Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Hey, Az!” My head whipped to the right, Desi standing there with a smile on her face and bags in her hands.
“Who’s that?” Nova asked, her tone sour.
Great, I was getting my hopes up again.
“That’s Desi,” I offered, standing up and walking towards the lone woman. “Who brought you here?”
“Jonah, duh. I have your outfits! Commander Maitoza had them sourced for you both.” She held up the long, cotton bags, waving them slightly. Huffing, I took them out of her hands, gesturing for her to follow.
“Let me guess, by sourced you mean a rebel stole them from the Harmens’ home?”
“What I said sounded better.” Desi left my side, heading straight for Nova, who stood in front of her garden with damp trousers and a downturned mouth. “Hi! I’ve heard a lot about you from, uh, the commander!”
Smooth.
Nova glared at Desi as she approached, not introducing herself or even saying hello.
Stars, if you’re listening, please let Nova be jealous right now. I promise you’ll get a show from me a lot sooner if she is.
“I’ve heard nothing about you. How do you know Altair?” Nova crossed her arms, her jaw jutting out slightly.
“Az? I met him when he first joined the rebellion. We’ve been friends ever since. You know, you’ve technically met me before, but you were unconscious.” Leave it to Desi to say something like that. Taking extra long strides, I made my way to the pair.
“How about we go inside?” I suggested.
“Unconscious?” Nova shoved my outreached hand away, looking between Desi and I. “What does she mean?”
“You know, Desi, some people live their lives without being a pain in the ass.” Desi only smiled wider, as if being a nuisance was a gift. “Desi was the one who healed you. I wasn’t supposed to tell you because we wanted you to have time to rest, as I said before.”
“Liar! I knew you weren’t capable of healing like that!” Nova jabbed her finger into my chest as she spoke. “Thank you for saving my life, Desi. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I should go bathe.”
A handful of furious stomps and a slammed door later, Desi and I were alone outside.
“She’s very pretty.”
“Of course you’d say that, you’re sleeping with her sister,” I hissed, being sure to keep my voice low.
Desi laughed, shaking her head. “They really don’t look that much alike. Not to us. We know their faces too well.”
“Why are you lumping me in with you? I don’t even look at Nova like that.”
A snort escaped her nose and echoed off the overcast sky. “She’s right, you are a liar.”
With that, she pivoted and headed inside, forcing me to follow with the bags. I watched in disbelief as she took off her cloak, hung it on a hook, kicked off her boots, and then walked over to my ice box. “Please tell me they gave you some form of cheese this time.”
“Pretty sure the one time I didn’t get cheese was due to your…friend eating all of it before she got here.” Desi shrugged, smiling as she dug through the icebox.
Sliding off my boots, I put them neatly next to Nova’s, hanging my cloak beside hers as well.
Guilt racked through me as I thought about the fact she mourned someone who still lived.
Walking as quietly as I could, I made my way to the bathroom and pressed my ear to the door.
Water gushed into the tub, sounding like a waterfall as it poured, but no other sound came.
“Spying?” Desi whispered in my ear, causing me to slam my head into the door.
The two of us ran to the sofa, sitting down just in time for Nova to open the door, a thick towel wrapped around her and her curls clinging to her damp skin.
Her scowl deepened as she looked at us, her head cocking to the side.
“Remember that one time I—”
“Ripped off my towel with your magic? Hard to forget. Who knocked? Did you need inside?”
Completely unfazed by Desi’s presence at my side, I placed my chin in my hand, smirking at Nova. “Are you inviting me into the bath with you, Little Void?”
“Maybe you can take one with Desi when I’m done.” Not waiting for a response, she turned around and shut the door, the click of the lock loud in my ears.
“I wonder if it will help for her to know I threw up the one and only time I ever sucked a man’s cock.”
“Desi, what on Dajahim has you in such an annoyingly chipper mood and why does it mean you have to ruin my day?”
“My friend wrote to me. She’s safe and well.”
Well at least she had reason then. I smiled, offering her a quick tap to her arm. “That’s great news. I hope she gets back soon so we can avoid more heartbreak than necessary.”
“That reminds me, she also wants me to mess with you a bit. My goals today are matchmaking and day-ruining. How am I doing so far?”
Chuckling, I shoved my palm into her face, forcing her back. She fell, laughing too. Life almost seemed easy whenever I stepped into the sanctuary of these four walls. Even before Nova, there was peace in my cottage that even Celeste couldn’t seem to shake.
“You’re doing great. Report back that I’ll likely be celibate and unloved for the remainder of my days.” Dramatic? Sure. True? Probably.
“Oh, please. She’s so jealous she can’t even look at you for too long. That, my friend, is a good sign. It means she wants you enough that she’s at the I won’t share phase. When was the last time you two…you know…did it?”
“We haven’t done anything, sicko. And can you please talk about anything else?” Crossing my arms, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Behind my lids, Nova loomed.
“Sure. Want to see the clothes they got for you?”
“Ugh, not that either. Your benevolent commander is trying to kill us, by the way.”
“No she isn’t. We all have to do hard and dangerous things. You two aren’t special in that.”
“So she regularly sends rebels into the Naqi District?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Exactly.”
“You’ll be fine,” Desi said, swatting my arm. “Of all people, you’re the only one with a fighting chance. Even your stubborn brain has to see that.”
Frowning, I said, “What I see is a selfish, fanatic woman plotting my death.”
Desi sighed, scooting closer to me. “It’s okay to be scared, Az.”
“Of course I’m scared. From what I’ve gleaned, if Nova and I are caught, we’d be lucky to die.
We’ll be tortured. Chained. Eventually forced to come kill all of you.
Can you imagine how scary that is?” I pictured Nova, her wrists shackled.
I thought of Father looming above her, touching the skin beneath her eyes and whispering to the stars.
I was going to throw up.
“No, I can’t. But I have a good feeling. From what I’ve heard, Nova is incredibly smart. And so are you. You’ll both be fine.”
“Keep convincing yourself that, Desi.” I slid further into the side cushion, needing space from her relentless optimism. Desi let out another hearty exhale, tapping my leg.
“I’m going to leave early and let you two try on your outfits. A word from the wise, let yourself be surprised by her before the mission. I think you’re going to really love what they picked out.”
Desi leaned over and kissed my cheek, sliding a burner behind my ear and tossing a box of more into my lap.
I reluctantly smiled, making a big show of wiping my skin as she stood.
“You don’t actually have to go, Desi. Sorry for being a dick.
I’m sure you have a ton you want to talk to Nova about. Stay.”
“That can wait. Good luck on your mission. Don’t forget to not die,” she said as she tied her cloak.
Laughing outright now, I nodded. “Will do.”
“Oh, and Az?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re happy if you two are happy.”