Killing Softly ✞ (gxg)

16 | traitor

"Thank God, it's just us tonight," Peter mumbled as he pulled a chair out from the large dining table.

"I know," Lily said with a smile as she sat across from him, scooting herself up under the table which only had the two of them as its guests that night. She truly was grateful that not William nor Giana was there, but she found herself feeling worried at both the absences of Jasmine and Queen Rose, a dual feeling that made her feel sickeningly guilty. She had been pushing the thought out of her mind, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for starting some kind of romantic affair with Rose when she wasn't sure exactly where she and Jasmine stood.

The only excuse she had that she could use to ease her guilt was that Jasmine had not treated her the same the entire time they had been there, and now she wasn't even showing up anywhere. As Lily watched servants bring plates of food out to them, she chewed her lower lip and remembered Rose's soft lips upon hers, a warm buzz rising to them at the memory. She bit down on her lip harder and tried to restrain the smile on her face.

"I still haven't seen Jasmine around," Peter stated, bringing her out of her thoughtful state.

The mention of Jasmine's name snapped the girl out of her dream state, her blue eyes looking at him widely as if she had been caught thinking about the Queen. "O-Oh," she said, looking down at her plate as a servant placed food onto it. She wanted to say something else about how worried she was or about how she missed her, but those kind of words didn't sit right on her heart due to them belonging more to Rose's absence than Jasmine's.

Sure, she held concern for the girl she had grown up with, and she didn't want anything to happen to her; she would still protect her and help her through anything if it came down to it. But a part of her felt like whatever relationship they had was forever marred by the events that had occurred in the castle. And she had to admit, she never had such strong feelings for Jasmine as she had with Rose. Plus, Jasmine showing her true colors meant her being childish and selfish; whereas Rose showing her true colors meant her being gentle and kind. When their layers were peeled away, it was obvious which one Lily felt like she could trust more, even though it was so not obvious to others.

Peter noticed the way that her eyes strained on her plate, her brows sewn together with pensiveness. It was like he could see the thoughts weighing on her forehead, and by her rather small response to his notice to her that he had not seen Jasmine, he was beginning to catch on. "I didn't know carrots could be so intriguing," he remarked with his thick English accent as he stuffed green beans into his mouth, smirking at the girl who hadn't stopped staring downwards.

Her eyes perked up to him, taking a moment to register his words before she gave a sheepish smile, relaxing her body that she had found awfully tense. "Um, yea, me neither." She quickly picked up her glass of water and took a sip, wishing she could have something on her mind other than magenta lips pressing against hers.

He watched her again, stabbing his own slices of carrots on his plate. "May I ask you something?"

Nearly choking on her water, she set her glass down and swiftly wiped her mouth with the napkin in her lap. She looked at him curiously, wondering what question he could possibly be asking her.

His dark blue eyes glinted at her as he took her inquisitive stare as an answer. "Is there something going on between you and the Queen?"

Her throat seemed to close up at his question. She blinked, awkwardly looking down as she shook her head as casually as possible. "Um, w-what do you mean?" She chewed her lip and tried to keep her face normal.

He grinned, letting his fork clang down onto his plate and leaning forward. "I saw you two out the window the other day." She scrunched her brow at him, not picking up on what he meant. "You were all snuggled up on her like a leech."