Rezso’s POV
I arched my back in a vain attempt to stretch out the stiffness that had settled in on my back after hours of sitting and glaring at the piece of paper in my hands while waiting for those who would love to challenge the best warrior to a fight.
I never knew it would be this boring, heck, I wouldn’t have volunteered to take on this task.
“You volunteer because you want to keep a track record of those that are going to fight your favourite warrior, silly!” my subconscious yelled at me, I chuckled slowly, knowing the little being in my head was right.
I did want to know the list of people that would be fighting with Dixon the next day, that was the reason why I volunteered to take the task.
My eyes darted to the clock, which showed that it was already 8:30 p. m. I had spent the entire day hunched over the darn desk at the guard’s office room, and my body was paying the price. The last thing I wanted to do was spend another minute cooped up in that office.
I hastily stood up from the seat, my bone made a funny crack sound as I bent over to pack the papers in a file so I could store it in a save for the next day.
“I can see you’re done with your task.” a voice that I knew so well beamed from the exit.
“That voice…” I gasped and slowly turned around to see warrior Dixon, the man behind my task leaning his back against the wall with a bottle of booze and two glasses in his hands.
“W-Warrior Dixon, how long have you been standing there?” I asked, dropping the papers on the table.
“Let’s say, I have been standing here long enough that I could not remember,” he smirked, gently moved away from the wall and started taking a long stride towards me.
“Long enough… Could it be up to an hour?” I asked, my breath hitched when I walked up to him and placed the stuff in his hands on the table.
“More than that.” he shrugged off his shoulders while drawing out a seat for himself.
My jaw dropped as I watched him settle down on the seat, his brows arched when he saw me standing on my feet with my mouth hung open.
“Sit!” he ordered, tapping on my seat that was beside his.
“Y-yes, warrior Dixon!” I gulped down nervously before plugging my ass on the seat. I stared at my fingers that kept shivering on the table with a question, ‘Why was he there’?
“Am I making you nervous?” Dixon asked, his tone was sharp and I shook my head.
“No! Y-You’re not making me nervous.” I cleared my throat, curling my fingers into a ball on the table. “I’m just wondering why you’re here.”
“Silly! I came to have a drink with you.” he let out a sad smile while tapping his long-sexy finger on the bottle of booze in front of him.
Him? Drink? With me? My jaw dropped and I felt my head snap to his face, my eyes shot to his lips, staring at the little smile on his lips.
Was this because I had once asked him to have a drink with me? Was it because he didn’t want to go back on his words? Did I force him into drinking with me?
“How did you know I was here? Why did you hide your scent because I didn’t feel your presence?” I questioned, gulping down nothing when he didn’t say anything for a while, I watched keenly as he took the booze and filled up the two glasses.
“I asked around for you and I was told you were here. When I got here, you seemed engrossed in whatever you were reading in that paper, so I hid my presence because I didn’t want to disturb you.” Dixon uttered, pushing a half-filled glass of booze to me. I gulped, staring at him with my wolf stirring with joy.
“Drink with me, please,” Dixon added he sounded desperate, his face creased as he grabbed his glass and took a sip from his drink. “You can leave it if you don’t want to, just watch me as I drink. I don’t want to drink alone.” he moved the glass from his mouth, his lips parted and he let out a weird grunt.
He was been stupid, right? Why would he say I should not drink if I don’t want to? Of course, drinking with him would be the best thing that had ever happened to me. I will drink every last drop of my glass.
I smirked, grabbed the glass lifted it to my mouth and said, “It is a delight to drink with you, Dixon.” drink buddies don’t go all formal after all, there may ever not be a chance to address him by his name, right in front of him.
I grinned when he returned my smile with a weak one of his own. I drained the glass in one gulp, relishing the burn as the liquid slid down my throat. The glass clinked loudly as I set it down on the table, and I saw that Dixon was staring at me with an inscrutable expression on his face. My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. What was he seeing when he looked at me?
He hastily moved his gaze away when he noticed my stare. He looked sad and I wondered if it was okay to strike up a conversation with him, considering we had never been this close before.
“Speak! I know you have something to say, don’t mind me and ask whatever questions that are lingering in your pretty head.” Dixon’s laughter filled the room, I could hear the tension in his laughter like he was trying to mask his emotions. I could tell he was struggling with something in his heart. I looked around, making sure we were the only being in the office room.
“You seem a bit down in the dumps, and you waited around to drink with me even though you knew I was busy. That’s not something you should have to do just to get a drink, and I have to ask – is everything okay? Is something bothering you?” I asked, concern rising in my voice. His eyes avoided mine as he let out a heavy sigh. I could tell there was something on his mind, something weighing heavily on his heart. I could only hope that he would open up to me and let me help him through whatever was troubling him.
“I’m not sad at all, I just feel a bit ridiculous,” Dixon let out, the corners of his mouth twitching into a self-deprecating smirk. “My whole life, I’ve thought I was someone special, someone important to this nation. Now I realize that I’m just as useless as a pair of chopsticks in a soup bowl. It’s almost funny if it wasn’t so depressing.” He let out a small chuckle, but I could see the hint of melancholy behind his eyes. It was obvious that he was trying to make light of the situation, but I could tell he was hurting, judging by his tight grip on the glass.
