Macha's Journey

Tyr was signing for some packages at the door when Macha walked into the room. He turned and her image captivated him. The smell of gardenias filled the air and the rays of sun streaked through the windows. He thought Macha looked more beautiful everyday and it took his breath away. Macha moved gracefully across the living room and touched her neck. She gave an uneasy smile. Tyr was nervous because he planned to confess today. Macha received a package from the jeweler, so he had a small boost of confidence. "A package came for you today," he said in a disinterested voice and handed it to her.

Macha reached her hand out and accepted it. "Thank you. Let me put it in my room." Her heart raced. Behind Tyr, she saw a bouquet of gardenias and a few other packages.

Macha hurried to her room and put the gift under her bed. Seeing all the packages that were delivered filled her heart with a sliver of hope. Macha returned to Tyr, but the flowers and packages had disappeared. She had expected him to give her something, so she felt dismayed.

Tyr spent the day listening to music and sipping wine. He did some paperwork on the couch while Macha read one of the books Freyr gave her.

Macha determined this day did not differ from any other, and she felt stupid for getting her hopes up. She cursed Luna and her good imagination. Towards evening Macha took a break from reading and enjoyed watching the sunset over the city. Tyr did not watch it with her but went into his office for an hour.

Tyr waited for Macha to give him his gift or show some sign of affection. He waited all day, but she had not said or done anything different from what they usually did. When dinner came, Tyr began to worry. He brought out the special bottle of wine that he bought for the night and poured it for them. Tyr inquired about her package, "So, what did you get earlier from the jeweler?"

Macha"s eyes shot up. She took a sip of her wine and looked at her room, "Just something I ordered." She changed the subject, "What shall we practice today when we do our training?"

A cold shiver ran through Tyr"s heart. He did not expect them to train today. Tyr wondered if Macha saw this as any other day. "I planned to skip our training session today if you don"t mind." He swirled his wine gla.s.s nervously and tried to read her face.

Macha looked out the window and nodded her head. "That"s fine. Did you have anything special you needed to take care of?" Tyr almost never canceled their sessions, so she a.s.sumed he had something he needed to take care of.

By this time, Tyr a.s.sumed he would be holding Macha and telling her how much he cared about her. He considered that special, but the day did not unfold how he planned. "No," he said bitterly.

The awkward silence through dinner ate away at Macha. She felt bold from the wine and laughed candidly. "Luna really thinks of the funniest things. Do you know what she told me last week?" Macha was tired of expecting something to happen, the day had exhausted her nerves.

Tyr was glad that Macha started a conversation. "No. What did she say this time?" He knew his sister and wanted to hear what silly idea Luna had in her head this time.

Macha sipped the last bit of her wine. "She said you had feelings for me. I told her that"s impossible because you would have said something by now." Her heart beated against her chest. She got up to put her wine gla.s.s away. It was getting late, and she decided nothing special would happen tonight. "I"m going to bed. I had a nice day. Thank you for the holiday."

Tyr was trying to process what Macha said. She said Luna"s idea was funny, he wanted to know if she thought him having feelings for her was funny. Tyr looked at the clock. The day was almost over and Macha walked towards her bedroom. He had to find a reason to keep her with him. Tyr remembered the chocolates. "Macha, wait."

Macha spun around. She thought Tyr was about to confess, so she ran back to him with a smile on her face. "Yes?"

Tyr picked up the Boreas"s Day chocolates off the kitchen counter that she special ordered. "We still didn"t try the holiday chocolates you ordered." He went to sit down on the couch and opened the box.

Macha"s smile faded, "Oh, yeah. Can"t forget that," she drawled. She sat down on the couch and made one last effort for the night. She took the blanket and put it over them. Macha remembered the legend and wanted to see if her actions would change the mood.

Tyr opened the box and noticed Macha looked unhappy. She had a fake smile on that did not touch her eyes. He grew frustrated because her mood seemed to worsen as the day progressed.

Macha looked at the contents of the box. "Oh. That"s pretty. I like how the chocolates were carved to make a winter scene of the couple," Macha remarked. She admired the artistic detail that the chocolatiers used to create a three-dimensional scene that showed snow falling and a couple wrapped with a blanket. "I"m not that hungry, you can have it. I"m just going to wash up and go to bed now." Macha had enough of today. She was elated that Tyr could not read her mind.

"Macha wait." Tyr grabbed her wrist and put the box of chocolates down. His hands were cold and shaky. He looked into her eyes, his green eyes reflecting the light of the fire. Tyr wanted to tell her he liked her, but he could not find the words to express the depth of his feelings. Tyr figured it was easier to just give Macha the present so she would understand that he cared. " I got you something. I hope you like it." He reached behind the sofa and put a box into her hands.

