THE TIDES OF TIME

- Chapter 20 -

To say that Jovan understood Jagoda's reluctance to stay behind was an understatement. He felt the way she felt in the past, and, quite frankly, it sucked. There was no other way to put it. He also understood the fact that she stormed off right after she agreed to stay behind as others would go after her sisters. It would have surprised him more if she hadn't. Since she did, and since he saw that Kinga didn't follow her, he knew that he had to. Not to check up on her, heavens no. He went to offer her comfort so that she would not feel... alone.

"It is a fine day for a snowball fight, wouldn't You say?" Jovan asked when he caught up with Jagoda as she stepped outside of the same cave entrance they watched the night sky on her birthday.

"Why would anyone fight with snow?" Jagoda turned to him and asked, baffled.

"Don't tell me You never enjoyed a good snowball fight?" He replied, with a surprised look on his face.

"Never! And I do not think that fighting with the snow is a wise idea. How could it be, if the snow does not fight back?" Jagoda narrowed her eyes on Jovan.

"Again, You don't fight WITH the snow. You use it to fight Your opponent." The fact that Jovan chuckled and then flashed a grin made Jagoda wonder if he meant his words, or was just teasing her.

"Alright, Valiant. If You don't fight WITH the snow, how do You use it to fight Your opponent?" She asked. She had to, aware that his answer would probably not offer one bit of a logical explanation.

"Like this." Jovan picked up a good amount of the snow in his hands, and formed a small ball out of it.

The cold touch of the snow made him wish for a good pair of gloves, but then he chucked to himself. He gauged that a store carrying them would be hard to find on this side of the reality's timeline. He chuckled again once that thought formed in his mind, and threw the ball at Jagoda. The freshly formed ball hit her arm, broke apart, and fell softly to the ground. The look of shock and disbelief she offered him made him wish she'd have sworn. That way he would have an excuse to kiss her.

"What...was...that?!?" Jagoda did not bother to hide her temper.

"A snowball... fight. IF You choose to fight back." Jovan winked at her, flashing his pearly whites to prove his point even more.

"I would not stoop so low as to..." she did not get to finish the sentence because Jovan threw another snowball at her. This time the ball hit her collar bone, and a bit of snow fell against the skin of her neck.

"I win, You surrendered." He flashed her an even more mischievous and triumphant smile.

"Never!" Jagoda reached for a sizable amount of snow, formed a ball as her mind registered just how cold and wet the snow felt, and threw it at Jovan. And it was a direct hit. Right in his face.

"Beginner's luck!" He announced as he wiped the snow off his face.

"Hmm, I seem to be good with beginner's luck. I win!" Jagoda laughed, and then let out a happy squeal as Jovan launched at her. While doing so, he lost his footing, grabbed her, and they both ended up falling. He fell on his back, she - right on top of him.

"That was not what I had in mind, but.." Jovan grinned and looked up into her eyes.

"And not what You intended to do?" She asked as she wiped a bit of snow out of his hair.

"Not at all," he whispered, caressing her hair away from her face, and his face as well. He then left his hand in her hair.

"You are a wild boar. A clever wild boar, but one nonetheless," she chucked.

"At Your service, Sultana." He noticed an immediate change in her eyes as he said that. And he felt her tense up at that very moment. He wanted her to come back to him and stay in this moment, so he moved swiftly, and rolled them so that she ended up on her back and he laid on top of her.

"And this was not Your plan either?" Jagoda asked as sparks flew from her eyes.

"Nope. But I did hope for something like this," he whispered and brought his lips down to hers.

They kissed. Long and breathlessly. She held onto him and drove him mad by doing so. He did not want her to let go. And she did not know how to. Whatever she felt for Jovan the first time they had kissed came back with full force. It flooded her mind and heart in a way she could hardly comprehend. It was all so new to her that she did not know what to think. So, she just accepted it. Breathless sigh for breathless sigh. His heartbeat for hers.

Their hands lost their trail in each other's hair. She could feel his hands under her head, but he did not put them there to support her in the cold snow. He put them there to caress her. And caress her, he did. But, shockingly to her, his lips parted from hers, and... kissed her cheeks, kissed her chin, and made their way to her neck. She gasped for air, lost between shock and desire. She did not know what was happening, but did not think she could ask him to stop.

Finally, she whispered his name. "Jovan..."

"I..." he looked up and saw the shock in her eyes. "I... I'm sorry. I did not mean to scare You." He tipped his head back and intended to get up.

"No, stay!" She asked him. No! She begged him. She held onto him, and swore to herself she did not want to let him go.

"But I scared You. I can see it in Your eyes." Jovan replied as he kept his hands in her hair.

"You did. I will not deny it. But only because I did not know how much I missed Your touch," she looked deep into his eyes. The honesty and purity in them made his gut turn sideways.

"Still, I am sorry," he continued.

"Don't be. If You say it again, it will make me think You are sorry that You kissed me." Jagoda's voice changed enough for him to notice.

"Never. I am crazy mad about You. And about the way You kiss," he looked down on her lips, and kissed her gently.

"Oh? And how do I kiss?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"In a way that makes me want to kiss You forever," he whispered and attempted to kiss her again. He bellowed out a laugh because she swore in that very moment because they heard Anil's voice calling out their names, letting them know that he was exiting the cave in search of them.

"What was that for?" Jagoda asked after Jovan kissed her once more before rolling off her and helping her up off the snow.

"For myself, because You swore." She laughed as well while Jovan helped her up. "I shall remember that excuse going forward."

They were still laughing when they made their way back inside, and passed Anil by the cave's opening. He was baffled to see them walk back inside, together. But not as baffled as he was to see that both of their backs were covered with crushed snow...