Luminous

66 - A Fit of Pique

They locked eyes, stone gray on emerald green, his eyes blazing brighter silver with every passing breath. His fire bolstered Meya. He was no longer the dying boy she must convince to fight. He was beginning to live.

"I understand. All I ask is a chance to prove myself worthy," he said, his voice solemn as his piercing eyes. Meya pursed her lips to stop them from curving up at least. Her heart was goners, a smoldering puddle in her chest. She nodded cavalierly,

"And you shall have it."

Coris cracked a boyish smile of such pure joy, Meya turned sharply away before her cheeks grew so hot they sprouted roses. He clasped his hands,

"So, what are the rules?"

"Standard courting practices. Lovemaking is off the table. So is kissing. Holding hands and hugging permitted in emotional situations only."

"No lovemaking? Are you sure?" Coris grinned mischievously. Meya glowered,

"Dead sure."

"Understandable. The sight of my impressive manhood may hinder your ability to think straight."

If there were a furnace inside her, Meya would have burst into flames and blasted the unrepentant donghead to a cloud of sooty smithereens. She unfurled a smile lined with grinding teeth, hissing tongues of flame,

"I'm more worried about you, actually. Until I deem you trustworthy, you're not getting a taste of these—" She jabbed her thumbs at her proudest possessions. Coris sealed her lips with a gentle finger,

"—We're still courting. We shouldn't be discussing our sexual attributes so soo—Hey!"

Coris hastily jerked his finger away from Meya's chomping teeth. Meya growled in annoyance,

"You started it, donghead!"

Their eyes met. Their lips parted but words had died. In that frozen split-second, all seemed forgotten but pure desire. The young lovers tore their welded eyes apart with great effort. Meya panted as her pulse pounded in her ears, avoiding Coris' eyes at all costs.

"Wish Arinel were here," she mumbled.

"Wonder if Zier would chaperone," Coris muttered. Meya cast her eyes about the tent, hoping for some other distraction, as banter seemed to be serving the opposite purpose.

"You brought Heist?" Coris shook his head. "Chess?" His eyes lit up. Meya hitched up a sly grin, "We can play a match or two. For old times' sake."

"I see you're prepared to be annihilated," Coris steepled his fingers before his pitying smile.

"Underestimating me already?" Meya sneered as sweat oozed along her hairline. She hadn't touched a pawn since gamble chess almost landed her in a Greeneye brothel.

"Coris Hadrian does not over nor underestimate. He simply estimates with precision."

"And exaggerates."

"How impertinent. I'll make sure to include that in our next vocabulary drill. Along with impertinent."

Meya trembled from the effort not to kick his smart arse across the desert. Smirking, Coris edged to his chest and rummaged for the chessboard.

Maybe we can pull this off, after all, Meya reassured herself as Coris set up the miniature battlefield with deft fingers, we can learn to be friends before man and wife.

Alas, it was not to be. In typical Freda fashion, Coris broke the sacred silence of friendly competition after just five turns in,

"Meya, there's—something I've been keeping from you."