His reply hit me hard like a ton of bricks, I didn’t know what to say. I kept quiet, not because I had suddenly gone dumb, but because I was so shocked someone as great as Dixon would think he was been useless.
Dixon filled his glass for the fourth time, he lifted the glass to his lips, but before he could take a sip, he froze. “I shouldn’t be drinking,” he muttered, his gaze fixed on the amber liquid. “If I want to do well at the arena tomorrow, I shouldn’t be drinking tonight. I don’t want to make a fool of myself again tomorrow.” I could hear the conflict in his voice, the war between temptation and enthusiasm. It was clear that he was still sad for thinking he was useless.
“Oh,” I smiled, remembering he didn’t have a lot of people to fight with tomorrow. “You can drink as much as you want, we only have one person on the list and the duet won’t be a difficult one,” I assured him with a smile.
“Really?” his brows knitted in shock as he stared at me, “who is the person?” he questioned, I tapped my hand on the file on the table, flashing him a toothy smile.
“It’s Lady Everest,” I announced, I watched his face grow darker at the mention of that name, it was as if he had been splashed with a bowl of chilled water.
“Everest? That snarky grump?!” he shrieked, throwing his glass across the room in a fit of anger. It shattered against the wall, the sound of the breaking glass echoing through the room. I watched in horror as he sprang up from the seat and began to pace back and forth, his rage radiating off of him in waves.
I got up from the seat and carefully made my way to Dixon who was cursing with his teeth gritted in anger.
“Dixon?” I gulped, placing my palm on his shoulder and turned him around to face me. “What is it? Are you okay?” my voice shook as I spoke.
Dixon sighed while clenching his hands to his sides.
“Isn’t it bad enough that I’m being useless to his Majesty? Now, a girl is challenging me to a fight too? What a useless sack of bone I must be!” his eyes were burning with rage, and I sighed, feeling dejected.
“I know you don’t understand how much I respected and admired you as a warrior. You’re the best after His Majesty, and everyone knows that. The things His Majesty said when he was angry, he didn’t mean it. Sometimes people say things they don’t mean when they’re upset. Please don’t take it to heart. We all love you so much and we respect you. You are my role model.” Tears filled my eyes as I reached out to brush the sleeve of his shirt with my thumb. My heart ached for him, and I wanted to help him see that he was still valued and respected.
“You…” I heard the tremor in his voice and saw the way he swallowed hard as his gaze met mine. His hand reached out and cupped my cheek, his skin warm against mine. I felt my breath hitch as my wolf stirred deep inside me. “You say you all love me?” he asked, his voice low and soft. He brushed his thumb over my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my pulse racing at the feel of his touch.
“Forget about the others for a moment,” he began, his voice husky and intense. “Would you still say you love me if I was no longer the best warrior in the nation? Would you still love me if I lost my strength, and became powerless? Would you still be here for me, no matter what?” He searched my face, his eyes blazing with a fire I had never seen in him before. I tried to steady my breathing, to slow my racing heart but I could not.
“You… What are you saying?” I stammered, my voice came barely in a whisper as I stared at him in disbelief. He leaned closer to me, his breath fanning across my face like a caress. I felt my knees go weak, my body trembling at the closeness of him. My heart was pounding in my chest, my pulse racing at the realization of what he might be about to do. I was at a loss for words, unable to think straight with his eyes locked on mine.
“Please, just say it,” he pleaded, his voice breaking with emotion. “Tell me you’ll love me even if I lose everything that makes you adore me. Tell me you’ll look at me the same when you learn the darkest parts of who I am.” He sounded so vulnerable, so desperate for my answer. I could feel the tension in the air, the sense that he was holding himself back, waiting for my reply before he did something that could change everything between us. I had to choose my words carefully or risk losing him forever.
“No matter what, my feelings for you will always be the same,” I mumbled, my voice soft and steady. “Even if you turned out to be the worst person in the nation, my love and adoration for you would not waver.” I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth when he pulled me into a kiss, his lips warm and soft against mine. His hands cradled the back of my head, pressing me closer to him, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.
Even though I had a feeling this might happen, I was still caught off-guard by the feeling of his lips against mine. I wondered if he was acting on his true feelings, or was it the alcohol talking? Would he still have done this if he hadn’t had a few too many shots? Or was this just a momentary lapse of judgment, brought on by the emotions of the day? I couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t matter. At this moment, I just wanted to lose myself in his embrace.
I shook my head, not wanting the future to ruin my view of the present. Whatever the future brings I was sure going to enjoy the moment.
I slid my hand across his back, pulling him against me as I parted my lips. He responded in kind, his hands moving from the back of my head to my waist. As he deepened the kiss, I felt a rush of excitement and exhilaration. Every nerve ending in my body was alive with sensation, my pulse racing, my heart hammering in my chest. I had never felt this way before, and I was consumed by the moment.