Macha looked at the box. It was the same maroon box her gift came in and had the same white lace ribbon tied around it. She looked up at Tyr, he seemed nervous and watched her carefully. Macha"s hands shook as she opened the box and saw two beautiful ear cuffs. They were fashioned to look like a trail of golden flowers and leaves. A few large gems decorated the cuffs in s.p.a.ced out intervals. "Tyr! This is too expensive. These are the most beautiful ear cuffs I"ve seen." She tried to hand them back to him but he pushed the box back towards her.

Tyr"s world froze when Macha was opening the gift. Her reaction was more than he expected and relief rushed through him. He did not know he sought her approval so much and it frightened him. Tyr tried to sound casual as he explained, "It"s nothing. I"m glad you like them. I had the jeweler enchant it so you can clean yourself once a day while on missions. It"s a popular enchantment that women use. I thought it would be useful for you someday."

Macha blushed and remembered Luna told her to give Tyr a gift. She gave Tyr a quick smile and whispered, "I bought something for you, let me get it." Macha slipped off the sofa and ran to her room. She got the package that came earlier out from under her bed. When she came out, Tyr was in the kitchen and had a few other packages on the counter with the gardenia bouquet Macha saw earlier. Macha handed him the box and explained, "I thought you could use this in the office for your lamp."

Macha hopped up on the counter so she could get a better view of his reaction. Tyr opened the box and saw a wyvern that looked like Aži and smiled. He did not expect Macha to get him such a nice gift. Tyr thanked Macha and proceeded to give her the other gifts he had gotten.

Macha received the other small gifts from Tyr, thanking him for each one. She waited to see if he would say anything about how he felt. Macha did not want to a.s.sume he liked her and make a fool out of herself.

Tyr talked about how he got two of every chocolate for them to eat together and realized he was rambling. He knew he had to tell Macha his feelings, but he could not think of how to start the conversation without it seeming awkward. Tyr fiddled with the charm she had given him. He realized actions speak louder than words, so it would be better to kiss her, then worry about what to say.

While Macha sat on the countertop, her face was the same height as Tyr"s. He looked into Macha"s eyes and she averted her gaze and lowered her lashes. He could see her blush and it mesmerized him.

Macha felt a shift in Tyr"s mood. He looked s.e.xy and adorable at the same time and she worried he could read her thoughts. Tyr"s hand reached up to stroke her cheek and Macha felt an electric magnetism drawing her closer to him. Tyr faced her with hesitation in his eyes and lifted her chin.

Tyr"s shirt rustled as he moved closer. His intoxicating warmth captivated Macha. She could hear his quickened breathing and he licked his lips. Tyr pressed on the small of her back to gently guide her towards him.

Macha"s lips quivered and Tyr stared at them. His heart stopped as he slid her legs open so he could move his hips between her thighs. He wanted to be closer to her and feel her against him. Tyr"s lips brushed Macha"s temple, and he caressed her lower lip with his thumb. Macha"s pupils dilated and he stared into their dark brown depths. He felt like he would lose himself in her. Tyr leaned in and was about to kiss her when there was a heavy knock on the door.

The sound from the door startled Macha. Tyr"s body withdrew and his warmth faded away. Macha realized that she might have imagined his intentions, and she covered her face. Since Tyr already moved to the door, she took this as an opportunity to go to her room before she embarra.s.sed herself.

Tyr wanted to get back to Macha as quickly as possible. He felt the courage he had about kissing her and telling her he liked her slipping away. Tyr threw the door open. Sierra, the captain of the guards for the palace, stood at the door. "Sierra, why are you here?" Tyr snapped. He wondered if Freyr sent her to interrupt his evening.

It annoyed Sierra that she had to come this late at night when there was so much to do. "The king had to have a change of plans. They want to leave at dawn to avoid a storm that will sweep in later tomorrow. Get your team ready and meet up at the docks in a few hours." She did not have time to talk to Tyr, so she turned around and left.

Tyr looked back at the kitchen. Macha was not sitting on the countertop anymore. He hit his head against the doorframe and shut the door. He wanted to tell Macha that he liked her before he left but now was not a good time. Tyr had too much to prepare. He decided he needed to be satisfied knowing she was his girlfriend. They kissed a few weeks ago, exchanged gifts, and shared a blanket, it was a good enough for now.

Macha sat on her bed thinking about the evening. She held the ear-cuffs in her hands and touched her temple where Tyr"s lips had brushed. The ear cuffs were beautiful but seemed too expensive to give to a friend. Macha was unsure where their relationship stood at this point. They did not seem like just good friends anymore, but they were not lovers either. Tyr neither said he liked her, nor did he give her a kiss. She looked at the jewelry she received and groaned "What am I?"