So eat, and then run to sleep were the words she repeated inside her head.
Quietly, she began to chew on her food. And truly, it tasted just like it did back at home. It tasted so good that she wanted to tell him thank you for providing the food for her but she kept her gratitude to herself for she didn’t want to start a conversation.
Until halfway into her meal she realized he wasn’t eating, he was just staring at her, "You? You do not wish to eat?" The words already escaped her lips before she realized she had spoken, even though her mission was to have a quiet meal.
He shook his head, "I am not hungry for food tonight." He responded and it made her wonder, if he wasn’t hungry for food, what was he hungry for? Fruits, water? What?
She was going to ignore him. It was his stomach not hers. What was her business, what he was hungry for. But if he wasn’t going to eat, then he could at least leave the table and stop making her feel uncomfortable.
But seriously, what was he hungry for? She wondered. Her curiosity got the best of her and she opened her mouth once again and spoke, "What are you hungry for then? You are a prince, are you not? Order someone to get it for you." She suggested and continued chewing and swallowing her food.
A small smile laced his lips and only the dimple on his left was visible as it was the deepest one. If he didn’t smile brightly, you would not notice the one on the right. Just like now, it did not show, but even as it was one-sided, it was beautiful.
"There is no need for that." He simply said.
She really wasn’t planning to talk to him that night, she sincerely, truly wasn’t. But, "Why? I am not saying this because I care about you or anything, you of all people know I do not. I am only saying this because I am a princess with a kind heart..." A low mocking scoff escaped his lips, but she, out of the goodness of her heart chose to ignore it and she spoke on.
"You just returned from a long journey, the food served on the ship was manageable but having to eat on moving water was not exactly the best experience. So order someone to get you what you want and enjoy it to the fullest now that you are in a more stable environment."
Silently her green eyes peered into his that were a golden fire, and it seemed the more she stared the deeper she was being pulled in. The silence was growing louder and louder and so was the sound of her beating heart.
With a loud thud, she placed her utensils back on the table just in an attempt to break the silence. She picked up her cup of water and sipped from it.
"Do you think it truly is okay for me to have and enjoy the meal I hunger for?" His gaze was intent and his voice was low and crisp that it tickled her insides even though he was sitting across her.
It made her wonder what it was that he hungered for that made him seem so passionate about it.
"Can I really enjoy it? What if the meal does not like me enjoying it?" He suddenly asked and Neriah was deeply confused. Did they believe that food has emotions in their place? That would be really dumb though?
Or maybe the food he craved for was some sort of animal flesh. So when he said the meal does not like him enjoying it, he was talking about the animal that would become food for him. Just like the chicken before her. That made more sense if she put it like that.
"W_well, I guess not." She stuttered as she tried to find a reasonable response to his words. "But," she carefully placed her cup of water down, "it is only natural that you eat them. It is the circle of life. And meat tastes really good. So if you crave it, just have it. Do not think about the feelings of your food, just eat and enjoy it. Ravish it to your heart’s fill." She hoped she made sense.
"Really?" He smiled and this time she could see the dimple on his right cheek too. This smile was brighter and bigger.
"Aye..." she nodded and another wind of silence blew in between them again. Her lashes fluttered and so did her heart. His stare seemed to be getting more intense and it disturbed her greatly. She cleared her throat aloud as she rose to her feet, "Wh_what is it that you crave for so badly that you are in such a dilemma?" She asked. She could not face him anymore tonight. She wanted to run to bed.
"Hm?" She hummed a silent query that he answered her previous question, reaching his side as she walked toward the bed. But just as she walked past him, his hand caught her wrist and the action sent rolls and rolls of fear into her system as she turned slightly to realize that he was rising to his feet.
And now he stood before her, his hand that held her wrist now trailed up her arm and rested upon her shoulder, and she looked up at him with a ragged breath, her chest heaving up and down with fear.
Golden eyes staring back at her, bringing himself low to her head level and her heart took an even more distinct and crazy beat as she was quickly realizing he was not hungered for fruit, food or any meat of sorts...
What he hungered for was, "You... I want you tonight." and the robe he had placed around her body, with his own hand again, he pushed it to the ground and pulled her into his arms. And before Neriah could comprehend that she was being seduced, his lips were upon hers.