Notes: After a looooooooong and dark winter... Guess who's here?
lol
I hope you like it!
Previously...
***
Chapter 4
So… Lothíriel had a crush. She didn’t blame herself for it, it’d seemed inevitable.
But yeah… It had the potential to be a bit awkward, but she thought she’d be fine. Éomer was leaving soon, so there was that.
She hadn’t expected to feel such a strong attraction to the man. Sure, he was good looking and all, but she knew many good looking men. There was something about him that was just… Really delicious.
Like she really wanted to climb that man like a tree, ride him like a stallion, have his babies or whatever.
She didn’t understand it. She was not that girl, the one that got crushes regularly.
Lothíriel was careful in relationships for many reasons: her brothers were annoyingly overprotective, her family had a lot of money and she’d been painfully naive as a teenager.
She was a romantic and she wanted the whole fairy tale deal, however, she’d learned that some things do require careful consideration. As much as she wanted to get married -she had the whole ceremony planned -and have children -three and she knew the names already -she also knew that nothing of this would happen by magic. Lothíriel didn’t want to just be married with a family; she wanted to love and be loved.
And she wasn’t saying she’d fallen head first in love with Éomer that very night, but the intensity of the attraction she’d felt was kind of weird.
Anyway… It meant nothing. Crushes came and went, and she wasn’t 15 anymore. Maybe she’d liked him because he was good-looking and new, because he’d offered her a handkerchief like a perfect gentleman, because he was tall and kinda rugged and he did look like he could pick her up and…
Right. She should stop thinking about what he could do with those arms of his. It wasn’t helping at all.
Colonel barked at her and she sighed. “You’re right. I’m being silly.” She turned back to the mirror to finish up her makeup.
They had a dinner -this time really for family only -with Éomer and Éowyn that night. They were supposed to leave back to Edoras the next morning.
Faramir was probably freaking out and trying to figure out if it was too early to ask Éowyn to marry him. She knew her cousin was crazy about the woman, so it was killing him to say ‘goodbye’ like this.
Lothíriel gave him a month before he made his way to Edoras. Amrothos thought it’d take a week.
Lotty put on her mother’s pearl necklace -she always wore it when she felt like she needed more confidence -and applied her lipstick.
It was one dinner with Éomer and her whole family. She could do it.
***
Okay, this was a bit ridiculous.
Lothíriel felt the need to repeat -to herself -that she was not the kind of girl to get insta crushes, but this man had to be joking.
How was it possible that he looked even better that night?
Was this witchcraft? Because it kind of felt like witchcraft.
Éomer looked so good in that gray suit, no tie, not even an attempt at controlling his long hair. (No, she was not thinking of holding on to his hair while he ate her out. Well… Now she was.)
They were at this restaurant that belonged to one of Echiron’s friends, where everything was organic, overpriced and not that revolutionary. Amrothos was convinced Echiron only pretended to like this place because he was sleeping with said ‘friend’. Lothíriel just wished he didn’t make them go there.
Éomer was frowning at what was supposed to be his steak. “I think they left most of it in the kitchen.”
Lothíriel hid her smile with her napkin. “They seem to do that a lot here.” She indicated her own fish, which probably was no more than a tablespoon of food.
Éomer sighed. “We’ll need to leave and get a pizza.”
“Can I come along?” She asked with a grin.
They had been sitting side by side, which didn’t help much with her crush. Now she knew how good he smelled and they talked most of the night.
He gave her a slow smile. “Of course. I couldn’t leave you to f… Ouch!” Éomer winced, then glowered at Amrothos, who was across from them and glowering right back at him.
Had her brother just kicked Éomer under the table? She threw a confused look at her brother, but he was staring straight at Éomer and mouthering…
“Did my brother just tell you not to flirt with me?” She asked Éomer in a stage whisper.
“Lotty!” Amrothos hissed at her,
“He did.” Éomer replied to her in the same way. “That’s the third time tonight.”
It was Lotty’s turn to frown. “Third?” She gasped theatrically at him. “Have you been flirting with me in secret?”
Éomer chuckled. “I guess I have. The first was when I said ‘hello’...”
“Yes, that was very inappropriate of you.”
His smile got bigger. “And the second was when I said your dress is cute.”
Lothíriel looked down at her dress. “But it is cute!”
“Right?”
They grinned at each other, before Éomer winced again.
“Amrothos.” Lothíriel hissed at her brother. “Stop assaulting our guest!”
“I will.” Amrothos gave her a fake smile. “As soon as he stops flirting with my baby sister.”
“Amrothos.” Their father’s voice made her brother flinch. “What is going on?”
“Nothing.” He was quick to say.
Lothíriel took the opportunity to turn to Éomer. “I’m so sorry about this.” She was now serious. “Amrothos is being ridiculous.”
“Your brother is really protective.” Éomer shrugged. “I get it, you are lovely and sweet.” Lothíriel was floating on those words for about three seconds, until he finished his thought. “Of course he has nothing to worry about. I’d never do something like that to your father.”
Ice gripped her heart. “I beg your pardon?”
Éomer cleared his throat. “Your father is a great friend of mine. I wouldn’t flirt with his daughter carelessly.”
“Right.” Lothíriel gave him a smile that was probably too tremulous, so she took a sip of wine to hide it.
Once again she wasn’t a person or a woman. She was just Imrahil’s daughter and because of that she was in this untouchable shelf.
Well, that was the end of that crush.
***
Éomer took a sip of his beer as he watched the lights of the city. He could barely wait to get back to Edoras.
He missed the farm, the horses, the work, the people…
Dol Amroth was beautiful, but it wasn’t home.
He put the beer down and looked at his suitcase. Normally he’d have this done already, but he couldn’t concentrate on the task and he needed a distraction. Hence the beer.
He’d hurt Lothíriel’s feelings.
He saw it clear as day on those pretty eyes of hers. She didn’t say anything, just smiled at him and continued to make polite conversation after, but it wasn’t the same.
There were no more secret smiles and sassy remarks from her. Just the plainest, most boring topics of conversation ever.
Éomer imagined it was because he said he wouldn’t flirt with her, but he wasn’t sure why that had made her so sad. She couldn’t possibly…
It didn’t matter anyway. He was leaving, she was staying.
Lothíriel was absolutely lovely -breathtakingly so. But she was also younger and the daughter of a good friend. They were worlds apart.
She’d forget him pretty soon.
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