Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FRID
The night was hot, and filled with aromas that came from the valley, the thick sweetness of field flowers and freshly cut hay.
I just started dating Niall, but he constantly tried to place his sweaty hands on my waist, which made me absolutely crazy.
I glanced up, looking at Victor who was flirting with some woman from the pub.
How this man was able to find women so fast was beyond me.
I had only been dating Niall for two weeks, but despite his position in the capital, and being tall and well built, he constantly played on my nerves.
At first, I thought it was because we needed more time to get used to each other.
But even after spending several nights together, the sense of dread when I had to stay in his company for long periods only heightened.
He was decent in bed, as much as I could judge, since it was my first experience.
The entire process only lasted several minutes, but it wasn’t unpleasant, just a little sweaty.
Niall later informed me that I needed to do more to make him stay enthusiastic, but, in my opinion, I already did quite enough.
I could see myself dating him long term, if we never had to sleep together, and if he would stop putting his wet palms on my thighs.
As I finished that thought, his hand landed on my knee. I caught Victor’s gaze that traveled from my face to Niall's hand and something flickered in his eyes.
Was he upset? Was it because he wanted to be the only one who had any success with the opposite sex? Tynan was still not over his breakup, and hardly even looked at any women. And Sol was . . . just Sol, he could get anyone he wanted.
“Frid, come here.” Niall tried to take my hand.
What now? I watched him with less than friendly eyes. No one ever told me that dating was so damn annoying. Why did he need to hold my hand at all times? I reached up and grabbed my kvass with my free hand.
In the meantime, Victor whispered something into his lady’s ear and she laughed.
The girl had her boobs on display for everyone to see, and at some point in the evening, she had climbed onto Victor’s knees.
Victor’s hand was on her cheek and there was something infuriating in the way, his fingers caressed her face.
She was so much smaller than me. Petite, narrow boned with a large chest and slim waist. Her mouth was brightly pigmented and she did something to her eyes to make them look shadowed.
He liked girls who did stuff like that, so of course, he liked her.
I bit my lower lip, trying to look anywhere else.
Then from the corner of my eye, I saw that her mouth was pressed against his and he slightly turned her head.
My eyes darted back to the pair, and contrary to what I expected, Victor was looking right at me.
I bit down hard. This night could not get more irritating.
“Frid?”
“What?” I snapped, but caught myself just in time to soften my voice. “What’s up?”
“Why don’t you sit on my lap?”
Why won’t you stop talking?
“No, thanks.”
“Why not?”
Shut up! Just shut up!
“I don’t want to.”
“Oh come on! Don’t be a prude.”
I glanced at him, and not for the first time, I imagined slapping his face.
“Come on, Frid.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
This was enough dating for me. I could honestly say that I tried, and wasn’t too impressed.
I stood, but Niall grabbed my elbow and without stopping myself, I rotated his arm and his body slammed against the table.
“What’s wrong with you?” He growled.
“I’m off to bed,” I said, picking up my kvass.
“We’re not finished,” he attempted to get up, but Tynan who sat closest to him caught his shoulder.
“Let it go, man. She made her choice,” Sol said.
I didn’t stick around to hear the rest.
“Frid, are you alright in there?” Victor’s voice pierced through my slumber.
I opened my eyes, just then noticing the slow movement of water in the pool.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just fell asleep.” I sat up.
The water was cool and soothing against my legs.
I raised my knee, noticing the soft, peachy fuzz of hair along my skin.
I have heard that women were supposed to remove all the hair from their bodies, but I never cared enough to inquire how it could be done.
Victor probably would never date someone who was so indifferent to her appearances.
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. In the corner there were several lanterns filled with insects whose fluttering wings radiated a gentle glow all around them.
The light the bugs produced was a cool tone of soft blue and it strangely soothed my nerves.
I stared at the dancing flickers of light on the stone walls for several minutes before finally getting to my feet and reaching for the towel.
“Frid?”
Suddenly, the curtain that separated the room I was in from the rest of the apartment lifted.
Victor froze at the threshold. I whipped the material toward me so fast, a loud snap filled the air.
I only had a moment to wrap myself in the towel.
It all happened so fast, I did not even have time to get properly embarrassed.
“What the fuck?” I clenched the thick fabric to my body, trying to cover as much as I could.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you say anything.” He moved his head, looking at the wall.
And for the first time ever, I saw his usually pale cheeks flush.
“Get out!” I shouted.
He immediately turned away, but my eyes caught his hand closing into a fist as he disappeared behind the curtain.
One of the girls had brought us a change of clothes and I wanted to refuse them, but then I remembered our deal.
I judged that it would not be very smart to decline the offer since we were dependent on the help of the commune.
I could not stop fiddling with the dress I had on, unsure about its design.
