With a warm smile on his face, Draven stood quietly beside his mother—wrapped in her gentle embrace. Her arms were around him, firm but soft, and he could feel the steady rhythm of her breathing. It was… comforting. Unexpectedly so.
A rare warmth is spreading through me, he realized. This feeling… it's not bad. It's actually kind of nice. Warm. Peaceful. Comfortable. He hadn't expected to relax like this—but somehow, here in her arms, he was.
His mother, standing close with her eyes gently closed and a playful smile curving her lips, broke the silence.
A mischievous glint flickered in her eyes as she said, "Honey, I thought you didn't want to give Mommy a hug… but you sure seem happy."
Draven's eyes flew open, and a flush of red spread across his face. Shit, he thought, flustered. It felt so warm and comfortable I actually started to fall asleep.
He quickly turned his head away, trying to compose himself, cheeks burning.
His mother just smiled knowingly. "No need to be shy, sweetheart. It's not like this is the first time."
Yeah, Draven muttered in his head, that's exactly why I don't want to do it anymore. And who the hell said I'm shy, anyway?
She leaned slightly toward him, her voice teasing, "Why don't you also give Mommy a kiss?"
Draven froze, heat surging back to his face. I guess I've already lost, he admitted to himself. There's no getting out of this one.
With a sigh, he slowly turned around. His mother had squatted down to be at his eye level, still smiling with that soft, teasing warmth only she could pull off. For a brief second, their eyes met—hers bright, affectionate, and amused.
Draven leaned in, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then just as quickly turned around again, clearly trying to hide how much he was blushing.
"I'm going to be taking my leave now," he said, stiff and flustered.
"Okay, honey," his mom replied with a gentle chuckle.
As Draven stepped away from the gazebo, trying to shake off his embarrassment, he suddenly noticed movement ahead. Lyriana and Aldric were approaching from down the path.
Wait— His heart. Where were they this whole time they were mostly nearby? Did they see that? Oh god Dammit… tell me they didn't see that. That would be quite embarrassing.
He kept walking, doing his best to act natural, though his ears still burned red.