I paused in the act of pulling on my pants and turned to meet her gaze. "That's music to my ears. I was afraid you'd be sore and wouldn't be in any state for conditioning this morning."
She groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Sorry." I leaned over to plant one last kiss on her lips.
Once I was dressed, I knelt beside the bed, surrendering to her pull for one more moment. I cradled her face in my hands and kissed her deeply, pouring everything I felt into it—my love, my gratitude, my wonder at what we had found with each other.
"I'll see you at conditioning," I said against her lips.
"You are reminding me of it again," she accused, but the sleepy contentment in her eyes softened the delivery.
With a final kiss to her forehead, I grabbed my backpack and moved to the door, listening carefully for sounds in the corridor beyond. Hearing nothing, I slipped out, closing the door quietly behind me.
The hallway was still deserted, and I made my way quickly to the communal bathroom, planning to shower and change before heading back to my room. If anyone saw me, they would assume I just started my day early.
The bathroom was empty when I entered, another small mercy. I set my backpack down and turned on one of the showers, adjusting the temperature while my mind drifted backto Kailin, and the smile that bloomed on my face was probably going to stay there throughout conditioning.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice I wasn't alone anymore until Codric's voice broke through my reverie.
"Showering before the run up the mountain?" he asked with a knowing smirk. "You do realize you'll need another one after, right?"
He leaned against the partition of my shower stall, arms crossed over his chest, looking far too pleased with himself.
"No one ever died from being too clean," I said.
"True, but if you are going for subtle, cousin, you're not thinking it through."
I sighed, turning off the water and reaching for my towel. "Is Shovia out of our room?"
He nodded with another smirk, lifting a corner of his mouth. "So, how did the studying go?"
Despite my irritation at his prying, I couldn't suppress a smile. "It was educational."
"I bet." Codric's expression shifted to something more genuine. "I'm happy for you. Kailin is the real deal, and I've never seen you more contented. Don't mess it up with her."
The observation caught me off guard. Codric and I had grown up together, shared countless experiences, but we rarely ventured into emotional territory, and Codric was usually the last one I would take romantic advice from, but he was spot on.
"You are right, and I'll do my best not to."
He clutched his chest in mock astonishment. "Dare I say the mighty Prince Alar has fallen in love?"
"That's a bit dramatic," I said, neither confirming nor denying it.
"It's written all over your face."
I wrapped the towel around my waist and gathered my toiletries. "Instead of butting into my personal affairs, you should get ready for conditioning."
Codric clicked his tongue. "That's as good as confirming it." He turned around and headed for one of the sinks.
I changed into my training uniform and waited for him to be done before we headed together to our room.
I dropped the backpack and my toiletries in the wardrobe and turned back toward the door, waiting for Codric to do the same.
"You know," he said as we started down the corridor, "if things are serious between you two, maybe we should switch rooms permanently? Shovia can stay with me, and you can stay with Kailin. It will make things easier for all of us."
"I don't think it's allowed according to the rules. Being discreet is strongly emphasized, and changing sleeping arrangements is hardly discreet."
"We can ask."
