I closed the curtains on the darkening world outside, on the clouds hiding stars as they had hidden the sun. The candles around my room were burnt low by then and the light warm and gentle. It had been a long day. I had returned from Shadow in the early hours of the morning and started collating the results from my latest findings. I worked tirelessly, totally unaware of time passing. Only when there was a knock on my door that distracted me enough had I realised how late it was.
I glanced down and cringed– I looked terrible! Still in my travelling clothes, my blouse wrinkled and a dull orange, my trousers so dusty they looked grey rather than brown. I groaned.
Slouching on the sofa by then, Merlin twisted around to look at me. He smirked as I pulled a face, and chuckled as I plucked at my shirt sleeve.
"You should see your hair," he said.
Not dignifying his comment with a retort, I stepped carefully over journals and paperwork littering the floor, making my way back to the coffee table where our mugs of tea were waiting, steaming. He had also brought chocolate cookies and it was one of these delicious goodies I picked up. When I bit into it, I suddenly realised just how hungry I was. It was divine! All chewy and crunchy at the same time.
"You are also the messiest person I've ever met," he added with a cheeky grin. I ignored that comment too.
Just as I finished devouring the biscuit, a streak of black and white caught my attention; Sasha, my cat, raced out of the bedroom and across the room to jump effortlessly up on Merlin's lap. He's a small cat, mostly black with white paws and one white ear and just the sweetest thing, though I'll never admit it to him. I stuck my tongue out at him.
Sasha gave me a smug look and began to purr loudly as he ducked his head under my cousin's hand, thoroughly enjoying the attention Merlin lavished on him.
Pursing my lips, I rubbed my hands together to rid them of crumbs and folded my arms.
"He definitely likes you more than me," I said with feigned hurt.
Merlin grunted noncommittally, but I caught the grin he tried to hide by leaning forward to take his drink from the table. When he leaned back he continued stroking Sasha but his attention was on me, his eyes narrowing as he studied me closely.
"Akira, you are exhausted," there was concern in his voice. "I should let you rest and not keep you up any longer." He shook his head in admonishment, mumbling loud enough for me to hear, "Always over doing it." Then he continued more cheerfully, "Let's meet for lunch tomorrow after you've had a descent night's sleep." He started to lift Sasha.
"No, wait," I sat down quickly and stayed him with a hand on his arm. "Honestly, I'm fine. Please... Stay...." I shuffled closer and turned at an angle so I could look at him, close enough that our knees touched. I sensed a flutter of curiosity from him. Suddenly I was nervous. Picking up my own mug I clutched it in both hands, breathing in the sweet smell of honey and spiced tea. I think perhaps I was more tired than I realised because I found myself staring absently into Sasha's half closed, dark blue eyes– the exact colour of mine– and was lulled by his purring. He stared back at me expectantly, his paws clenching and unclenching rhythmically.
Merlin glanced down and lifted Sasha's paws to move them a little. "He's an adorable little guy," he smirked, "but I rather be safe than sorry." Then he nudged my knee with his own.
I laughed lightly, mostly at the sense of disgust I felt from Sasha. "Yup, cute he is." I knew I was pushing my luck when Sasha opened his eyes fully to glare at me and his tail swished from side to side. A staring contest ensued, as usual, until I was distracted by another, harder, nudge from Merlin. I blinked several times and focused on him.
"Ah, yes." I breathed in and out slowly. There was nothing to be gained by delaying. I'd started and that was the hard part, right? "There's something I've wanted to ask you for a while...." I began, but hesitated. A glint of mischief in Merlin's eyes somehow eased my anxiety. "Okay," I sighed. Here goes everything . "You know that I'm really close to Sasha?"
"Uh-huh. Close like we are right now?" And he knocked my knee again.
"Stop that! Yeah, of course close like that. But, he's also very important to me. I'm being serious!" I could see Merlin was holding back a burst of laughter. I banged his knee with my own.
Suddenly his smile was gone. "Wait." His eyes widened and even moistened a little. "Now you're saying I'm not important to you?" He looked so upset I almost fell for it. When he could see I wasn't about to break down any time soon, his face relaxed back into an easy smile. "Go on," he urged, "Ask. The suspense is killing me."
Rolling my eyes I tried to meet his again but this time he seemed to be avoiding me. Was he feeling uneasy? It was difficult to tell. I suspected he subconsciously guarded his emotions. I steeled my resolved and leaned towards him. I saw him hold his breath and glance at me uncertainly. I only just managed to keep a grin off my face to keep up the suspense.
Then I whispered to him, "Would you draw a Trump of Sasha for me?"
I sat back, my grin gone. I chewed my lip. There it was. Out in the open. What would he do? I'd never put him in a position like this. I watched and waited as he continued to stroke Sasha. Sasha's eyes were closed in apparently blissful ignorance of our conversation and I envied him. Easy for you! You didn't have to ask him!
Merlin swallowed slowly. After an agonising moment his head turned to face me fully. His expression unreadable, his eyes were hard and unyielding. He straightened, and his hand stopped moving halfway down Sasha's back. He leaned towards me and I tensed automatically. Was he angry? I should never have asked!
He didn't stop like I had, inches from his nose; he kept coming, until his cheek brushed mine.
A shiver ran down my spine.
"Dara can't know about it." He whispered.
I nodded, not daring to speak.
"It will be our little secret," he continued, his voice was so soft I barely heard the words. He let the moment stretch. His warm breath tickled my ear, his skin smooth against mine. Then he withdrew, slowly, his eyes holding me until there was space between us again. He grinned and flopped back into the cushions, leaving me trembling with the heady mix of tension, relief and something else I really didn't want to think about. He had no idea how much he looked like his father....
I gave a shaky laugh. Taking a sip of tea I let the honey and warmth relax me further. Okay, I guess I asked for that, I thought ruefully, though when I'd planned it, my only intention was to keep our voices down so there was absolutely no danger of being overheard. I looked at my cousin and chuckled. My laughter became steadier and more impish, and when Merlin gave me a querying look my grin only grew wider.
"What?" He asked.
"You thought I was going to ask you something else, didn't you?"
"I thought you were going to complain about the biscuits. Not chocolaty enough, or something." He shook his head and waved a hand vaguely at the table.
"Well, I wasn't going to mention it, but now that you have brought up the subject, maybe you could bring more next time? How's a girl supposed to work with only two biscuits to keep her going?"
"Two? Oh, no. That one's mine. Hey!" He swatted at my hand, but didn't do anything else to stop me as I picked up his treat and started eating it. He just smirked.
I poked a finger at Sasha's stomach, who ignored me of course, and gave behind his ear a quick scratch. Settling in the sofa with my legs curled up under me I made an appreciative noise as I ate.
Sasha stood and stretched, then lay back down with his front legs resting on my cousin's chest and his head held high. They stared at each other for a time. "So, my little four-legged friend," Merlin ran a hand down Sasha's back. "It looks like we'll be getting to know each other better." Sasha purred happily in response, his back legs automatically rising with the stroke.
It wasn't long before my head started nodding and I lost track of our conversation. The next thing I knew, Merlin was squeezing my shoulder gently and pulling me to my feet, insisting I get some rest. He gave me a hug and wished me a goodnight, saying he'd see me for lunch the next day as planned. I remember thanking him again. And I did manage to get to my bed before sleep finally took me into its relentless clutches.