Still as a statue, Themis sat at her window, her eyes lost in the stars. She'd given up on her book, but only after rereading the same paragraph at least three times. She convinced herself Samuel was thinking of how to exit the situation. Then she decided he was searching for a way to share his plan for tomorrow. Themis panicked as she would never expect Samuel's concept of 'plan' to include actual caution. The man seemed to be courting danger, and Themis knew she urged him on. Their curiosity was dangerous but navigable together. While she was the novice, she had learned enough rudimentary control to balance when Samuel pushed and she pulled. She momentarily imagined that they would make a handsome pair when dancing. She labeled this asinine and dismissed it immediately, but not before her mind flooded her with images of the hypothetical. She was sorting through the mounting evidence she was losing her mind when Samuel startled her out of her destructive train of thought. He derailed the train completely.
Themis was entirely uncomfortable with the amount of emotions she experienced at the sight of Samuel like this. He had no business standing in her private quarters looking like a civilized Roman god. "Here, Samuel,"she gave him almost reverently. She said nothing for too long, but Themis didn't flinch at silence. She needed a moment of quiet to balance the buzz in her brain. She felt betrayed by the flood of feeling ricocheting beneath her skin. She lacked context for this moment. What roles did they play when so much had changed from the first time they stood in her study and she admitted him without a second thought. It had been natural then, but something was different about tonight. She could feel the intensity of Samuel claiming space in her domain. Her willingness to allow it confused her.
His presence was in her rooms before he arrived tonight as she found herself fretting in a looking glass. Themis did not fret; that was for debutantes and other children. She had settled on something soft, delicate, but the fabric seemed overwhelming on her skin. She was second-guessing the loose braid she'd set her hair into as the strands dried and curled up defiantly. The golden sun earrings she donned without a second thought suddenly felt too bold a statement. Her indecision was resolved when Samuel arrived. A twinge of anxiety eased when they had an enjoyable meal, even if unspoken questions were in the room. Themis had been pleasantly surprised when he agreed to the bath she had prepared for him. He prevented her from seeing him out of his shirt, and she could guess the reason; she wasn't foolish enough to think his wounds only marked his hands. His absence had her brain running amock, but his return steadied her even as he shifted the center of gravity in the room.
Compelled to explain herself, Themis chose her words carefully. "I feel vulnerable in this moment. It is not a negative sensation as much as an unfamiliar one." If he had felt a third of this uncertainty before making his declarations this afternoon, he was more the lion than she. "I am at a loss of what to say because what I want to convey resists my words." She'd come to her feet at some point but fought the urge to intrude on his space. "I feel you in everything. The temperature in the room changes with you in it." It was an inadequate description, and the shortcoming displeased her. "I can feel your eyes in a room, and it pleases me. You speak volumes in silence, but I crave the sound of your voice." She forced her hands to stay low and immobile, her shoulders straight and back. She wouldn't run away now. "I cannot breathe without thinking of you, and yet I cannot express myself without sounding like a fool." Her words proving true, Themis took a breath. "Forgive me."
Themis was entirely uncomfortable with the amount of emotions she experienced at the sight of Samuel like this. He had no business standing in her private quarters looking like a civilized Roman god. "Here, Samuel,"she gave him almost reverently. She said nothing for too long, but Themis didn't flinch at silence. She needed a moment of quiet to balance the buzz in her brain. She felt betrayed by the flood of feeling ricocheting beneath her skin. She lacked context for this moment. What roles did they play when so much had changed from the first time they stood in her study and she admitted him without a second thought. It had been natural then, but something was different about tonight. She could feel the intensity of Samuel claiming space in her domain. Her willingness to allow it confused her.
His presence was in her rooms before he arrived tonight as she found herself fretting in a looking glass. Themis did not fret; that was for debutantes and other children. She had settled on something soft, delicate, but the fabric seemed overwhelming on her skin. She was second-guessing the loose braid she'd set her hair into as the strands dried and curled up defiantly. The golden sun earrings she donned without a second thought suddenly felt too bold a statement. Her indecision was resolved when Samuel arrived. A twinge of anxiety eased when they had an enjoyable meal, even if unspoken questions were in the room. Themis had been pleasantly surprised when he agreed to the bath she had prepared for him. He prevented her from seeing him out of his shirt, and she could guess the reason; she wasn't foolish enough to think his wounds only marked his hands. His absence had her brain running amock, but his return steadied her even as he shifted the center of gravity in the room.
Compelled to explain herself, Themis chose her words carefully. "I feel vulnerable in this moment. It is not a negative sensation as much as an unfamiliar one." If he had felt a third of this uncertainty before making his declarations this afternoon, he was more the lion than she. "I am at a loss of what to say because what I want to convey resists my words." She'd come to her feet at some point but fought the urge to intrude on his space. "I feel you in everything. The temperature in the room changes with you in it." It was an inadequate description, and the shortcoming displeased her. "I can feel your eyes in a room, and it pleases me. You speak volumes in silence, but I crave the sound of your voice." She forced her hands to stay low and immobile, her shoulders straight and back. She wouldn't run away now. "I cannot breathe without thinking of you, and yet I cannot express myself without sounding like a fool." Her words proving true, Themis took a breath. "Forgive me."
![[Image: Bka0H0x.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Bka0H0x.jpeg)