Chapter 1 #3
“Alright Livi, let’s get this over with so I can climb back into bed,” Tom announces as he waltzes out from his room in a charcoal gray tunic and his long hair tied back at the nape of his neck.
I scoff. “Like you’ll climb back into bed now that I’ve woken you up.”
“Who knows, maybe you’ll wear me out foraging,” he says with a wink and a cheeky smile before ushering me out the door ahead of him.
We walk in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before I finally speak.
“Do you ever think about getting out of here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice light, but this is a thought that’s been weighing on me for months and I don’t have anyone else to speak to about it. Fleur would absolutely lose it if I told her I wanted to leave.
Tom slows his steps and looks at me out of the corner of his eyes. “What do you mean?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t even know what I mean.
” I shrug and let my hands fall loose at my sides.
“I guess I’m just… bored? I’ve spent all two decades of my life in Willowbrook and I’ve never seen anything besides it.
There’s so much more to the world than this village.
I want to see the ocean, meet new people that aren’t traveling merchants at the market.
I want to have some grand adventure. The kinds I find in books.
” I twirl the ring on my left index finger, a nervous habit I picked up since Fleur passed the heirloom down to me as a child.
The metal slides effortlessly as I spin it.
The intertwining vines made of gold cradle a ruby gemstone like the buds of a rose.
He chuckles. “Those are fiction, Livi.”
“I know that!” I say, exasperated. “I only mean, I want to see more. I can’t live and die in this village. Helping Fleur with her poultices and ointments is fine and all but it’s so monotonous.”
“I guess sometimes I think about leaving, but I enjoy the quiet. The peace of life.” He’s quiet for a moment before he turns his head to me and smirks, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Plus, you’re here. Why would I ever want to leave?”
I let out a soft laugh and shake my head. But deep inside, I get this pang in my chest. I drop my gaze to the ground ahead of me, cautious of tree roots and other hazards.
He doesn’t understand. I’m not built for a life of peace and quiet. Every day is the same as the one before. Rising early, running errands for Fleur, helping her make the various concoctions she sells at the apothecary’s shop, sleep, and repeat.
“Livi,” Tom says softly, drawing my attention back to him. “Where would you even go?”
“I don’t know. But anywhere is better than here, right?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Be careful with that mentality. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s such a clichéd line.
I get that not everything will be sunshine and roses wherever I end up, but that’s the point!
Things here are always the same. There’s never anything new and exciting.
That’s what I need.” Tom watches me for several moments.
“You know what, forget it,” I huff in resignation.
“We need to finish up and get home before we lose the light.”
After a few hours of foraging, we’ve gathered enough to feed Fleur and I for the next week.
Tom walks me back to my door with a hand on my lower back.
He always does this. These overprotective older brother moves.
I used to enjoy it but nowadays it annoys me.
This borderline possessive move. As if I belong to him.
Maybe if we were together, I’d have a different opinion, but we’re not so it comes across as a bit odd.
Plus, I know for a fact that he’s not interested in me as anything more than a friend and likely sees me as a little sister in the same way that I view him as a brother now.
I won’t lie and say that I haven’t made attempts to flirt with him in the past. Because I absolutely have.
Have you seen him? Yeah, I had to make a go at him.
But that was years ago when I was a boy-crazed teenager.
Thankfully, he brushed it off as silly comments and never took them too seriously.
At the time, I was crushed but I’ve come to terms with it.
And truthfully, we work better in this brother-sister dynamic we’ve got going on.
He’s far too much of a womanizer for my liking anyway.
“Do you need help with anything else?” Tom’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Hm? Oh, no. I think we should have everything all set for tomorrow.”
He shifts on his feet slightly, looking almost nervous. “May I… Um, would it be alright if I joined the feast tomorrow?”
Shame runs through me at not offering first, knowing he has no family of his own.
“Oh! Well, I’d have to ask Fleur. We have a little tradition we tend to do to honor my parents—” The words cause that sharp pang to run through me again and my voice catches.
“But I don’t see why not. She’s always happy to have you join us.
” I offer him a reassuring smile. “I’ll come find you in the morning? ”
“Sounds great. See you tomorrow, Livi.” He presses a soft kiss to the top of my head and backs away, heading off down the path towards his cottage.
I step into my cottage, closing the door behind me and toe off my shoes next to the door. “Honey, I’m home!” I singsong to my aunt.
I hear her laugh tinkle out from the kitchen. I round the corner and spy her mixing some sort of paste that’s dark sage green and looks incredibly unappetizing. My nose wrinkles at the astringent scent as I draw closer.
“What on earth is that?” I ask.
“It’s meant to help clean wounds,” she answers simply.
“Right… Well, here is everything you requested,” I say, placing my overflowing basket onto the countertop next to her bowl.
“Oh, thanks dear. You’re a lifesaver doing that for me.” She abandons the mixture to begin emptying the basket. “How’s Thomas?” she asks, looking over her shoulder at me.
“Yeah, he’s good. You know him. Always getting into trouble at the taverns.
” I laugh but Fleur rolls her eyes and turns back to her task.
“He asked if he could join us for the feast tomorrow. He won’t infringe on our time later in the day, but I think it would be nice given he’d be on his own.
” I pause for a moment. “Plus, you know if he’s not with us, you can bet he’ll be getting into trouble in town. ”
Fleur stops putting things away to turn and face me. She crosses her arms and leans back against the cabinets. “Do you want him to join? Or are you asking because he asked you to? He’s never shown an interest in joining in the past. Why does he want to join now?”
I tilt my head and my brows furrow in confusion.
“Whoa, Aunt Fleur. Calm down. I don’t know why he hasn’t asked about coming before, but it’s also on us for never inviting him knowing he’d be on his own.
I want him here. He’s my best friend and I would hate for him to be alone after he opened up like this. ”
She watches me for a few beats before she gives a simple nod and returns to the basket. “Yes, he can join. But if he causes trouble, he’s out.”
“I promise we’ll both be on our best behavior.”