A Game of Crowns

“What one loves in childhood stays in the heart forever.”

-Mary Jo Putney

The day was perfect for a swim. The clouds offered just enough shade to keep the rays at bay. A soft breeze swayed through the trees and soothed my wet skin. The pond was a refreshing change from the grueling days of harvesting the crops and I hoped it helped distract Pen from the turmoil of her thoughts.

It was one of the many reasons I had delayed my trip to Clearwater territory. I wanted to help her find her way back. She was broken after her time at the palace. She didn’t say she was hurting but I knew Pen well enough to know she was in pain. It was written all over her.

I could see it in the way she pretended to laugh or the way she stared off into thin air, getting lost in her thoughts. It was worse the first week she was back. Certain words or items would trigger a memory and tears would be seen forming in the corners of her eyes. I’d have given a limb to not see her that way, so I dedicated myself to putting a genuine smile back on her face and I think I might have just done it.

It had been three weeks since she’d returned home and every week I saw pieces of my old friend return. She still clung to a long pendant around her neck, but I hadn’t had the nerve to ask her about it.

She floated on her back, swishing through the light green tinted water of the pond in her backyard. She stared up at the blue sky with a small smile gracing her lips.

I swam closer to her and flicked a bit of water onto her face. She righted herself and turned to face me. “Don’t you dare, Thomas,” she said, treading water.

I grinned and slowly swam closer. Her eyebrows knitted together as her eyes followed me as I circled around her.

“Thomas,” she warned again.

I pounced, and she let out a squeal. Her yelp left her breathless as she tried to make her way towards land. She wouldn’t get away so easily. My fingers grazed her stomach as I worked to catch her. She pushed away, splashing water onto my face. I choked on pond water, but I didn’t let her go.

“Thomas,” she yelled.

I struggled not to laugh as I finally got a secure grip on her wrist. We were near enough to land that I could firmly feel the sliminess of the ground beneath me. She stopped struggling and turned to face me, deciding to take me on. The look on her face took my breath away. She was so damn beautiful.

She used that moment to latch onto me, wrapping her legs around my waist. She wrapped one arm around my neck and used the other to splash water on my face. My hands automatically grabbed onto the back of her thighs. All the blood in my body seemed to drain towards a certain organ that refused to listen. I gulped roughly.

“You’re not playing fair,” I breathed.

“All is fair in love and war, Tommy,” she said throatily as she worked to tickle my torso with her very capable fingers. She hadn’t called me Tommy in years and it warmed my heart to hear it from her lips again. I tickled her thigh playfully and she squirmed against me. I quickly stopped the tickling.

Her leg muscles labored to hold onto me. If she moved an inch in the right direction she’d feel my erection against her body. The heat of her body sent tingles up and down the length of me. I had stopped fighting and she’d noticed.

“Thomas?” she asked breathlessly.

I shut my eyes, counting to ten but it did nothing to calm my raging hormones.

I opened my eyes and stared into two pools of pure beauty. My eyes flicked towards her lips for a moment, but I quickly ignored the urge to kiss her.

Instead, I satisfied the ache in my chest by burying my face into the crook of her neck. Her small gasp rippled through me. She was still for a moment before she relaxed and ran her hand over the back of my head, fingers through wet hair. Her chest rose and fell against my collar, in sync with my erratic heartbeat.

“Pen,” I groaned into her neck.

“Thomas,” she replied.

I pulled back and looked into her beautiful gray eyes. “I think it’s time we finally had that talk.”

Surprise flickered in her eyes and a slight blush ran up her neck. She unwrapped her legs and I reluctantly let go.

We pulled ourselves out of the water and traipsed over towards the small dock at the other end of the pond. I picked up one of the two towels we had brought with us and held it open for her. I kept my eyes cast down, trying to not stare openly at her exposed body.

She had worn a two-piece swimsuit that had been gifted to her in her new wardrobe. I had heard of the type of swimsuit before, but I had never seen one with my own eyes. I couldn’t deny I liked it. It exposed nearly every bit of her that I had daydreamed about.

The first time she wore it she wouldn’t walk around without a shirt on and that helped keep my imagination in check, but once she got used to being exposed she wore the small pieces of clothing exceedingly well. I shook my head, trying to get a grip on the situation at hand. The H branded onto her skin was healing and would lighten with time. She refused to hide it after her second week at home.

Pen took the towel and sat at the edge of the dock, letting her feet hang into the water. I took my towel, dried my face, and followed her actions, allowing my feet to dip into the water as well.

We sat shoulder to shoulder, watching the sun near its exit. Birds chirped delightedly nearby, and a dog barked somewhere through the trees near her house. It was probably Cosmo, he sure loved wandering between our properties. I had him since Pen gifted him to me for my fifteenth birthday.

“So,” Pen said cautiously.

I’d been wanting to have this conversation with her for years and now that the time had finally arrived I didn’t know how to begin.

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Pen’s nervousness fell away from her face and an amused look took its place. I turned to face her, and she did the same, our knees touching while our other foot still hung off the dock. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to begin. She knew the direction of our conversation, but it was up to me to start talking. It was me, after all, who wanted this discussion to take place.

“Pen,” I started but I choked on my nerves.

She slapped my thigh. “How many times do I have to tell you to use my whole name?” She laughed, trying to lighten the situation.

I took her hand in my own and traced the lines of her palm. I looked back into her eyes and took courage in what I saw there, even if I only imagined reciprocation. I moved closer.

“Infinity, Pen. Infinity” I breathed before I pulled her towards me and kissed her.

She didn’t respond at first but after a moment she softened in my arms and her lips began to move with mine.

My whole world stopped and started at the same time. I forgot how to breathe for a moment.

Before I could deepen the kiss, she placed a hand on my chest and slightly pushed. I hesitantly pulled back, not wanting the moment to end.

“Thomas,” she whispered.

My heart broke at the way she whispered my name. It was over before it ever began.