Chapter 5

"It feels better than the floor or the sleeping bags I've used, though I wonder if I'll roll off of it." Jade sat on the inflatable mattress and shifted around, testing how it felt, wobbling back and forth. "It's an unusual feeling."

"Just no pointy things, please. I don't want it deflating, and I'm not sure we have a patch for it."

"I should probably take off the rest of my armour."

"Oh, right. I grabbed you some clothes. It's only one set for now, but we can figure out more later. I think my brother kept some of my dad's clothes in the basement..." Is that a good idea? Might remind me of him. "Or we can buy something that suits you." As long as it doesn't cost too much.

"We can look at selling my gold coins to buy more. I don't want to burden you more than I already am."

Ariel rummaged through the blanket she had used to carry the rest of the stuff, grabbed a shirt and pants, and turned around to see Jade taking his shirt off, his toned, scarred upper body in view. "Eep," she squealed, and quickly turned back.

"What's wrong?"

"You-you... You're taking your shirt off right there." Her back to him, she held out the clothes.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize it would bother you."

"I'm not used to it." Is this normal for him? Shouldn't you want privacy to change?

He leaned in close from behind and brushed her hair back over her ear. She jolted, her whole body tensing. "Even your ears are red. Cute," he whispered and took the clothes out of her hand.

She stayed stock still as she heard clothes moving around.

"It's safe to look," Jade said as he fixed the cuffs on the button-up shirt.

She turned back, but averted her gaze, staring at the rug instead of him.

"Well, how do I look?"

Ariel peeked at him and stared at the rug again. "Looks better on you than my brother. Oh!" she gasped and covered her mouth. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Jade chuckled. "Yes, and thank you. It's a little snug, but it'll do."

"Do you always leave the top buttons undone?"

"When I'm not in my armour, yes. It's nice to let my skin breath a bit sometimes. Less suffocating." He approached her and ducked down to look at her face. "Is there a reason you're avoiding looking at me? Is the rug on your floor more interesting?"

"N-no." Ariel swallowed hard and bit her lip as she held out the matching suit jacket. "If you need to, you can put this overtop."

"Thanks; it should work when I need to go outside." He took the jacket.

"Oh, maybe I should've found you something to sleep in first. It's almost time for bed."

"This will be fine, and I don't sleep much, anyway. You're still not looking at me."

Because my face is red, I'm embarrassed, and you're quite handsome. "I should go and get my homework done before bed."

He lightly grabbed her chin to turn her towards himself. "What's wrong?"

Her mouth in a firm line, she shook her head. "Nothing."

"You expect me to believe that? If I've done something wrong, tell me; I'm not accustomed to your world."

"No, you haven't. You've been amicable."

His eye bore into her.

"I'm just..." she trailed off, not sure what to say.

"What is it? I promise to keep it to myself if I have to; it's not like I know anyone else."

"I'm not used to being close to people who aren't family. Or even talking much. If my brother isn't home, I can go a whole day without saying two words to anyone." Unless I'm answering questions in class. Wait, that's not something you should tell people. Makes me look pathetic, doesn't it? Ariel stepped back towards her desk.

"Ah, so am I touching you too much? I'm sorry; I'm not normally one to invade another's personal space like—"

"It's fine. I'm just awkward, so don't think much of it." Even saying I'm awkward is weird. She took another step back and tripped over the blanket on the floor. "Ah!"

Jade grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, his other arm wrapping around her waist. "That was close. Are you okay?"

Ariel froze in his arms, her heart pounding.

"Ariel?"

"I'm okay, thanks to you. I should watch where I'm going. I always trip over things. Forever a klutz." And ramble like an idiot when I'm nervous.

"You shouldn't call yourself names like that. Everyone messes up sometimes, everyone trips; it's not a big deal. And I know you said you're not used to talking to people, but would you mind talking to me more? Maybe not today, since you said you have homework, but when you're not busy? I need to get my bearings, and I'll need assistance to do that. I also wouldn't mind getting to know you better; I don't know how long I'll be here. For all I know, I'll never get back home to His Highness." Jade sighed and released her. "I'm sorry for delaying you further. I will let you do your homework, but please think about what I said." He tilted his head down in a small bow.

She nodded and rushed to head back to her room. He wants to know more about me? She took a deep breath as she stood in the middle of her room and remembered her bag was upstairs. Crap. How am I supposed to go back for that now?

"Are you missing this?" Jade held her backpack out through the entrance.

"Yes, thank you." I swear he either reads my mind, or he's super attentive and notices every little thing. She took her backpack, looked inside, and remembered her ruined textbook. Ugh. There's no way to get that off. I just promised to get him clothes, but I'll have to pay for this. Hopefully, it won't be until the end of the semester, if I'm still here. How do I hide this for now? She stared at the nail polish on the textbook, mentally cursing the girls who bullied her. They should be the ones paying for it.

"I'm going to guess that red stuff isn't supposed to be on the book," Jade said from behind her.

Ariel's shoulders jumped, and she dropped the book. "What?" When'd he come down?

"I will admit I peeked into your bag and saw the book there, but I couldn't be certain there was something wrong until you looked at it like that."

"It's nothing you need to worry about." She picked up the book and dumped it back in her bag. "Did you need something?"

He narrowed his eyes, watching her for a moment before he sighed. "No, I don't require anything right now. I was merely checking on you and that suspicious book. I'll back off and head back to my quarters, for now."

For now? What does that mean? What would he do if he knew what was going on? Better not get him involved; he's got enough to deal with.

Ariel sat on her bed and pulled out her homework for the day. If only I wouldn't have to be reminded of what happened every time I saw my bag and things. She sighed and got to work.