Chapter 4
Chapter Four
They retraced their footsteps down the corridor, Dariel taking extra note of the height difference between the two of them, and the confidence in which Athens walked—strode.
He walked as if he owned the hallways, his head held high with a permanent grin on his face.
Dariel was always self-conscious of his height, and this moment was perhaps the worst he’d felt in a while as he struggled to keep up with Athens’ pace.
He kept looking at the other man in admiration as they passed the oil paintings Dariel could almost envision Athens being a part of.
Dariel had too many questions, his mind ablaze.
They reached the lobby area again, and Athens took charge of their destination, briefly nodding to Dariel’s untouched case.
“I say we try this corridor first then work our way back.” Athens pointed ahead of them to the west wing of the house.
Dariel nodded, but it wasn’t enough for Athens, who rolled his eyes. “Have you forgotten how to speak?”
Dariel startled. “Oh, no. Sorry, I zoned out a bit.”
“Do you do that a lot? Zone out.”
Why is he asking?
‘It’s okay, I do too.’
“Please stop that.”
Athens sucked in his cheek. “I can’t read your mind, you know.
We’re not that powerful, I only pick up on the stuff you want to hear and make you hear it.
You just have to relax and let me in,” he said.
“It’s not quite the same as our ability of mind manipulation, people like us can sense this kind of thing coming.
We can welcome it.” Athens lowered his gaze.
“I can read your body language though. In fact, I’m very good at interpreting someone’s thoughts based on how they present themselves.
So maybe I can read your mind.” He winked again and Dariel’s breath caught.
He’d only done it twice, but each time it made Dariel feel things he’d tried to shut down for a while.
He didn’t enjoy being distracted and caught off guard, and Athens was already doing a remarkable job at that.
He decided to change the subject, eyes catching the large window in the middle of the main stairs. “Should I maybe move my bag, to keep it out of the way? You know, just in case.”
“We’re not allowed up there, remember? Top secret mess.”
“Yeah, we’re both not buying that, are we?”
‘We’ll find out what’s up there in a bit.’
This time, Dariel felt his lips quirk and Athens silently stared at his face with the same expression, eyes twinkling.
Dariel chewed the inside of his mouth. “I’m stressed it’s left out in the open.”
“You have a lock on it, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Then there is no problem. He can’t go snooping.
But if it will put you more at ease, you could move it to the side of the staircase so it’s more hidden.
” Athens reached down to take the case, and it was only then Dariel realised he’d already gripped the handle himself.
Their arms brushed, and Dariel caught the scent of mint as Athens came up close, silky black hair sliding over his shoulders as he bent forward.
Dariel dropped the handle and watched Athens lift the case, resting it against the staircase wall beside a giant, mahogany-rimmed globe. A black rucksack was already lying there, which Dariel deduced belonged to the man at his side.
“Better?” Athens raised a brow, though not unkindly.
“Yeah,” Dariel breathed out.
“Great, let’s explore.” With that, Athens reached out an arm to gently squeeze Dariel’s shoulder, sending electric sparks through every inch of his body.
Oh, dear. Dariel thought, turning his head so Athens couldn’t see the way heat rose to his cheeks. It’s been a while since I felt that.
The pair of them headed down the hallway and entered through the first open door to the front of the house, flicking on the light. The living room, it seemed. Or at least one of them.
Like the hallway, the room looked untouched. Preserved in time, waiting for visitors to peer at it from behind velvet ropes. Don’t touch, no flash photography, keep the line moving.
The room was a mixture of baby blues and greens.
A grand fireplace graced the far corner with a large mirror above it, spanning the entire chimney breast wall.
Three floor to ceiling windows stood adorned with navy, crushed velvet curtains, trimmed in gold, letting in the blackness beyond.
An exquisite, gold chandelier hung in the centre of the ceiling, making rainbows from the light.
After a low ‘wow’, Athens snorted. “I wonder when the last time he sat in here was.”
“Probably the last time he had guests,” Dariel joked.
At that, Athens turned and looked down to him, sucking in his bottom lip, eyes merry. “You’re probably right.”
They quickly moved on to the room opposite, which was behind a closed door this time, but as Dariel opened it and Athens switched on the dim and buzzing light, they understood why.
