If the disturbance of the bell above the door hadnât roused him from his reverie, the soft, familiar chime of her voice surely would have. The tips of his ears perked visibly, chin raising from where it rested lazily in the palm of his hand while he dreamed up get-rich-quick schemesâ each more ridiculous than the lastâ for his own amusement. His typical, halfhearted greeting intended for customers met an undignified death on his lips, however, when what his heart both feared and longed for was confirmed.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered her, fresh on the cusp of thirty; too young for him, as he insisted many a time at the beginning of what to this day he still struggled to define (whenever memories of them were dredged up against his will from the bottom of an empty bottle). Not that his qualms had discouraged her any. Bull-headed and sharp as an awl, she was a woman who might have been considered âhigh maintenanceâ by some, but to him had been a constant delight, when things were kept light.
While it was true she may have resembled herself more toward the end of their⊠acquaintanceshipâ in technicality, and for the doe-like trepidation in her eyesâ she was still one hell of a sight for his, and it took a moment for Badoâs mind to process the reality of her presence, before permitting his mouth to speak.
âEve⊠Hey, uh. Long time no see.â He forced a chuckle, while bungling about for something else to say in a mind that had gone completely blank. âYou-⊠you look good,â he finally eked out, and internally winced. What, by the damned Native Dragons, was that supposed to be?
Nearly the whole of his ears taking on a feverish hue, the dwarf silently admonished himself to act normally, you old fool.
âSooo, uh⊠what can I get fixed for ya?â
As soon as her eyes fell on him, she regretted this. It was stupid to come here, so unbelievably foolish--and to think she thought herself as intelligent, mature. And yet she couldnât control herself from clinging on to the past, to him, like a desperate little girl.
With a glance away and a tight purse of her lips, Eve bolstered her resolve. It was fine. Good, even. Confronting her lingering feelings like this, getting it into her head that she had to move on... She could get some closure here, by doing this.
She was well aware that she was lying to herself, but it worked nonetheless. She managed not to turn tail and run.
âHello, Bado,â she greeted with a hollow smile. His name on her tongue was sweet and sour and refreshing, cold lemonade on a summer evening. And, oh, his compliment, awkward as it was--Goddess, it killed her. Every inch of her longed for more, ached for his adulation.
Not to mention ached for him.
â... Thank you.â Her smile was more real now, cheeks dusted a gentle pink. âYou look good, too.â Handsome. Stunning. Perfect. She could go on and on.
A silent breath escaped her lips as she stepped closer to his counter. Her hand slid back into her purse, retrieving the little wrapped package. She looked up at him, scarlet eyes wide. His build suggested him to be a man of stone, but the creases in his cheeks chiseled by countless smiles revealed otherwise. She had adored both his firm, strong arms around her, and his beaming smiles after telling yet another awful joke...
Eveâs gaze averted almost shamefully as she set the parcel on the counter with a soft, muted clink. âIt broke,â she announced flatly, though she didnât dare unfold the handkerchief herself. It was a necklace, one of her favorites, owing in part to where it had come from. She couldnât bear to give it up; it was truly beautiful.
Its memories were beautiful, too.
