Chapter 28
“Y ou’re getting moody because you’re starving. Let’s go eat somewhere nice,” I groaned, dissatisfied with the cheap trailer food she had made me buy and the wrinkled, dirty coat I was wearing.
This date didn’t fucking go as planned. A cemetery was like Disneyland for Dalia, and I wished I was buried three feet under at this moment.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled. Clearly not. “You don’t need to spend money to impress me. This is nice.”
She was playing florist among the tombstones like she was on a mission from the afterlife and wouldn’t stop until every grave was filled with flowers. It drew stares from passersby, but who was I to stop this girl’s insanity? And of course, she hid behind me like a scared rabbit. If I even hinted that we should move along, to continue the date, she shoved a bouquet into my hand with one of her charming glares, as if her little existential crisis was my responsibility to solve for the betterment of humanity.
I even tried to rally a guard to my cause, making him believe that Dalia was trying to dig up a corpse, but instead, he gave her a map of the cemetery and told me how lucky I was to have such a kindhearted woman by my side. My patience was running low, and my brain was exhausted by all of this kindness. What do you have to do to take a girl out of a cemetery nowadays?
“On one condition,” Dalia said, and by this point, I was ready to agree to anything. “I’ll buy you a cake, and you have to blow out a candle. It’s your birthday after all.”
“I’m not eight, Dalia.”
She wiped her hands, dirt buried under her nails. “You can’t be the one taking all of my firsts, and you won’t fight me on this.”
“Fine, then, we’ll buy a candle, and I’ll blow it out on your body. We’ll make it fit between your breasts before I eat you and—”
“No, I’m buying you my favorite dessert,” she cheered, striding past me, but at least it got her to stroll out of the cemetery.
But I wasn’t done suffering yet.
After two hours of driving, all I got to do was pollute the earth even more since almost every bakery in town was closed, and the restaurants weren’t faring any better. Grumpy Dalia was even worse than the euphoric one, so I judged that now wasn’t the best time to inform her I didn’t even like sweets.
“This one is open!” she exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat when she spotted the little French bakery, which looked like it had survived the apocalypse with its weathered facade.
I parked like a jerk right in front. She was already bounding out of my car before I’d even come to a complete stop. I trailed her like her reluctant shadow. Once inside, she stood on tiptoes, rang the bell, and eyed the pastries like she was window-shopping for her next victim. A mustached giant emerged, looking like he’d seen his fair share of chaos for the day. Too bad for him.
She flashed him a saccharine smile. “Hi! Please tell me you still have an eclair a la pistache ?”
“We do,” he said, unsmiling.
She turned to me with wide eyes. “See, we found it!” Then she turned back to him. “Two of them, please, oh and maybe… that chocolate cake over here, or no, the tarte à —”
“Give us everything you got.” I sighed.
“Levi!”
I shrugged, handing the man my credit card. “I’m bringing the choices to you.”
“I’m buying the pistachio ones!” Dalia protested, rummaging for cash in her pockets. “And do you also have a candle somewhere?”
The guy frowned. “Do I look like Santa to you?”
“Yes,” she beamed. “Please, you’ll be my hero. It’s his birthday, and he needs a candle!”
I squinted my eyes at her. Her hero, him? Really? He was built like a truck, but he certainly wasn’t the sentimental type to be softened by—
“I’ll be right back.”
“I’m buying your dessert,” Dalia cheered, looking insufferably pleased with herself. “Oh licorice! It’s been forever.”
She rushed to the candy section and filled a plastic bag with licorice.
I snorted. “No one likes those candies.”
“I do,” she countered, placing them on the counter. “They were my favorite candies as a child.”
My body involuntarily stiffened, my stomach twisting. She’d gifted them to me back then because she loved them.
“I don’t think you remember, but…” Her voice trailed off momentarily, then she swallowed. “Licorice made me think of you. Not everyone appreciates them, it’s true, because it tends to push others away. It’s not a classic candy; this one is strong and distinctive, but if you take the risk of tasting it, you discover that it’s actually sweet behind its harsh dark exterior.”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her. It was as if a glitch had occurred in my programming, causing me to momentarily freeze as I tried to debug the unexpected input. She had always been one step ahead of me. I had tried to figure her out, but she had infiltrated my defenses.
The man returned with a lit-up pink candle on the pistachio dessert, and she handed over her cash to pay for it while I took care of the rest. She handed me my dessert as she claimed the bag of thirty-four pastries and the licorice for herself.
“I always eat this dessert for my birthday. It’s my favorite,” she urged me with another smile. “Eat it, and don’t forget to make a wish!”
