45. Ahmina
AHMINA
The following day at breakfast when Ahmina spotted Lennox in the mess hall, she let out a deep breath.
She had been worried about him ever since her, Kit, and Rory had left him in the forest. It was a relief to see him in one piece—well, mostly.
He sported a bandage wound tightly around his upper thigh.
As she approached him, she pushed everything that had happened between them down.
Friends, she reminded herself. Just friends.
“Hey,” she said, sitting down next to him. “What happened to your leg?”
Lennox set down his spoon and turned to face her. “I fell on my dagger.”
She rolled her eyes, and Lennox cracked a cheeky grin, returning to his food.
She watched him dip his bread into his spicy stew, taking a messy bite.
Juice dripped down his chin, and she had the sudden urge to lick it off.
Instead, she reached up to his bottom lip, wiping it gently with her thumb.
Lennox froze at her touch but quickly regained his composure.
“Nothing. Just a little creature run in. A wild one too. It attacked me out of nowhere. But don’t worry nosy-mina, it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.
” He tore off another piece of bread. “Want some?”
Ahmina frowned and shook her head, distracting herself with cleaning her fingers on a napkin. “You looked fine when I saw you, and that was at the end of the assessment.”
Lennox stopped mid chew and put down his bread, as if suddenly very interested in what she had to say.
“Your leg was fine.” She thought back to the previous day; she didn’t recall Lennox bleeding, limping, or showing any kind of injury.
Lennox tilted his head to the side, curious, his cheek stuffed with bread. “Refresh my memory.”
“Did the creature get your brain too?” She tapped his temple. “Leg wasn’t enough?” She just wanted another reason to touch him.
He ignored her comment. “Tell me.” The way he looked at her made her heart skip. She cleared her throat.
“Rory, Kit, and I were surrounded by Slyfoxes. You showed up out of nowhere and did this crazy animal call that made them run away. Where did you learn that by the way? I wondered because I couldn’t find it in any of the textbooks last night.
Anyway, then you were gone.” She shifted in her seat.
“And by the way, we could have handled them ourselves, even without your odd animal call, so you didn’t need to be so egotistical about it in the end. ”
Lennox laughed. “How was I egotistical?”
“You winked at me.”
“That does sound like me.” Smiling and nodding, he went back to eating.
“You really don’t remember?”
“Now that you mention it, it’s all coming back to me.” He winked at her again. Goddess, it was so infuriating when he acted arrogant. But she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can we ever just have a conversation without you making it into some big joke?” She hit his shoulder playfully and got up to leave.
“Wouldn’t count on it.” He shrugged. “And, hey.” He stopped her as she turned to leave. His eyes traced his spoon as he swirled it around his meal. “I heard you passed the second assessment. Congrats!”
“Thanks,” she whispered, guilty for letting Lennox believe a lie. The only reason she passed was because she cheated.
“I guess whatever Barrow is teaching you is working… right?”
Her stomach dropped. It was the way he said it.
Like he knew what was going on with Barrow and was just waiting for her to give any indication that his assumption was wrong.
She hadn’t let Barrow cross any lines yet.
At least not physically. But still, shame twisted in her gut.
How much longer would that last? Sure, with Loveleena’s help she had passed the second assessment, but what about the third?
What about her grades? How long could she skirt around Barrow’s crude comments and advancements?
“I mean, I’m happy to train you if you want to try a different approach, or I can ask Serena if you’d feel…
you know, more comfortable?” His eyes flashed to hers.
It was rare to see Lennox like this, awkward and reserved—like he was scared he would spook her if he said the wrong thing.
And something about the way he said it softened the shame in her.
It was still there, clambering around in her gut, telling her to keep Rory, Lennox, and anyone else she loved at an arm’s length as to not see the truth.
But Lennox had found a way around her defenses, making a home in her heart, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t stop herself from letting him in. From giving into the longing, the aching, to be close to him.
“Thanks.” She offered him a soft smile, letting out the shaky breath she had been holding. “I’ll think about it.”
He nodded, satisfied with her answer, and gave her a genuine smile in return. “See, I can be serious. Only for a few minutes though, I’m so much more attractive when I’m funny. Can’t rely on looks alone.”
Ahmina rolled her eyes and left Lennox at the table to finish his lunch. She’d never tell him but she quite disagreed. Sure, like everyone, she enjoyed his humor and charisma. But Lennox was incredibly handsome, painfully so, when he was serious, caring, and soft.
She tucked the feeling in the center of her chest to keep it safe.