Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Colette woke up suddenly. She hadn't realised she'd fallen asleep.

It wasn't surprising though, she was so warm and comfortable. She stared at the fire and wondered why she found it so comforting. Maybe because it reminded her of all the wonderful times in her childhood when she and Lloyd had curled up together by a fire. Maybe because fires and cozy fireplaces were traditionally places of safety and warmth. Or perhaps something deeper than that, instinct that fire meant safety.

Whatever it was the gently burning logs made her feel very comfortable.

She nuzzled Lloyd. He'd fallen asleep in the chair by the fire too.

Raine had been telling them off for doing that too much lately. Colette frowned. They couldn't help it, their journey was so tiring, both physically and emotionally. And she felt so safe and warm curled up in Lloyd's arms, like it was the place she was meant to be. Hearing his heartbeat was so comforting.

She was particularly cozy tonight, curled up with Lloyd in the room they were sharing to themselves. The group was staying in a cold town, and so Lloyd has picked out his old flannel pyjamas to wear. Colette nuzzled him again, enjoying the feeling of the soft, warm fabric against her cheek.

Her movement woke Lloyd, who yawned and blinked sleepily. He looked around, a little disorientated, but soon settled.

Colette leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. He smiled and hugged her.

"It's so peaceful here," she smiled. They were staying in a very pleasant inn, which had fireplaces in the small but comfey rooms.

Lloyd gazed lovingly at Colette and ran his hand softly over her cheek and under her chin. She leaned into his touch and purred gently.

"What time is it?" Lloyd asked. Colette glanced over to the clock.
"Late," she replied, nuzzling up to him.

"Hmmm, we'll have missed that cake Genis was going to bake for dessert then. There'll be none left by now," he said.

"Shame," Colette said. "I was looking forward to that."

"Oh, speaking of dessert," Lloyd said. "That reminds me. I bought us a treat when I went shopping this afternoon."

He shifted out of the chair, Colette whimpering slightly as his warmth moved away, and went to grab something from his bag.

Colette gasped with delight when she saw that it was. Strawberries, a very rare treat indeed.

She grinned and grabbed a bar of chocolate and a small pan from her bag. Lloyd nodded and helped her melt the chocolate over the fire as he had so many times before.

Once it was melted just right he pulled it away from the flames and allowed it to cool a little. Then he carefully dipped one of the small pieces of fruit into the chocolate and held it out for Colette. She took a bite and an expression of pure and utter contentment crossed her face as she tasted the sweet, juicy flavour. She finished the strawberry Lloyd was feeding her and then dipped another and fed it to him.

Once all the strawberries were gone Colette licked the melted chocolate off her fingers. Then she saw Lloyd had a stray bit of chocolate on his face.

Normally she'd have wiped it off with a cloth, but tonight she decided to try something different.

Blushing deeply she leaned forward and gently licked the chocolate from around his mouth.

Slowly, shyly, it turned into a kiss A deep, warm, tender kiss.

Colette blushed as she closed her eyes and ran a hand through Lloyd's soft hair. He tasted delightfully like chocolate and strawberries and the kiss made her feel all warm and tingley all over.

She wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, it felt like a very long time. But eventually their lips parted.

They stayed hugging each other, Colette's head resting in the familiar and comfortable place of Lloyd's shoulder.

Lloyd heard the girl's breathing slow down and gently scooped her up in his arms. He placed her on the bed and snuggled in beside her. He curled protectively around her and she snuggled up to him, making small noises of contentment in her sleep.

Lloyd smiled and kissed the top of her head softly.

"I love you Colette," he said, his own eyes closing as he gave in to slumber.

The next morning at breakfast Sheena noticed Colette looked even more happy than usual. She patted the seat next to her and the small girl sat down.

"Why the mad grin?" the summoner asked around a slice of toast.

Colette sighed, a dreamy, far away look on her face. She lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Last night Lloyd and I shared some strawberries and chocolate and then," she leaned even closer so she could whisper into Sheena's ear. "We kissed".

Her face blushed madly. She propped her chin in both hands, elbows resting on the table as she gazed over at Lloyd lovingly.

"So," Sheena nudged her. "What was it like?"

"Oh Sheena," Colette said softly, her blush getting deeper and her silly grin spreading wider across her face. "I felt like my insides were even more melted and gooey than the chocolate!"