Celeste || The Witcher ||

Chapter Eleven - Dejavu

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Geralt had never slept so well.

It had been years since he could remember what a good night's sleep was, even though he knew they might be after them, it was as if his mind could see nothing but her.

Celeste.

Her scent impregnated the sheets, the pillows, the sight of her naked body still perpetuating itself in Geralt's mind, while his lips yearned for another kiss, for more and more. He wanted to hold her in his arms, her hair flowing down his chest, to smell the top of her head and smell her citrus scent, to have her soft skin running through his hands and her laughter infecting the room. He could spend the rest of his days like this, trapped in that room, as long as it was with her.

And when he finally opened his eyes and turned to look at Celeste, she was not there.

It made Geralt's heart stop, his whole body freeze, a chill run through his stomach as he stared incredulously at the sheets with no one to cover them, the mattress cold instead of warm, as if he were living a nightmare, in fact it was worse than a nightmare, it was a dejavu.

He didn't know how to define that feeling that perpetuated in his chest while the seconds passed like minutes and the minutes like hours, still perplexed that he had been fooled once again. How could he be so stupid? How could he have fallen for Celeste's trick one more time? Before, he was young, passionate, easily manipulated, but now? God, he was too old for that kind of thing, it was simply unacceptable that this was happening.

Geralt wanted to punch the wall, to destroy that room completely, he wanted her smell to leave his lungs and never come back, but they were trapped in his bronchi, and as much as he wanted to escape, it was impossible not to breathe her in.

Feeling like a complete idiot, Geralt stood up, quickly putting on his pants. He couldn't help himself, and before he could even look for his boots, he punched the wall, making a big hole in it just above the wall, while cursing loudly. It was strange for him to show emotion, but he was alone, did it even matter? No one would know that witchers do have hearts, that they have feelings, that they care enough to lose their minds like that.

Geralt was about to destroy something else, when Celeste's scent became stronger and then her voice filled the room.

"Geralt?" Celeste said, she was dressed in her everyday clothes, a confused look on her face, her hair full of braids, not a strand of hair falling on her face.

"Fuck" Geralt said feeling even stupider, shaking his hand, along with the slight pain that was beginning to rise through his fingers. He couldn't believe he had jumped to conclusions so quickly and acted like all the men he hated, if he could stick his head in the fucking dirt he would, like a fucking ostrich, so he wouldn't have to explain himself, he wouldn't have so much shame to explain.

"What the fuck happened?" Celeste said approaching, reaching out her hand towards Geralt, who took two steps back, stepping away, causing his pants to lower a bit "Geralt, you're making me worried, what happened? Are you okay?" she hurried her step towards him, but Geralt turned away, he didn't want Celeste to witness his such stupidity and see in the front row his vulnerability.

Observing Geralt's state, Celeste finally understood what had occurred and felt horrible about it, cursing herself over and over in her head for having frightened him like that.

"Geralt, I went out hunting, I thought you would wake up hungry and..." Celeste was trying to move closer, but Geralt began to dress more quickly.

"I think we should go, I have to find Jaskier and you your friend, Alma right?" Geralt said, buttoning up his pants and putting on his blouse quickly "I'm going to spruce up Roach, do you have any horses around here? Or are we going to have to share?".

"I have...I have one" Celeste said feeling a sorrow in her heart, it was strange to see him treating her with indifference, she knew she deserved that treatment, she knew he had his reasons, but it was still devastating.

There were so many things Celeste wanted to tell him, so many stories, and most of all she wanted to give him an explanation. But she knew that nothing she could say at that moment would help, since he was blind, deaf and almost mute because of the discomfort she had caused him.

She sighed heavily, resting her hands on her waist as she watched Geralt groom himself faster and faster, in a mixture of shame and anger that made the mood heavy.

"I'll just get some things, there's food downstairs" Celeste barely finished her sentence when Geralt replied.

"I'm not hungry, I'll wait for you outside," and with those words, Geralt left the room, leaving Celeste alone and speechless.

Celeste took a small bag, and put some things in it, potions, herbs, a knife, and other things. She changed clothes, put on one of her armors, and went down to the second floor. The food was untouched, and she felt completely stupid to realize that she had cooked for nothing, that the strawberries that Geralt loved so much and she had picked were there, left to rot in her absence.

She wanted to be more cool-headed, not to take things so personally, to poke at a wound until it opened and needed stitches to close, but she felt a weight in her heart and a pounding in her head that made her feel angry. She hurried to the strawberries and stuffed several into her mouth, chewing them quickly, almost biting her own mouth. She drank the juice she had made and then put some apples and bread into a bag and put it in her purse. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and walked quickly and heavily to the stable.

Geralt was already with Roach, stroking his horse, when Celeste passed quickly and furiously like a lioness at his side, heading toward the stable.

"Snow" Celeste called out to her horse, it was a beautiful horse, strong, big and white, white like the snowflakes that fell in Kaer Morhen every winter, that's why it had that name. Celeste took an apple from her purse and handed it to the horse, who ate it gladly.

Celeste gave Snow a cuddle and then fixed the saddle on her horse, mounting it and riding out of the place.

Geralt felt the wind of the horse speed beside him and turned slowly to see Celeste standing next to him, she then took some strawberries from her pocket, brought them to her mouth and then stared at him.

"What's taking so long? I thought you were in a hurry" she said in a harsh, sarcastic tone and before Geralt could even respond, Celeste gave the signal and Snow started running.

"I..." Geralt started to speak, but stopped, watching the girl's strawberry-smeared fingers moving away from him and once again, realized that he might be losing her once again.

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