In Which Rona Embarks on a New Lifetime

August 24, 1177

"Maybe it's just late this year?" Electra ventured, half-smiling in an attempt to cheer up Rona. The effort could be appreciated, Rona supposed--even from Aspen's young, barely competent replacement--but it was still in vain. Maybe it was a small, trivial thing, but it had been all Rona had to look forward to all summer and its failure to appear was almost soul-crushing.

The worst part was that she felt stupid for caring. She'd sworn she was done with all that garbage.

"But it's never late! That's half the point!" As if she hadn't told the story half an hour prior! Her past four birthdays, she'd woken to find a rose on her bedside table--a white rose, her favorite, a red ribbon around the stem. There was never a note, nor had anyone ever confessed, but if anything that made her relish it all the more. It might not have meant much to some child servant who probably hadn't even bled yet, but the mysterious birthday roses had been the only romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. Sixteen today and she'd never even been kissed.

"Maybe whoever was bringing them got tied up with something else?"

Oh what a sad day it was if the least painful option was admitting that Electra was right. "May--"

She was spared that humiliation by a knock at the door--and not an unfamiliar knock, at that, even if it had only been in her memory for a month or so. He had made good on his intention to call a few times a week, she'd grant him that.

"Ooooh!" Electra squealed, writhing in excitement that probably should have been Rona's. "It's your sweetheart!"

"He's not my sweetheart." Regardless, if he'd bothered coming all the way out here yet again, she supposed it was only polite to receive him. "You can come in if you want."

The door opened just widely enough for Ashe to slip through, his eyes toward her even as he nudged it shut behind him. He was holding something behind his back, but she was at no angle to see what it was--and didn't care much in any case. "Happy birthday."

He had a twitchy, nervous sort of smile that never failed to remind her of a squirrel. He wasn't a miserable sort, but he was rather shy and a little awkward and she got the impression that he wasn't used to smiling often, or at least not so widely. Maybe he'd get better at it--as silly as a thought that was.

But result aside, the undertaking probably deserved a greater reward than the half-grin Rona flashed in turn. "Thank you."

His smile dampened somewhat. Rona swallowed. Had she hurt his feelings with her lack of enthusiasm? She hadn't meant to... "Um. I got you these."

Front still facing her, he approached her with a sideways shuffle and a few nervous forward steps. Electra caught sight of the present before Rona could and gasped. "No way!"

Ashe took a quick breath and held out the offering. Rona could only blink. "How...?"

"Sorry. I heard someone say they were your favorites." Whatever remained of his grin wavered. She tried to revive it with a smile of her own but the shock wouldn't quite allow it. "Uh... I didn't hear wrong, did I?"

"What? No! I love them!" Rona shot to her feet and held her nose to the bouquet. The flowers smelt just like the one she'd been expecting. How on earth could he have known? Who had he heard it from? "I used to get one every year on my birthday, but it didn't come this year. But you... you brought me a lot of them..."

"It wasn't presumptuous of me, was it?"

Oh the poor, silly boy. "No, of course not. Actually, I was pretty upset until just now." Had that maybe been too much? She wished she could take it back. If only she wasn't too old to ask for help with these things! "Ellie, would you be a dear and put these in a vase with some water? And then you can put them on my bedside table."

Electra giggled. Good to know that she hadn't let the rare kind tone get to her head. "Yes, my lady."

The girl took the roses from Ashe and hurried off, practically skipping out the door. Rona sighed. "Aspen's replacement. She's... well, she's just a kid. Her father got her the job." She half-expected Ashe to say something, but he only shrugged. Just as well; she didn't want to talk about it either. "Uh... would you like to sit down?"

He took up the offer and settled on the far couch cushion. Rona waited the polite number of seconds, then collapsed into Electra's vacant spot. She didn't think she'd sat on that particular couch with anyone since Aspen had been around; the distance between seats was greater than she remembered.

