Edrei would find her grin met by one of Koel’s own: this was silliness incarnate—for him at least—and he didn’t really mind a bit of playful banter, out of place as it felt in this generally barren landscape. Of course, the fields were a more vibrant location than most inside the bubble they found themselves in, and perhaps he was feeling the call of the wild a bit. Or perhaps it was because they’d been rudely interrupted last time, just when it was getting good. Koel had precious little goodness in his life. Therefore, he’d be a fool not to seek it where he could.
That didn’t mean he was going to let her get away with blatantly slandering him. ”My memory is fine, but it seems your technique could use a little work.” His voice dropped to a husky drawl as he gave her a lazy wink. ”It’s called foreplay. You’ll learn the value of it once you learn more than the basics.” Yeah, he wasn’t above a little bit of pettiness or above calling back to their earlier conversation. As for distractions, well, she was certainly an effective one. It helped that she was about as subtle as a punch in the genitals when it came to her intentions and her actions. Honestly, sometimes it was refreshing.
Other times, however, it was annoying; that was the case with her sullen response to his own closed off reply. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to talk or think about Eris right when they were on the cusp of something here (whatever it was), but Edy seemed to put her foot in her mouth on a regular basis. Koel could sympathize, but on this particular topic he wasn’t going to let it slide.
Raising his eyebrows, he gave her that same flat stare, although this time there was perhaps a hint of anger in his voice. ”Is that so?” She didn’t seem to realize that her actions had consequences—and that her words, however unintentional, could be hurtful—but that was probably a consequence of her age. Rarely did Koel feel old, but as he gazed upon her, with all the vigor and fire of youth, he suddenly felt his age and more. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he tried to ignore his lingering sadness over the death of his love and focus on the here and now. This, here and now, with Edy, was odd but oddly enjoyable. He wasn’t betraying anyone by leaning into it and having a good time.
As she spoke of being here before, he found himself agreeing. Yeah, they had, and Koel was tired of waiting. If this was a repeat of their previous encounter, then so be it: that basically gave him free reign to pick up where they’d left off. As she pulled her face towards hers, he let it happen. In fact, he responded in kind. Stepping forward confidently, he pressed his body against her. One hand came to rest on Edrei’s hip as the other cupped her face so he could meet her lips with his for a hungry kiss. If getting transported to a whole new world didn’t give him perspective and encourage him to occasionally throw caution to the wind, he didn’t know what would. Words seemed unnecessary in that moment.
koel ambray
Taking the path of most resistance
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