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Elia was just about to reach into the bag she brought with her to the King’s Landing Rose Garden when she hears a voice call out her name.
She looks up toward the source and she smiles. “Baelor. How are you?”
Baelor Hightower. How long has it been? She can’t remember.
Giving her one of those trademark smiles, he replies, “I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she says. Then, she offers, “Join me, won’t you? Unless I am keeping you from meeting someone else?”
“Thanks.” Taking a seat on the other end of the bench, he adds, “There’s no one else. Is there for you?”
She assures him, “My pleasure really. I could always use the company.”
This was one of Rhaegar’s weekends, so she was on her own today.
He glances curiously at her. “You don’t like sitting alone?”
She goes to explain, “I meant I’m just not used to it here.”
The last time she told someone that she loved going to the movies by herself comes to mind, that person had been mortified. Personally, she loves it. She gets to pick the movie, pick the time, usually pick the seat, and there’s no one trying to eat her concessions except her. And as the mother to two young children, she doesn’t have to fret about there being something inappropriate for her kids to accidentally see.
While the first true winter storm hit the town yesterday, today the air was crisp and the sun was out. They didn’t really have true winters in Dorne, but, she hadn’t gone back after the divorce. The kids grew up here and she was dedicated to making things easier for them since going between two households was difficult enough.
Since this weekend was Rhaegar’s and today’s weather reminded her so much of the temperate winters she knew, she headed out to Museum Row with a thermos of hot chocolate and pieces of gingerbread fudge she made to eat while she took in the serenity of the rose garden.
Admittedly, it’s a bit early to be engaging her sweet tooth by herself, but, why not? It’s good to engage in some silliness, especially this time of year.
She wasn’t the only one who had the idea. She looks towards the giant statues of a pair of dinosaurs marking one of the entrances of the museum. The bronze T-Rex has a lush green Christmas wreath around its neck complete with jaunty red bow. The triceratops has a bright red Santa hat.
She snapped a pic earlier and thought about sending it to her kids. They’d get a kick out of that. Rhaegar probably wouldn’t mind if she did, but she wouldn’t want him to accuse her of muscling in on his time since he gets “so little” anyway. Still, she was going to talk to kids tonight. If they ask for it at that time, no harm no foul.
Curious, Baelor leans forward. “Oh?”
Gesturing towards the large brick and glass building on the other side of the rose garden they were in, she explains, “The kids and I visit the Science Center a lot. They love coming here.”
The Science Center always had fun activities and exhibits for kids. Usually, when it’s her and the kids they’d bring a light lunch and make a picnic of it amongst the rosebushes before heading towards the Center or the Natural History Museum next door. Since it was just her, she packed a book and some snacks to keep her occupied.
Looking amused, Baelor asks, “They do?”
She nods. “The Center is geared towards kids. It’s all about making science and tech interesting for them. The kids are at Rhaegar’s this weekend, though. What about you? I didn’t take you for a rose garden type.”
He laughs. One of his sister’s married into a family that owns a chain of high-end flower shops.
Then, frowning slightly and brushing back a lock of rich brown hair, he answers, “I’m not really, but, I had a meeting in the area so I wanted a walk.”
She understood.
A walk was a good way to clear your head. With the kinds of meetings she had for her own work, she can only imagine what he had witnessed today to draw him here. This place could do wonders for centering oneself.
Because it was winter most of the bushes weren’t in full bloom, but winter had come late, so even in December, there were still plenty of roses to see. With the large fountain still bubbling away and the garden not being crowded, all-in-all, it was a very serene atmosphere.
He gives her that smile again, “Besides, growing up in my family, you tend to value the solitude.”
They share another laugh. While it was just her and Oberyn growing up because Doran was quite a bit older, though Oberyn was boisterous enough to be more than one sibling, Baelor did have a large family. If she recalled correctly, Leyton Hightower had married four times and Baelor was one of the eldest sons of the brood.
Still, she was glad he didn’t remark on her change of subject. It’s comforting to know Baelor is still as polite as she remembered. The reason why her marriage failed would have been common knowledge to him, but she appreciated he hadn’t mentioned why Rhaegar only had “weekends” with their children.
Trying not to let her mind go that path, she turns towards the bag she brough with her, glad she’d not turned off “Mom” mode off completely. Even though she planned to be by herself and intended to eat the fudge straight out of the box she brought, she brought two cups and a plate. She always carried extra napkins anyway.
She sets out some gingerbread fudge and starts to pour out the hot chocolate she brought with her when his stomach growls.
Baelor closes his eyes and whispers, “Are you kidding me,” under his breath.
She stops mid pour, flushing slightly. They’re probably remembering the same incident. If he’s embarrassed, so is she. She ignored it when it happened, but, later she laughed when Oberyn made that fart joke. She hadn’t meant to, but, at least, she never laughed in front of Baelor. He hadn’t deserved that.
Now she was much older, somewhat wiser, and well, she’d been having such a good time, so all she does is pass him a piece of fudge. “I think you need this.”
He gives her a grateful look.
And ha! There was a bit of a moan when he bit into it.
Despite herself, she starts to wonder if he was just as vocal in other areas. But, she turns back towards the hot chocolate, face heating up. She shouldn’t be thinking about that sort of thing. It was just a piece of fudge and some hot chocolate.
He finishes off the piece she gave him. He licks his lips. Perhaps a stray crumb, she thinks.
But after he takes a long drag of hot chocolate, he asks her, “Did you make those yourself?”
“Yes,” she confirms.
He says, “It was delicious.”
That shouldn’t please her as much as it does, but, she rarely bakes for anyone that wasn’t her family these days. “I’m glad you thought so.”
There was a glint in his eyes when Baelor next asks her, “Would it be difficult for me to convince you to give me something more?”
The way Baelor was looking at her, made her doubt it was only fudge he was talking about. Still, she could be reading too much into it. She’s been out the game for a long time. He could just be saying what he means.
She takes another piece and holds it out. To her surprise, he leans forward, mouth parted instead of lifting the plate at his side.
Her lips quirk up. If that’s the way he wants to do this, she thinks, she will oblige him. She presses the piece to his lips. She tries to tell herself the brush of his tongue against her fingers is accidental, but, there was definitely no misconstruing the grin he was giving her.
Bold of him! But, she likes that and well, it’s been far too long since someone looked at her like that.
Soon, maybe too soon, they were down to crumbs and out of most things to say.
With that smile again, he says, “I had a great time today.”
She did too. It was very nice. She tells him, “We should do this again.”
Despite his demonstrated interest, time stops until she hears the words, “We will.”
But, she has to be sure about one thing. She warns him, “There might not be snacks next time.”
He laughs outright. Over the course of their discussion, she’d moved the bag from between them. He’d also come closer. She pretends like she doesn’t notice that one of his arms was doing the reach around and that his fingers weren’t quite touching her shoulder.
Baelor reminds her, “I didn’t know there would be snacks this time. To keep things fair, next time it’s my treat.”
“You have something in mind?”
He smiles wolfishly now. “I think I can think of something you’d like.”
Because she feels playful, she asks, “I don’t do anything for just ‘like’.”
Earnestly, Baelor promises, “It’ll be life changing.”
Life changing? She grins. He talks a big game, but, really, why not take him up on that? There is no harm in finding out. Is there?
She warns him, “I’ll hold you to that.”
Again, with that beautiful smile, he tells her, “I’d expect nothing less.”