The top piece was made up of skillfully placed knots that formed two triangles that were supposed to accommodate my curves.
The lower part consisted of a loose skirt with cuts on each side to allow more movement.
The fabric was silky smooth in a light sandy color.
I had to agree that in this climate, this type of covering was very appropriate.
I looked up, meeting Victor’s gaze. He was staring at me, a lot, and it played on my nerves. Why was he so smitten by the stupid dress? He had already seen me without clothes. That was something I will not be able to forget.
More lanterns lined the passages as we followed one of the sisters to the common room. People occupied seating areas carved from the rock, or sat on the blankets that were laid out on the floor. A welcoming warmth seeped freely from the walls, expelling the heat that was absorbed during the day.
Mahin was standing with Amira and both of them turned our way as we walked in. The look on their faces was not incredibly friendly.
“Sister, you may choose anything from the tables, and please, make yourself comfortable.” The girl bowed leaving us standing awkwardly while the attention of the entire room was solely on Victor and me.
“It’s because you’re wearing your flying suit,” I whispered to Victor.
“I doubt it.”
“You’re the only one here who’s wearing leather.” I hissed.
“We’re in the wastelands. I’m not going anywhere without my clothes.”
I was about to respond, but Mahin was walking straight toward us.
“I’m glad you took full advantage of the room. And I hope you will be fully recovered soon.” She smiled, looking only at me, completely ignoring Victor.
“Thank you for your . . . hospitality.”
I was the worst possible candidate to exchange pleasantries with anyone.
I was nothing like Alina or Victor, who was always fast, witty, and charming.
I was the kind of person who could easily say something inappropriate or snappy without thinking, but if the conversation took a more serious turn, I would have nothing to say.
Later, the same words would keep circling in my head, coming up with better responses. But it was always too late.
“Please enjoy the food and wine.” She made a wide gesture toward the long table where several women in headscarves served food.
“Thank you,” I repeated, not sure if I could just walk straight there.
When both of us approached the table with enormous containers of food, one of the women pointed at the plate and I swiftly picked it up.
“What are you having?” another asked.
“What are you serving?” I asked.
“We have chicken arezh with a side of komata bread,” the woman said.
“Perfect. My favorite,” I lied.
“And you?” The woman asked Victor.
“Same,” he responded.
The woman proceeded to scoop a light brown mixture into a wooden bowl and put two surprisingly thin pieces of unleavened dough in it. It smelled like meat and potatoes and my stomach growled as I picked it up. The bowl was hot to the touch and I placed it on the plate.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Make sure to return our girls. That would be a proper thank you from you.” The woman responded.
I frowned, saying nothing in return.
Victor and I spent some time trying to find available seats but everywhere we looked was occupied. In the end, we proceeded to eat while standing up.
“They’re not very welcoming.” Victor took a bite of bread.
“That’s why I told you to change into their clothes.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not wearing a skirt.”
“It’s not a skirt. Besides, all the men here wear it.” I reasoned.
Just then Mahin’s partner, Amira, approached us. She examined Victor from head to toe, then turned to me.
“Tomorrow, I would like to talk to you about our plans,” she said. “Be ready after breakfast.”
“Yes,” I said and the woman immediately walked away.
“She seems nice.” Victor finished up his meal.
I tasted the chicken and was pleasantly surprised by its creamy, slightly sweet taste. The warm, aromatic flatbread was filling, but slightly salty. For a long moment, I just focused on my meal.
Victor watched me eat, without saying anything.
“What?” I asked with my mouth full.
“You have sauce on your chin,” he said and my face flamed.
How could he already be done with his meal and I, after just taking my first bite, already had food all over my face?
When I moved to wipe it off, one of the kids, a boy of about seven, approached Victor and squinted his eyes.
“My mom says that all dragons are bad,” he blurted.
“She’s not wrong.” Victor responded.
“Why are you here then?”
“I’m asking myself the same question.”
“Can you play ball?” the boy continued.
“You are looking at possibly the best in the world at all ball games. Especially airball.” Victor smirked.
“What’s airball?” the child asked.
“I can show you.”
Victor placed his plate on the table closest to us, and stepped to an open area away from the people dining.
As I looked around, I realized that all the women in the room were watching every move he made as he showed the boy a game we used to play when we were children.
Kids simply adored Victor; it was one of life’s big mysteries.
Any place we visited that had children, he would instantly get a following.
As I chewed on my food, I noticed the boy’s mother went over and exchanged a couple of words with Victor. Then she took his hand and examined his wrist, giving me a quick glance. I could not believe my eyes. She was checking if Victor was available.
I kept eating, not even noticing the taste of my food. Then I returned both plates to the cleaning station and walked straight to Victor.
“We have to go,” I said.
“Later, kid.” Victor caught the small leather ball and returned it to its rightful owner.