Raising a Hero

Chapter 71

 I thought on that for a moment, not wanting to give him an inaccurate answer. He gave me my time, tapping the corner of a page when a certain dress caught his attention. They varied, so I couldn't quite tell his taste, other than not super poofy or showing too much.

"It's not you, persay," I finally settled on. "It's more like I'm wary of emotional investment, of myself or into anyone else."

"And yet you invest wholly in your apprentice."

"...He's an exception, to an extent."

"How so? Is it because he's young?"

I bit my lip, imagining for a minute if I had been given Gus as a baby rather than a teenager. Initially, that had been what I wanted. But now, with the thought of leaving this world constantly popping up, I found myself less sure.

"I don't think so," I said. "It's more like...I don't want to deal with the drama of someone getting too attached to me, or me getting too attached to someone and then them leaving me high and dry. I don't think I could handle that happening to me again."

"You mean romantically," he said, quickly catching on. "But how about friends?"

"I'm okay with friends. I'm not afraid of that."

"Then, if I clarify that I'm giving you a gift as a friend in the future, would you still be uncomfortable?"

"I'd want to give something back too."

"But you do. How many times do I have to emphasize that you've given me back my life? And if not that—" he cut across me as I started to protest. "I can't tell you how fulfilling and entertaining our get togethers are. Isn't that what friendships are anyways? A give and take relationship of enjoyment?"

"That's just talking though. You give to me in talking."

"Do you enjoy talking with me?'

"Oh, yes. Very much. I mean, you're not as hilarious as me, but one can't have everything."

He chuckled, and the combination of his happy, soft expression and those downturned lashes made my chest cramp. Seriously, this man needed a mask or something.

"So, you're afraid that, if you accept gifts from me, you will be expected to repay them in the future with, either your own romantic feelings, or, just to include the extreme, any other nefarious thing?"

I shrugged and turned a page. "The later kind of goes without saying. Oo! Look at this one! It's like what a mermaid princess would wear."

"Mermaid?"

"You've never heard of mermaids? They're mythological creatures, half woman half fish, usually super beautiful. They sing sailors to their death, giggle as they drown, all the fun stuff. I guess it might look good on me. All that hard work in the inn's got to have done something for my butt."

He made a quiet, throaty little choke and flinch combination that I found hilarious. As I laughed, he simply shook his head.

"One minute you've managed to fool me into thinking you are bred with the sensibility of a queen and the teachings of a saint, then you turn around and talk like that."

"Now I feel like I should find a comment on how you talk while shaking my head and saying 'tut tut.' But you don't give any openings, you know."

"I am hardly aware of how I talk when I'm with you. That's part of the charm."

"Then what do you think of the mermaid dress? Pretty?"

"You can always try it on."

I would much rather have Milly or one of my acne-prone maids for such a trip, but this candidate for friend would do. Even if he did have the wrong plumbing. Guys could enjoy dress shopping too, I guess.