10. Vaelin
Chapter ten
Vaelin
M aybe it’s silly, but the next night, I find myself back at the Frosted Flagon.
The tavern isn’t as loud as it was the night we met, but it’s busy enough to drown out my thoughts, which is all I need right now. The smell of roasted meat and mulled cider fills the air, the fire crackles in the hearth. I sit in the same corner where I first saw Theo, hood pulled over my head, nursing a tankard of cider I’ve barely touched.
I’m here because I’m hoping he’ll show up–which is ridiculous, really. It’s the kind of thing Calliope would tease me for, because I am not a hopeless romantic, yet here I am.
Because as much as I hate to admit it, I miss him.
The sound of the door opening makes me glance up out of habit, and for a moment, I think I’m imagining him…until the rest of the bar goes quiet, and I realize I must not be the only one seeing him.
He lingers in the doorway, scanning the tavern like he’s trying to decide whether to come in or turn around and leave. His fiery hair is damp with melting snow, his cloak dusted in frost–and it looks like he has fresh mistletoe braided into his beard.
He looks good…not like he slept on the streets.
That’s good. I’m glad. Even if I’m a little upset that he didn’t spend the night in my bed.
I sit up straighter, pulling my hood back so he can see me–and as soon as he does, he makes up his mind. To my relief, he doesn’t leave; instead, he comes closer, weaving through the tables and bumping into more than a few people along the way, whispering apologies.
He sits down–thank the gods, because my neck is starting to cramp up from looking at him–and clasps his hands in front of him. He doesn’t speak.
“Hi,” I finally say.
“Hi.”
He looks at my half-empty tankard, glances around the bar.
“Were you looking for a mark?” he asks.
I wince and shake my head. “No…I was looking for you. Or—hoping you’d show up.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m an idiot,” I tell him. “Because I hoped—maybe stupidly–that you’d give me another chance.”
His shoulders relax, but I can tell he’s not quite ready for that yet. That’s okay; I can wait. We’ll go on this damn quest together, I’ll drop everything and show him–
“You hurt me, Vaelin,” he says. “What you did…it made me feel so stupid.”
“I know,” I say. “I know, and I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t feel stupid, though–being a good person should never make you feel stupid when a bad person takes advantage of your kindness.”
“You’re not a bad person.”
“I am a bad person,” I insist. “But I want to make it up to you, if you let me.”
He stares at me like he’s trying to read the truth in my eyes. He’s done that before; he was bad at it. I just have to hope that he knows I’m being honest now.
“I missed you,” he says quietly.
The words take my breath away, and I want to tell him I missed him too–but my stupid pride gets in the way. “We’ve only known each other a day,” I tell him.
“I know,” he says, “but I still missed you.”
Gods help me…he’s honest to a fault.
“I missed you too,” I say. “So…does that mean I can buy you a drink?”
He snorts, shaking his head. “A drink won’t fix this.”
“No,” I agree, “but it might make it less awkward.”
That earns me a faint smile, and I wave the bartender over to order him a cider. When the drinks arrive, Theo raises his in a toast.
“To new beginnings?” he says.
I smile. “Yeah. To new beginnings.”