Elanor knew she was beautiful. An endless parade of slack-jawed gawpers, jealous backstabbers and shy admirers from the time she was a child reinforced her conclusion.
But was she desirable? She looked over at Goodwill who was sitting comfortably a good three feet away with his arms crossed. They were alone. They were seated comfortably under an isolated, shady tree. The sun had set and it had been lovely, but still he made no move towards her. He looked uncomfortable and kept looking sharply over his shoulder as if they were being stalked by who knew what. Elanor herself was a wreck. One could spend only so many hours baking so many, many cookies. "Er..." she began and Goodwill startled and looked at her. "Ah...what happened to your eye?"
Goodwill touched a hand to his face. "I walked into a door."
"Again?"
"They’re nasty, malicious things, doors." He insisted and turned his attention to the ground. Elanor rose onto her knees and scooted closer to him. He froze.
"I’m sorry." she sympathized and tilted his head up to very lightly and lovingly kiss his bruise. He still didn’t move. "You’ve kissed me before. Why not now?" she murmured without much hope. She was going to die alone with a baking sheet in her hand, she just knew it.
"I wasn’t such an abject coward before." He raised a finger into the air. "Did you know your Uncle Pippin could kill a person with his thumb?"
"What?!"
Goodwill nodded. "Oh, yeh, he learned how in Gondor. He told me so. Twice. Would you like to know what Master Meriadoc can do with a piece of string and a hazelnut?"
Elanor realized that if she waited for him she’d wait forever. She moved in until her forehead was resting lightly against his. "No, I don’t care to know what Uncle Merry can do." She began to kiss a trail lightly from his temple to his cheek and she heard him swallow. She decided his outright nervousness was much better than indifference and kept going. "Wait, that’s not true. I saw him do this once...when he didn’t know I was watching..." She bit him on the neck and he made the strangest sound. Sort of like a gasp...but not. Well, he wasn’t pushing her away and he had...the nicest neck...warm and muscled and his skin was soft there and he smelled so good, like soap and sweat and he was...salty...ah, his neck was more than she’d ever imagined a lad’s would be. Ooh, finally, skin to bite into...she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him closer. What did his shoulder taste like? She decided to find out and pulled on his collar.
He jerked away with a yelp and Elanor was left staring hungrily at him. "What are you doing?" he asked and clapped a hand over the red spot she had made.
Her eyes filled with tears and they shone in the ever dimming light as she curled in on herself, away from him. "You don’t want me, do you?"
"Wait...Elanor..."
"You don’t want me. You think I’m strange and Elvish, don’t you!" He touched her arm and she jerked away. "And you’re afraid of my family. I’ve been fighting Bunces ever since we started but do you care? Noooooo...let go of my leg!" Goodwill suddenly had a serious struggle on his hands. Elanor lived in a family full of brothers and two enormous uncles and she was adept at whupping people much larger than she was. But he was the Top Hunter of Buckland and eventually managed to pull her hand over hand into his lap and wrap his arms and legs around her.
"Well, this is certainly romantic..." he observed as she struggled.
"Shut up and let go!" she demanded and he did. Immediately. She was surprised and rolled away from him. Then she felt stupid. Of course he let go, this wasn’t a wrestling match between cousins, after all. Elanor sniffed, utterly depressed. Pug stared at her for a long time. Then he rolled onto his stomach and slowly walked his fingers across the grass and patted her on the foot. Then he pulled himself forward and kissed her middle toe. It tickled...all the way up her spine and she felt her anger drain away.
He tucked a gossamyr strand of hair behind her perfect ear. "I’m sorry, Elanor. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m not used to...being wanted. Certainly I never thought that you...honestly, Elanor, not that you’ve noticed, oddly enough, but sometimes, when the light catches me just so, I can be just a little homely." Elanor looked at him, at his crooked nose, his mottled skin, his green eye and his brown eye, and his long, wiry, striped hair.
"I think you’re wonderful." she declared. He stared at her for a moment and then dropped his head and arms down onto the grass, completely overthrown.
"I think you need your eyes checked, you loon." He muttered. Elanor smiled. Goodwill never tried to flatter her with empty words and clumsy poetry. He never boasted of his accomplishments and his connections. He wasn’t after her money or her fame. He didn’t shun her for being from a disreputable family. He looked her in the eyes. And sincerely thought she was demented.
"You treat me like a person, Goodwill." She lay down next to him and moved his hair away from the back of his neck. He dug his fingers into the grass. "I find that very handsome of you." She drew her lips across his skin and he actually whimpered. Then he rolled over and pulled her on top of him. He was warm and solid and perfect. Elanor grinned and snuggled into his chest. Pug shook his head, trying to reproach her for her serious lapse in judgement but she saw him fighting a smile, still.
"Hold still, please, Goodwill. For just a little while?" she whispered.
Pug slowly smiled and Elanor wanted to scream with joy at the absolute, total, complete and undeniable desire in his eyes. Finally, finally, a lad all her own. "I will. I wouldn’t go anywhere now if they all came leaping out...nevermind." He raised his knee between her legs and scooted her up closer as she gasped with shock. He gently bit her lip. That was a mistake. She yanked on his shirt and buttons flew into the night. "AIEE! Elanor, be gentle with me. Please?"
Elanor wasn’t but Pug could have cared less.
~