JUST A KISS
KHAL'S POV
Years of spending life in the battle. I thought our first trial would be successful. The condition was to combat the crocodiles. Zarya, Matilda, Cleo Karl, and I failed. That was supposed to be our hope to go home in just three years. Time had passed and it was already five years. Many changes, even the shape of my heart. It was hardened like an unbreakable rock when it came to the battle. I was not afraid to kill, my mind kept telling me if I did not cut their life, they will cut mine. I did not like my sister to be alone in this cruel world. As long as I could, I will protect her. As long as I was standing, my heart would just beat for a white curly hair woman who was now practicing her sword on the branches of the tree.
I leaned my shoulder to the branch of a tree and tilted my head while observing her. "I haven't informed. You are a tree torturer."
Matilda gazed at me. Her sharp eyes softened as they landed on me. "This is nothing compared to the bite of the crocodiles." She raised her wrist. She was bitten when we were trying to catch them. She was one of the bravest who fought.
The smile on my lips extended when her hair flew by air. Her face was too beautiful than the evening. The coldness of the wind touched my skin.
"Did you see my sister?"
"In her tent." She fixed her sword, putting it to the side of her hips. "Wanna walk?"
I prevented my chuckled. I should ask her that. She was always come first before me. During a long time with her, she all the time did the first move. There was no exact understanding between the two of us. I was planning to know her more after the Battle Of The Next Beta.
"Sure." I offered my hand to her, which made her shocked. She gazed at my hand for so long before she accepted it. I intertwined our hands while we walked on the seashores. The silence filled the area. Only the crickets and frog croak called to be heard. The awkwardness between us never left us since then. It was just we were not talking, but our hearts were connected. No words, but we could understand each other.
I break the silence when I started a conversation. "Are you missing the Elemental Kingdom?"
"Not really." She shook her head. Her left hand flipped her white hair. "I'm missing King Water."
"Sounds that you two super close." There was no sulk or pain in my voice. Hali is my best friend. If there was anyone who knew him, I was one of those.
"He's my savior."
I felt that she was not comfortable with our bonding hands. She was embarrassed. The cold sweat was felt from it, which made me feel like chuckling at her, however, I did not do. "Don't you want my hands on you?"
"No… I like it but…" The curves in her lips formed. "I don't… understand." She shook her head twice. "You like me, don't you?"
I looked away, viewing the waves of the sea touching the white brown sand. It was dark in the area, but the beauty was highlighted, especially when I was with an important person in my life. I did not know where it started or where I finally accepted that I like her. I just woke up with the feeling of wanting to see her, to be with her. No exact explanation why she or how it comes like this.
"Matilda! Khal!" I wanted to furrow my eyebrow when I saw Cleo Karl, he ran towards us. The reason why Matilda removed her hands from me. I was not numb to not identifying that Cleo Karl also liked Matilda. "I picked this." He raised his hands with a puffy flower to it. "For you."
Matilda gave him a wonderful smile. She grabbed the flower. "Thanks."
Cleo Karl looked at me and then at Matilda. "You two walking? Can I join?"
At the end of the conversation, Matilda let him join us. I did not enjoy the moment because of him, he talked so much that Matilda's attention was on him. Tomorrow would be another day, this was the only night we could walk freely according to the command of Seo Blood Drop. The night ended just like that. I felt so annoyed, however, I did not show it.
When Matilda said her good night, I did not get to my tent. I went to my sister. As usual, when someone entered her tent, she would be awake, no matter how deep her sleep was.
"Devastated again?" She stood up and sat next to my side. "Why are you here, my dear brother?"
"Just wanna check on you." Of course, that was one of the reasons, but aside from that, I wanted to release my annoyance. I could still see in my head how Matilda and Cleo Karl laughed while I was at their side, just watching.
"You like to know how Hali will suggest to you when he's here?" She bit her lips as a tiny smirk was on her lips.
"Spell out." I chuckled even though I had a guess.
"Fuck her. Fuck her harder and make her feel that your cock is big, so she can't find another man. Only you." Zarya was laughing while she was saying those words. I joined her with a loud laugh. I could hear Hali saying that to me. That was true, I once heard him advising Tan Tan.
"That's what he said to King Fire when he's asking him what to do to make Fira his." The smile on our faces faded. We were both missing that man full of garbage words in his mouth. "I wish… he's here." The tone of her voice had sadness.
I held the back of her head and leaned in to my shoulder. "We only have months. We'll see him again."
"What if he's married? And has children?" Her voice was too emotional. She did not change, when Hali was the topic her heart was soft.
"He's a king." The only words came out of my mouth. That was possible to happen. Hali would be fixed marriage to any queen. That was fulfilling his role at the Elemental Kingdom.
"Yeah…" She nodded her head as she embraced her hands to my waist. "He's my king."
*****
I opened my tent, and walked to my bed when I felt that someone was sitting on the chair. The darkness did not obstacle me from knowing who that person was… Matilda. She did this plenty of times, invading my tent, sleeping here, and spelling out that she was scared when in fact, she could sleep well next to me.
"Matilda, can't you sleep again?" I walked towards her. I lit the lamp to see her. She did not even open it to have a bright environment. While she was facing my back, she hugged me. "Can I sleep here again?"
"You are welcome anytime." I faced her. I would not expect that she would push me to the chair, resulting in me sitting there. She sat on my lap and stared at my eyes directly. My heart drummed in nervousness. I hate disrespecting her. When we were alone here at night, I managed not to touch her. She did not deserve any harassment even though she said she liked me, that was not a license for me to do whatever I liked to her.
"I'm so mad at you." The tone of her voice revealed what she felt.
"Why?"
"Why can't you say you love me back? Why can't you just pull me and kiss me and make love with me for the rest of your life? Why can't you?" The tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. "Do I not look attractive? Am I not beautiful?"
I showed her the different emotions that I was feeling right now. I cupped her cheek and gave a little distance to our faces. "We're in a battle."
"Does that mean we avoid flirting? We prevent love? Or you just not like me?" She looked down. My heart filled with anger with myself when the hot liquid from her eyes rolled to her cheek. She started to cry with her heart out. "You don't love me." She whispered with the suffocation in her chest.
"You're wrong."
She halted crying, resting her stare on me. "You…"
I moved my face closer to her and passionately gave my heart to that wonderful unity of our lips. For the past years, I hid all of it because I was thinking that she might possibly be distracted by the battle. I now do not care at all.
I love her from the bottom of my heart.
I sucked her lips as I made her feel that she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever met. She responded to my kiss after a short shocking feeling. I touch her back, moving my hands up and down. She stopped for a moment and rested her hands on my cheek. "You love me?"
"I love you."
She chuckled, the twinkle in the depths of her eyes was authentically showing me what was the context of her heart. "I love you more." She kissed me even more.
Just a kiss.