Each minute that ticked by was agonizing, making her wonder if he’d show up at all. It wasn’t as though it was an easy feat, sneaking up the castle walls undetected to her window. And, where she couldn’t go to the window and watch for him in case her presence at the window drew attention, she had to trust that nothing was happening. She had to trust that this wouldn’t be the time he’d fall off of the wall and be injured, that he’d not be seen if someone looked up and light caught his form.<br/><br/>So intently at the window she was staring that his hand coming up and gripping the window’s ledge startled her, causing her to visibly jump. Then, further she braced as he landed on the floor, expecting it to be far louder than it ended up being…and then nothing. She stared, wide-eyed, mind going blissfully blank as she took him in, took in the way he said her name and took a step toward her. Without thinking, she stood from her place on the bed, and took a step toward him, not even registering the way the floor creaked beneath him. There was nothing else, as far as she was concerned; no bedroom, no castle, no worries.<br/><br/>His hand rose up to touch the side of her face, and she instinctively leaned into it, a hand coming up to hold it to her as her eyes fluttered closed. In such a close proximity, she could smell him, the earthy quality to him. She took comfort in his calloused touch. She lost herself in his voice, his kiss. It was a kiss she readily returned, all the breath lost from her lungs as her other hand came up to hold him close, relishing in the moment as everything felt right. Everything felt so right, in fact, she allowed herself to deepen the kiss this time, to follow her instincts and not fight the good feeling. She chose to allow herself to be happy, to show her feelings through a touch she’d been too ashamed to allow herself.<br/><br/>Another creak of wood, this one outside the door, caught her attention. The kiss was broken and a hasty step back was taken while she listened to make sure it wasn’t anything for her room. Her heart raced a mile a minute, waiting until the steps eventually passed. “…I need to close that window…” she whispered, stepping around him to the window, pulling her curtain in and closing it tightly, locking it and standing there for a moment to look out, to check that no one had seen.<br/><br/>Only after she was assured did she turn back around, a smile creeping onto her lips as she met his gaze. “It may not have been long…but I missed you,” Maria finally spoke into the silence. Nervous, she was nervous. Her heart was fluttering wildly in her chest and the butterflies had taken wing in her stomach. Tongue darting out over her lips, she glanced around only to eventually come back to him. “…Do you want to…lie down? Or relax in the sitting room? Or…I don’t know…” A jittery laugh fell free then, a shrug following suit. “There’s so much I want to do and I can’t even begin to figure out what to focus on. …I’m just glad you’re here.”