Page 53 of Rhaz's Redemption
“When we get back to our mountain home, I will cover the place where you sleep in moss as I’ve done here.”
I was careful not to say “the storage room or my cave.” I wasn’t sure how far our relationship would progress during our time here, and I didn’t want her to feel pressured to live with me after we returned our mountain home. She would come to me in her own time. Wherever she chose to lay her head, I would make it as comfortable for her as I could.
Beatrice looked up from her dinner with the same peculiar look she’d been giving me all day.
“You don’t have to do that.”
Her words were slow and tentative. Did she not understand the joy it brought me to do such things for her? When she was happy, I was happy. When she’s sad, I am also sad. It’s always been this way from the moment I met her.
“It is my honor to do so,” I assured her, but she still looked at me with a guarded expression on her face. She did not believe my words to be true. That was fine. I would show her with my actions how much she meant to me.
Chapter 23
Beatrice
I still didn’t know how to feel about Rhaz and all his kindness. He’d been so closed off before, that this abrupt openness was almost jarring. I’d been in relationships in the past where I was love bombed until I gave into their desires, and then they ghosted me without a word afterward. Was that what was happening here? Was Rhaz only doing nice things to get me to trust him? Would his kindness stop once I returned his affection?
No matter what his motivations were, I could feel my walls beginning to crumble. I liked being around him, and I liked his attention, even as intense as it was. The way he looked at me as if I were the rising sun, made my heart skip a beat.
Rhaz got up after he’d finished his dinner, and I washed my hands off in the stream. When I returned to our little cabin I found him shaking out the furs that made up my bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m shaking out the dust and making sure your furs are properly fluffed out and laid down for maximum comfort.”
He laid down the fur he’d just shaken out in such a way that did make it look softer than before. I was impressed, but still weary of his motives. Would he do things like this when we got back home? There was nothing more devastating than being with someone who insisted on doing nice things like opening your car door, hanging up your coat, cooking you dinner, and so on, just for them to suddenly take all those nice things away.
In one of the few relationships I’ve had, my boyfriend would open my car door for me every time we went somewhere. That was until he decided he was done with me and our relationship. Then I suddenly found myself opening my own doors, and hanging up my own coat. We broke up shortly after and I’ve been weary of men doing nice things for me ever since.
“You don’t have to do that,” I found myself saying for the second time tonight. Maybe he felt like he had to do it, as if it were an obligation of a luminescence mate.
Rhaz gave me a puzzled look and said, “I know I don’t have to do this. I want to do it.”
“Oh, alright.” I didn’t know what else to say. He kept surprising me, and although I liked this version of him, I could not seem to stop myself from questioning every little thing he did.
Once he was finished with my bed of furs I tentatively laid down, not wanting to mess up all his hard work. An involuntary sigh escaped me and I couldn’t help but curl up into the softness that was surrounding my body.
“One final thing.” Rhaz said as he came strolling back into the cabin with a balled up fur.
“To keep you warm.” He placed the bundle on the bottom of my bed of furs. He’d warmed up some rocks for me so I wouldn’t have to do it myself.
“You-” I was tempted to inform him he didn’t have to do that, but I knew how that would go. I settled for a bashful “Thank you,” instead.
“No need to thank me,” he replied. “I like doing things for you.”
Did he? That was the question that plagued me as I fell asleep that night. Did he really enjoy doing things for me, and if so, would any of this change if we got into a real relationship?
The next day, came and went and Rhaz continued to do nice things for me. He made all our meals, brought me tea in the morning, and filled me in on his escape plan. I was continuing to warm up to him, but still nervous about accepting this as our new reality.
Rhaz had made himself scarce that afternoon, and I assumed he was working on his rope or another plan to get us out of the ravine. It wasn’t until dinner that I realized he’d secretly been making leaf stars which were piled on the log we usually sat on in a pretty display around our dinner.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said hesitantly after I stared at his kind gesture without speaking.
“I drew the human love symbol on them too,” Rhaz picked up a leaf star and handed it to me, and sure enough there was a heart drawn on the front.
I traced the symbol with my finger and continued to stare at the gift in my hand. I wanted to speak but no words would come out.
This was lovely, and thoughtful, and yet…