It was merely a storage room; a single wooden table stood in the centre with two large, chipped-paint wardrobes on either side, one door slightly ajar.
Boxes upon boxes of varying sizes, all nondescript, were piled on the floor and table, some open, most sealed.
There was a damp smell emanating from them. Dariel grimaced.
“How long has he lived here?” Athens asked sincerely from the doorway.
Dariel stepped forward out of curiosity and peered into one of the open boxes on the table.
“He never said, but I figured a while,” he answered as his eyes met with a dozen dead flies and he pulled his head up fast, turning to face the door.
“Odd bloke,” he muttered. Were his cleaners never allowed in here?
Athens shrugged his shoulders and headed back into the corridor.
Dariel followed and caught Athens inspecting the trim along the wall for dust with his finger, his eyes wandering up to the wallpaper.
“Have you ever lived in wealth this grand?” Athens asked without taking his eyes from the wall, deep in thought.
“Of a sort,” Dariel said.
Athens flicked his attention back to Dariel, face unreadable in the dim light. “You’re a fashion designer, right?”
Dariel gulped, he didn’t really know why. It was as if the question held a different meaning, but he quickly deduced it was probably because talking to Athens was something he’d never experienced before. Talking to someone like him rewired his brain a little, he’d forgotten how to act normally.
“Yeah,” Dariel sighed. “For now.”
Athens scowled. “Meaning?”
Dariel straightened up, then the honesty poured out of him. “I’m coming to the end of this little life. Time to move on soon.”
Athens pouted in concentration. “Huh,” was all he said.
“What?”
“How old are you?” Athens stepped towards Dariel.
“Twenty-four,” Dariel blurted out upon instinct. Then inwardly frowned at the blatant lie, adding, “forever.”
Athens walked even closer now, shoulders relaxed. “You look younger, honestly.”
What was that meant to mean?
“That’s a compliment, by the way,” Athens flicked his head. “I died at thirty, so I just about saved myself from an eternity of wrinkles.”
Nothing wrong with age lines. I find them quite attractive, actually.
“I’m joking, of course. Godwin suits them. I’m too punk for mortality.”
Dariel raised a brow, multiple questions firing through his head at once.
Athens flopped his arms down, tilting his whole body to the side as he laughed. “Another joke, gosh you really need to chill out.”
That offended Dariel, but he realised the other man had a point. They were both just as much in the dark as each other, and they were both the same. He was probably the safest he’d ever be in Athens’ company—despite still not truly knowing him at all.
“Sorry, you’re right.” Dariel relaxed his shoulders.
‘No need to apologise to me.’ Athens stepped over to squeeze Dariel’s shoulder again, his thumb lingering a tad longer this time, stroking the crook of Dariel’s exposed collarbone, lighting up his body once more.
Then a burning sensation appeared as the tiny slip of silver from Athens’ thumb ring finally reacted with Dariel’s skin, immediately fading as the connection broke.
He almost flinched, but instead he just nodded, itching away the feeling the same moment Athens turned back around and headed further down the hall.
“We can maybe get to know each other properly now, yeah?” Athens asked as he walked further and further away, Dariel’s feet refusing to carry him anywhere.
Athens reached the door at the very end and turned the handle; a warm, amber glow illuminating his face as the room greeted him in. “Nice,” he said before disappearing into the mouth of light.
Dariel hurried to join him, turning into the room, and grinning with pleasant surprise. It was a small study space with a large sofa along the closest wall, and a desk with papers scattered all over. The carpet was worn and the chair cushions were flattened with age. It felt lived in.
Athens was already crouching over the desk, rummaging through the pages and drawers.
A floorboard creaked as Dariel joined his side. “Woah, should we be doing…”
Athens stopped him with a stern look. “He let us roam, it’s his own fault for leaving this room open. Plus, I want to know more about him, don’t you?” He looked up through his lashes in a way that cut off any words Dariel had ready to say. Another well-made point.
“What about the other room, though? He might have stuff in boxes that could…”
“This room smells nice. It wants to be used.”
Dariel huffed at the absurdity, reluctantly joining in.