240 Nothing To Regre (2/2)

When they had advanced miles away from Shaoshu, they stopped to give water to the horses and eat a cold, quick meal. They ripped apart a loaf of the bread that An Sun had stolen from the kitchens and chunks of hard yellow cheese from hand to hand.

”When you left this morning, did you perhaps go anywhere else?” Rin sat against a boulder, her legs folded neatly on the grass.

”Nope,” An Sun said simply, as he tore apart a loaf of bread.

Rin regarded him for a moment, the edge of her lips twitching. Even though she knew he was lying, she said nothing of it. Finishing her bread, Rin stood up and dusted her pants.

”Let's go. If we move faster, we'll be back by dusk.”

An Sun's eyes narrowed. Then he extended his hand. Stunned, Rin stared down with blinking eyes. She sighed and reached for it to help pull him up. But as soon as their skin touched, he clasped his fingers around hers and pulled, and she landed on his chest with a thump. An Sun gave her a charming smile. Rin scowled back at him.

”What are you doing?” She said, her voice so low it was almost a whisper.

”Holding you.” He said smoothly, almost with a hint of amusement.

”Yes, I'm aware of that,” Rin said, suddenly becoming mindful of the fact that she was straddling his waist. Their soft breaths rocked against each other slightly.

An Sun reached out and casually tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and without meaning to, Rin sucked in a breath and leaned in to his touch. His brow raised, and his eyes turned to fiery coal, as they drifted down to her hair.

”It's grown longer than the last I remembered.” He whispered, twirling a piece between his fingers.

Slowly, Rin nodded her head. Without thinking, she also reached down to stroke the wisps of hair at his temple. An Sun smiled and closed his eyes. She observed his face, tipped up to meet the sun. There was a delicacy to his features that sometimes made him look younger than he was. His lips were flushed and full.

Rin swallowed. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to push him away, distance herself from the threatening emotions about to erupt within.

But she didn't.

Instead, she leaned down and kissed him. An Sun's eyes opened wide, but it didn't take long for him to respond as he inclined his face toward hers and lay his mouth against her lips, which were like a freshly split-open fig.

His arms wrapped around her waist, cinching her to him, and she put her hands in his hair, feeling the soft strands between her fingers. He groaned, low and deep. His hair curled around her fingertips, silky and fine. Her heart was hammering, and there was a rushing sound in her ears, like beating wings.

Their tongues met for the briefest instance before Rin pulled away. ”That should be enough.”

Standing up, she walked to her horse. On the ground, An Sun blinked at her, startled. Strands of thick black hair fell across his deep gray eyes. Adjusting her saddle, she turned to him, eyes completely unreadable.

”You had your break, now let's go.” She lifted her chin.

Closing his parted mouth, An Sun resisted the threat of a smile. He stood up, and by the time he was by her side, Rin had glanced away and was already mounting her horse. The remainder of the trip neither voiced a word to one another.

Although nothing more needed to be said.

They arrived at the palace a few hours later. The sun was just over the meridian, and Rin and An Sun stood looking at the gate. They had finally made it back.

It had only been one day, and yet so much had changed.

Rin had clenched her reins before she swung down from her horse, and he followed. Greeted by the soldiers at the front, they passed their reins to one man, who guided their horses to the stables.

When they reached the first landing, Rin felt his palm touch the small of her back, the solid tips of his fingers settling into the dip along her spine, steady and sure.

An Sun had turned back to face her. His voice was low, barely audible, ”Still have any regrets?”

Rin's eyes searched his face. He was watching her closely, reading her face over and over. Although his voice sounded calm, she could hear the slight hesitation before he asked. The dimples at the corner of her mouth deepened when she suddenly smiled.

”There's nothing to regret.”