee. "That is something I'm not sure you're ready to know yet. It might ruin the way you look at me."

     Nikki cocked her head at him. She didn't fully understand what he meant. "I wouldn't judge you like that, or ever think of you badly! Oh, please, let me see. Is it really that bad?"

     Steve's grip on her knee tightened ever so slightly, his fingers wrapped around as far as they would let him. Her whole body tingled under his touch.