Apprentice: Page 6.5

Of course, it was Lexi.

I braced myself for some condescending remark or petty gripe.

"What, North?"

"So, one of those robots really did a number on me, I was hoping you could help a girl out?"

Her voice sounded somewhat strained. Somehow, that woman refused to act in a predictable manner. It was night and day with her.

"Yeah sure."

"Thanks, Evan."

She walked to her room, and I followed her. Again, she sat down and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor. My eyes did not wander over her pale skin, nor did I think about the lean muscles that made up her arms and torso, and I certainly didn't wonder what she might look like without a bra on. Nope.

There was a dark bruise on her left shoulder, and she seemed to have dislocated a rib on her right side. She laid down, and I placed my faintly glowing hands over her ribs until it popped into place. She gasped, and her face scrunched up in pain.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just hurt for a moment."

I moved over, now working on her collar bone. This part was trickier, there were 2 fractures that I could feel, and general swelling and inflammation around it. I cast the spell slowly, gently mending the bone. As she healed, she talked to me, mostly asking me to tell her how I was so fire-resistant. At a certain point, we just started talking about what we would do after our apprenticeship. We both wanted to join the guild, her as an artificer and me as a caster.

Eventually, her wounds were healed, and she yawned. She laid back, and I stood to leave.

"Wait, Evan, come here."

I walked back over to her. She gestured for me to come closer. I leaned forward, barely 6 inches (~15cm) away from her. She grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me towards her. Our lips met, and my eyes shot wide open. For a moment, it seemed like my entire world was just the two of us. Her lips tasted faintly of smoke and pepper, like a campfire.

After an unclear amount of time, she pushed me away and rolled over to sleep. I heard her mumble out 1 more thing before she began loudly snoring.

"Thanks, Evan."

I walked back to my room, mostly in shock. My fingers brushed over my slightly tingly lips. She had kissed me. She really kissed me.

I don't remember falling asleep that night, but I do remember getting the first decent rest in a long time.