Nikias used his other hand to reach forward, covering her smaller hand with his, engulfing it completely.
Aimilia stilled as his warm palm pressed against her hand. She closed her eyes and looked up at him, eyes still shining with tears, but her lips parted and she breathed out a long, slow breath. Her grip on the casket loosened and he was able to gently tug her hand away from the wood. She looked back one more time and he watched as her lips moved in a silent whisper of, “Rest well.”
Nikias held Aimilia’s hand as she stepped back from the casket, ignoring the way his mother’s hand was doing her best to break his arm through sheer force. The pain throbbing through his arm wasn’t going to stop him from being whatever Aimilia needed in this moment.
Aimilia turned back, looking up at him and squeezing his hand in return. She opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to whisper to him was lost as her mother called out, “Lower it!”
Aimilia’s hand slid out of his and he let it go so she could rejoin the others. Her hands moved and vitae filled the air as they lifted the casket once more to lower it to its final resting place. His mother pulled on his arm, and he finally leaned in and she whispered in his ear, “Stop it.”
They’d already had the fight the night before, about Nikias continuing to be so public in his intentions and attachment to her while Aimilia only spurned him and made a mockery of the royal family.
Nikias just ignored her and kept watching Aimilia as they began to move the dirt back into place.
He didn’t care if she never loved him back. He didn’t care if she never married him.
She’d been there for him even when she hated him the day he buried Faustina. He would do nothing less for her.
Nikias wasn’t surprised when he looked around the reception that evening to see Aimilia had disappeared, and once she was gone, so was he.
He found her exactly where he knew she would be. Thankfully the moon was full so he could see her silhouette as she sat in the fresh dirt, even though her black clothes did their best to hide her.
She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her head was buried in them as her whole body shook. Nikias picked up his pace until he was kneeling in the dirt beside her. He gently reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, whispering, “Aimilia.”
She looked up and wiped at her eyes, choking out, “Am I that predictable?”
“I think you just don’t realize how well I know you.”
“You didn’t have to come out here after me.” Aimilia rested her chin on her knees, looking over at him.
“I didn’t have to, you’re right. I wanted to.”
He stayed where he was and she kept watching him in the moonlight. He didn’t know what she was looking for, but he stayed exactly where he was. He waited for her to question his motives again, to accuse him of being there only to wear her down, but they never came.
Instead, she whispered, “Why?”
He nodded toward the fresh dirt plot in front of them and said, “Last time either of us was in front of a grave, you were there for me even though you didn’t have to be. At the reception you found me and you brewed that tea of yours because you knew I wasn’t sleeping. You pretended it was because of Gavril,but he told me the truth. It was your idea to help me that night. That’s why I’m here.”
Aimilia turned back to face the grave. “So you’re repaying a debt.”
“You are determined to misunderstand every word out of my mouth.” Nikias let out a soft huff of laughter. “I just… I want to be here. I have no expectations. There are no strings attached.”
Aimilia looked at him again. “My mother and Uncle Cyprian are trying to strongarm me into not competing.”
“They can’t make you give up the right to compete,” Nikias said, as much as he wished she would.
He couldn’t deny a large part of that was because he wanted her to finally just choose him, but after having to send her into the collapse at the stadium and then barely reaching her in time to save her during the ambush, Nikias couldn’t stomach seeing her in any more danger. His nightmares were dark enough without adding more fodder for his mind to torture him with.
“I know.” Aimilia blew out a long sigh. “They’re just making this harder than it needs to be.”
“Usually that’s your job.”
Aimilia laughed and Nikias was filled with a warm rush of pride at earning the sound. She shook her head at him. “You should be nicer to me. I’m in mourning.”
“Big words coming from the girl who openly insulted me at the reception for my wife’s funeral.”
Aimilia’s mouth fell open at the mention of Faustina and Nikias’ heart started to race. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. He almost never mentioned Faustina?—
“What was it I even said?” Aimilia shook her head as her laughter died down. “I don’t remember.”
