Sohalia
It had always been easy for Koa to make Soh blush, and heat crept again into her cheeks at the imagined insinuations behind his comment. "Something like that," she said, reaching up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. She met his gaze, despite her better judgment, and the moment stretched between them. Her mouth went dry, her heart skipped a beat, and if it hadn't been for - well, everything, really - she might have said or done something that she might later regret -
Except what was there to regret, now that Jude was gone? Wasn't this her life to live? A rebellious part of her whispered that this was what she'd really wanted, wasn't it, even as missing Jude ached in a bone-deep way that she couldn't quite shake. It was easier to ignore it, to pretend it wasn't there - just what she'd always done with her deeper emotions. And besides, if she'd wanted Jude, she would have chosen him, wouldn't she?
Did that mean that finally, after all this time, she'd chosen Koa?
And would he choose her back?
But the lightning flashed and the dragoon looked away, and the moment was broken before Soh could make heads or tails of her complicated feelings. And maybe that was for the best. Maybe it was better for her to cling to friendship, not to muddy the waters with romance and love and kisses that made her burn -
So she reached for an easy topic, and relief blossomed in her chest as Koa took it and ran with it. She took a step away from the post as Koa tested it. "For you and me both," she laughed. "I'm still not really sure how I ended up here, if I'm being honest."
Except what was there to regret, now that Jude was gone? Wasn't this her life to live? A rebellious part of her whispered that this was what she'd really wanted, wasn't it, even as missing Jude ached in a bone-deep way that she couldn't quite shake. It was easier to ignore it, to pretend it wasn't there - just what she'd always done with her deeper emotions. And besides, if she'd wanted Jude, she would have chosen him, wouldn't she?
Did that mean that finally, after all this time, she'd chosen Koa?
And would he choose her back?
But the lightning flashed and the dragoon looked away, and the moment was broken before Soh could make heads or tails of her complicated feelings. And maybe that was for the best. Maybe it was better for her to cling to friendship, not to muddy the waters with romance and love and kisses that made her burn -
So she reached for an easy topic, and relief blossomed in her chest as Koa took it and ran with it. She took a step away from the post as Koa tested it. "For you and me both," she laughed. "I'm still not really sure how I ended up here, if I'm being honest."