"So... you're sixteen."

It was a weak attempt at conversation and they both knew it--but having finally received her coveted white roses, there wasn't much she wouldn't have let slide. "You remembered." Not that it was much of a feat, remembering ages. Then again... "Um. How old are you, again?"

"Seventeen." Odd. She would have guessed a year or two older. "To be honest, sixteen was... kind of another lifetime ago."

Even odder. "You say the strangest things."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. It's amusing." He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Maybe a girl with some life in her would have giggled. "I just hope fifteen and prior turns out to be a lifetime ago."

Ashe squinted. Rona supposed she was the odd one now. "Hmm?"

"I don't know. I just feel like the past couple years were a bit of a waste. I did nothing with my life and fretted over silly things that didn't matter." She slumped away from him and pouted. Ashe was far from her initial choice of confidant, but he was all she had right now and it had been months since she'd had a chance to unload. "And now I'm bitter--which I guess is better than being pathetic and stupid, but I'm still not doing anything. I'm sixteen years old and I've never even kissed a boy." Had that been too much? It wasn't exactly something she cared to admit. Still, it was nice to see that he hadn't laughed. "What's kissing like, anyway?"

Ashe sighed. "Honestly? Your guess is as good as mine."

What? "You're kidding!" He shook his head. Rona gaped at him. It wasn't as if he was ugly... or unpleasant... or poor... "Why not?"

He shrugged. "Desire and opportunity never met."

"Oh." She wasn't sure why that hurt, but it did. "So you never met anyone...?"

"I wouldn't say that. There was one girl I really wanted to kiss." His lips twitched in some private, self-deprecating joke. "I don't think I was her type, though."

"Oh." She almost regretted bringing it up. Why was he telling her this, anyway? They'd only known each other a month. Still... there was something a little odd about the way he was around her. Like he'd known her forever. And maybe he wasn't that much of a stranger to her either anymore. "Can I ask you something?"

He nodded. She took a quick second to stare at his lips. They looked so much like his cousin's and she wondered why that didn't feel odd. "If I said that you could kiss me, would you?"

His face arranged itself in an expression she couldn't fathom. Her best guess was startlement, but it lacked the accompanying distaste. "Um... are you saying I can?"

Rona shrugged. "I guess so."

A tentative arm reached around her shoulders and pulled her nearer. It felt a little strange, sitting so close to him--strange, and maybe a little good. "I'll warn you again that I don't know what I'm doing."

"It's all right. I won't know the difference."

"And you're sure you want this? You only get one first kiss."

"I'm sure. I've waited long enough." Or was it a matter of waiting at all? It hadn't sounded like he felt that way. "What about you? Are you sure?"

"Very sure." And yet, as he looked at her as if confronted by a daunting puzzle. "Just give me a minute? I've gone over this in my head so many times and I don't want to ruin it."

Had he? She'd forgotten what it was to feel flattered. "Take all the time you need."

He started his approach from one angle, but changed his mind halfway through and tried another. He nearly met her the third time--she could feel his breath on her lips--but he made another retreat and took a minute to study her before trying again. And again... and again...

Oh, to hell with it.

Sixteen years' worth of ladylike sensibilities flew out the window as she sprung herself onto his lap and mashed her mouth against his. She didn't stay long, nor did she use her tongue--she didn't know him that well--but she felt his bottom lip slide between hers, and then back out and in again. He must have had strawberries for breakfast.

"Well," he choked as she pulled away, grinning like she'd never seen anyone grin before, "I... hadn't imagined it happening quite like that."

Rona smiled shyly. The words could go either way, but his eyes... "I hope it wasn't too much worse."

"Actually, it was... rather better." He reached behind her back and took to twirling a lock of her hair. She supposed she'd allow it. "Do you want to go for a walk or something?"

She nodded. There was nothing special about a walk, but she figured she'd had enough excitement for one day. "That might be nice."

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