The tide turns

Chapter 20 / Talking about it

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"Einar, do you remember what you said when Gudrid joined us?" Thorfinn asked. It was him and Einar alone on the hill, enjoying the breeze outside. Hind was somewhere nearby, but her presence, albeit still terrifying, was something he had become used to.

Einar looked at him and then looked to the sky. Thorfinn could tell that he was trying to remember, but nothing seemed to come to mind.

"Uh.. no"

"You said... well, you actually asked me if I liked Gudrid."

"Oh, right," Einar said, losing his smile and nodding. Something about the way Thorfinn spoke made the man think that he should take the conversation seriously. So many feelings were still strange to Thorfinn, and Einar knew that, as his brother, he should be the one to help him navigate them.

"How did you know?"

"Well, you-..." Einar stopped abruptly, and even Thorfinn hadn't realized how his question sounded until just then. "Thorfinn, do you like Gudrid?"

"I don't know!" Thorfinn answered, his voice raised with frustration leaking into every word. He said he didn't know, but deep down, he was sure he did. "It's... everything is so complicated now."

"Has something happened?"

Einar thought that he hadn't seen Thorfinn and Gudrid spend any time together the last few days, but he had been sure he had just imagined it, or that it was at the very least nothing to worry about.

His eyes widened when Thorfinn's face turned beet red. Thorfinn brought a hand up to try and hide his blush, but it didn't help much, as his ears also turned the same crimson color.

Thorfinn nodded slowly and then mumbled, "We kissed."

Einar blinked, and Thorfinn didn't say any more.

"You..." Einar began, but any words that he had thought of saying disappeared. "Uh... who... kissed who?"

Such a silly question that really didn't matter at all. Thorfinn looked between his fingers to glare at Einar, but he did answer him, "She kissed me."

"I see"

It was quiet again. Thorfinn wished Einar would say something—anything,  really. He had kept it in for days since Gudrid had kissed him so suddenly. He had needed that time for himself to wonder about the feelings that had surfaced when she did, but now the silence was suffocating.

When Einar finally made a sound, it was laughter.

Thorfinn had wanted him to say something, but now he just wanted him to be quiet. The laughter was worse than the silence. But really, the laughter was nothing but a loud chuckle, a reaction of pure surprise.

"How did this happen?" Einar asked when his laughter died down. "Wasn't it just a little over a month ago that she hated you and wouldn't even look at you?"

"She didn't hate me." Thorfinn muttered, the thought of receiving Gudrid's hatred as painful as it had always been. "But yes, I don't know how this happened or how she could possibly feel enough for me to kiss me."

Einar cleared his throat and tried to be serious again, but a grin was plastered on his face. "What did you say after it?"

"I... I just said that it was okay. She was panicking and apologizing. I didn't know what else to say at the moment."

"Nothing else? You didn't ask her what it was supposed to mean. What does it mean for the two of you?"

"I didn't"

Einar scratched his head. "Thorfinn, you need to talk to her about it. Find out how she feels and what it means for both of you."

Thorfinn sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion. "I know, but everything feels so complicated. I don't want to mess things up. Besides, she is still married to someone else."