Chloe’s breath caught in her throat, escaping her in an odd squeak. Undeterred by her response, Lloyd let the churn he’d felt inside rise and spill out of him, scrambling to fit it into words as it came. “I love you, Chloe. So much that I don’t know what to do with myself. You occupy my thoughts from dawn till dusk. I love the way you wake up before me just to make sure I have breakfast, how you see me out the door every morning and welcome me back every night. Every meal you make is the best I’ve ever had, automatically. I love the way you so engross yourself in reading that you jump when I call your name, the way you find anything and everything so interesting while we’re out on a walk. I love the face you make when you’re embroidering and giving it all your concentration. I love the you who accepts me for all I am, my dullness, my past, all of it. I love the way your eyes narrow when I stroke your hair; the way you entrust your entire body to me when we embrace. You’re kind, considerate to a fault, incapable of overlooking the suffering of another, a hard worker; your smile ranks among the most adorable things I’ve ever seen. You’ve been the center of my world for far longer than I’ve had the means to admit. I came home early yesterday because I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I lost a duel, stumbled over nothing, caused concern among my comrades—all because I couldn’t stop thinking of you. All this time I’ve lived by the sword, and now I can’t wait to put it down just to be next to you. A shameful admission for a knight to make, I know, but it’s the truth. Sorry—my thoughts are as scattered as my words, but I need you to know that I love you, Chloe, so damn much. I’m at a loss; I’ve never felt this way before, and ever since I confessed, these feelings have become all but impossible to ignore. They’re why I’ve been distant, and for that, Chloe, I... Chloe?”
Lloyd’s words trailed off as he noticed Chloe’s reaction—mirroring his own just moments prior. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Chloe, her body trembling with emotion, managed to squeak out, “I thought I might die.”
“Don’t die...” Lloyd responded. “Please?”
Chloe, pulling her hands from her face and regaining her composure, responded with determination, “I’m... I’m all right! There’s so much more I want to experience with you; I can’t die now!” She then asked, “So you’ve been acting this way because you...love me too much as well?”
Lloyd softly murmured his agreement.
“Which means we’ve both been acting distant for the exact same reason?”
“I believe so,” Lloyd said, awkwardly scratching at his still-flushed cheeks.
A moment of silence passed. Then, the two burst into laughter. Chloe laughed openly, her hands on her stomach, while Lloyd, more reserved, covered his mouth with his hand. The irony of their situation, preparing for the worst only to discover their fears were unfounded, was too much. They were both overcome with relief, and their pent-up tension dissolved into laughter at the sheer absurdity of it all.
As their laughter subsided, Chloe wiped a tear of joy from her eye. “We really are quite similar, you and I.”
“That’s probably why we fell in love,” Lloyd replied, still smiling. “Thank you, Chloe.”
“No, thank you. Well, I think if there’s anything we learned from this whole ordeal, it’s that if there’s anything on our minds, we share it.” Chloe looked at Lloyd, her smile warm and affectionate. “After all, we’re lovers, aren’t we, Lloyd?”
“Yes, you’re right about that.” Lloyd lowered his head in a nod—but didn’t rise from it. He let out a strained grunt, and brought a hand to his temple, his face contorting in pain.
“Lloyd?” Chloe’s voice was laced with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Lloyd, fighting through discomfort, gestured reassuringly with his hand. “I’m fine,” he managed to say through gritted teeth. After he took several deep breaths, his composure returned. Seeing Chloe’s worried expression, he softly added, “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine, but...” Chloe hesitated, lost in thought. “There’s more on your mind, isn’t there? More than what you shared.”
Lloyd visibly tensed at her words.
Chloe reflected on a previous conversation. “That night, you mentioned something about your past. Something that held you back from saying everything you had to...”
She remembered Lloyd’s words, heavy with unspoken pain and regret.
I’d recognized my feelings for some time, but I couldn’t voice them. I was too...afraid. I convinced myself long ago that I was unfit to love or be loved...
Chloe’s heart ached at the memory. “Since then, I wondered if there was more to you that I didn’t know. More to your horrible upbringing that I wasn’t privy to. Parts that torment you, even now. I hoped I was wrong, but...”
“No, you’re not wrong. You’re not wrong, but...” Lloyd averted his gaze from Chloe, his voice growing quieter. “I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it yet.” His eyes shimmered with pain; his voice was softer, more vulnerable than she had ever heard. “It’s not something I’ve come to terms with myself. I’m sorry, Chloe, I truly am, but can you wait for me, just a little while longer?”
“Now just why are you apologizing? Could my answer really have been anything but ‘of course’?”
At Chloe’s unexpectedly kind, bright voice, Lloyd looked up, surprised. “It doesn’t bother you?”
“It bothers me,” Chloe replied immediately. “And while I would love for you to open up so we can work through it together, I accept that we all have secrets. Secrets that make us us. I of all people should know.” Her gaze drifted, clouded by memories. “Remember the birthmark on my back? My past? You never pushed. You waited until I was ready to share. I don’t know if you know how much that meant to me.” She locked eyes with him, a warm, steadfast smile on her lips. “So, I’ll wait for you. However long it takes, even if that day never comes. I just want you to know, Lloyd,” she continued, her voice soft yet firm, “that I’m in your corner. Always. Whatever you’ve been through, there’s nothing that could change how I feel about— Hya?!”
Before Chloe could finish, she found herself suddenly enveloped in Lloyd’s embrace. “L-L-L-Lloyd?!” she stammered, her voice muffled against him. The warmth of his body, the soft tickle of his breath, his intoxicating scent—it all made her feel so comfortable, so secure.
Lloyd’s voice, barely more than a whisper against Chloe’s ear, carried a sense of helplessness, a plea for understanding and comfort. “Hold me, Chloe. Please.”
She realized then that Lloyd, the usually unshakable knight, was trembling ever so slightly against her. His strong frame, which had always seemed so invincible, was now quivering in her embrace. Instinctively, her arms wrapped around him, offering comfort as a mother would to a child lost and afraid.
“You’ve saved me—in more ways than you know,” he confessed. “Thank you, Chloe. Thank you.”
Chloe felt a wave of warmth at his words. The idea that such a formidable knight felt so vulnerable—that he needed her—filled her with an indescribable joy. “I haven’t done anything,” she whispered back, gently patting him. She could feel him relax slightly under her touch. “You’re the one who saved me.”
In response, Lloyd tightened his hold on her. It was an embrace so close, a moment so quiet, that they could only hear each other’s heartbeats. It was an embrace they remained in until their minds began to calm.
Chloe spoke first. “Sh-Shall we go home?” she asked.
“I think we should,” Lloyd responded, a hint of normalcy returning to his voice. “We haven’t had dinner yet, have we?”
“Now that you mention it, I am starving,” she admitted. “I had a salmon bake prepared for us today.”
“Salmon. Lovely.”
As they stood up from the bench, there was no hesitation, no second-guessing—their hands found each other naturally, their fingers intertwining. It struck them both that they hadn’t held hands like this since the ordeal with Lily. Lloyd’s hand enveloped Chloe’s, his presence strong and reassuring.
Chloe’s heart swelled as they walked. I am truly in love, she thought, the realization washing over her with renewed intensity. Side by side, they made their way home, their steps noticeably lighter than they had been on the way out.