Now would have been a good time to tell her I was allergic to said pistachio. That I was disgusted by the smell of it alone and that I’d prefer to walk on acid than eat that thing. Now would have been the proper time, but her big eyes on me made me blow out that candle with an impossible wish before taking a bite of that disgusting thing. It was probably karma catching up with me because of the licorice.
“So?” she prompted eagerly, watching my every move like a sociopath.
“It’s…” I searched for the right words. Magnificent would betray my disgust for it, so I went with—“Surprisingly decent.”
“Ah, I knew you’d like it!” She took a bite of her own. “You’re not taking another one?”
For fuck’s sake.
I faked another bite, swallowing that piece, my throat getting itchy. Fantastic. I had willingly poisoned myself, again , just to please her out of the generosity of my own decaying heart. I discreetly disposed of the last morsel when a flock of ravens momentarily diverted her attention.
I steered the car back toward Pantheon, the imposing spires of the university looming in the distance like some high-security prison. Hopefully, no one would ever hear about this.
I parked, and we trudged through the entrance. Wooden benches sat vacant as the rain pelted down on the courtyard. We strode beneath the cover of the building’s arcades and arches.
“This was a great first date, Levi,” she said, cake crumbs clinging to the corners of her lips.
It had been a horrendous day, but I was determined to switch the date in my favor by keeping Dalia all to myself, locked up in my room. However, my plans were abruptly thwarted by the arrival of Cillian and Kay strolling over the empty quad. Kay, with his customary lack of subtlety, outstretched his arms in a greeting that I could have done without.
“Happy birthday, fucker.” Kay squeezed me tighter than necessary in a hug, causing my muscles to tense. His gaze then shifted to Dalia. “So are you guys a couple or—”
“No,” she said.
“Yes,” I countered with a wry smile. “She just needs some time to come to terms with it.”
Cillian and Kay exchanged a look.
“Anyway, you’re coming with us. We’re throwing you a little committee party tonight,” Kay said.
I had other plans for tonight. “Not interested.”
“Nuh-uh, it’s the month before exams! We need this. Your birthday is just an excuse,” Kay persisted, his gaze now fixed on Dalia. “You’re obviously not invited.”
“Of course she is,” Cillian interjected, his demeanor remaining stoic despite Kay’s antics.
“I don’t know her. I’m not going to invite—”
“You always invite everyone.” Cillian cut him off. “That’s tradition.”
At Pantheon, the houses displayed their power through annual parties, each attempting to assert their superiority. As Tacticians, we were renowned for our strategic gatherings, whether it be escape games, video game tournaments, or chess competitions. I had no inkling what Kay had schemed for this year’s parties.
“Fine,” Kay relented. “And while you’re at it, you should come with your Unifier friend so you don’t feel lonely. Tactician parties are a whole other thing compared to your lame cooperative board games, cosplay, karaokes, or whatever you guys do.”
Dalia smiled gracefully. “I’ll ask Yasmine about it.”
Kay’s face hardened. It was clear he couldn’t care less about Yasmine.
“And maybe Sylas. I think you all know him, right?” Dalia added, her smile feigning innocence.
Interesting. Had she known all along and deliberately toyed with him? A smirk crept onto my lips as I observed Kay’s surprise.
“Now, Levi, if she shows up, will you?” Cillian asked with a straight face.
“I’ll come if you leave me the fuck alone now,“ I replied sharply.
“Nope, you’re sticking with us,” Kay countered, dangling his arm over my neck. Not long enough so I could shoot him a death glare, but enough for my muscles to tense. “I doubt your girlfriend would mind.”
“I have homework to finish anyway,” Dalia said, much to the delight of those two smug fuckers beside me.
My throat tightened further, the pistachio still wreaking havoc. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Maybe.” She smiled back, heading toward her dormitory. “Thanks for the cakes.”
We made a sharp U-turn, heading in the opposite direction toward our lair.
“Didn’t know you had a heart beating underneath,” Cillian mocked.
“I bet he has blue balls by now.” Kay, for once, agreed with him.
What I felt for Dalia wasn’t pleasurable, but giving in to it was less painful. “Shut up, both of you.”
“I thought you wanted to ruin her and her father and all that crap?” Kay raised a brow. “Imagine her daddy’s face when he finds out you banged his precious daughter.”
The mention of Mercier soured my mood. “It’s more than a fuck, and she’s not his.”
“Be careful. It looks like you’re losing control.”
I ignored Cillian’s warning.
Dalia Mercier belonged to me.